АНУ-ын Сенатын гишүүн Митч Макконнеллийн эрүүл мэндийн байдал тодорхойгүй байгаа нь улс төрийн хүрээнд янз бүрийн таамаглал, шүүмжлэлийг үүсгээд байна.
Кентакки мужийн сенатор, 84 настай Митч Макконнелл зургаадугаар сарын 14-нд ухаан алдсан байдалтай олдсоныхоо дараа эмнэлэгт хүргэгдсэн бөгөөд түүнийг зүрхний шигдээс болсон гэх мэдээлэл байна. Түүнийг эмнэлэгт хэвтсэнээс хойш гурван долоо хоногийн турш олон нийтэд мэдээлэл өгөөгүй нь мэдээллийн хомсдол үүсгэж, улмаар янз бүрийн таамаг, цуу яриа тархахад хүргэжээ.
Энэхүү нөхцөл байдалтай холбогдуулан Сенатын олонхын удирдагч Жон Тюн болон сенатор Жон Баррасо нар Макконнеллтэй “удаан хугацааны, ач холбогдолтой” яриа өрнүүлсэн гэдгээ мэдэгдэж, түүнийг биеийн байдал сайжирч байгааг илэрхийлэхийг оролдсон байна. Гэвч улс төрийн хүрээнийхэн болон хэвлэл мэдээллийнхэн түүнийг биечлэн харах эсвэл нотолгоо шаардсаар байгаа юм.
Олон нийтийн дунд үүссэн энэхүү эргэлзээг “The Daily Show” нэвтрүүлгийн хөтлөгч Ронни Чиен болон бусад шүүмжлэгчид эсэргүүцэн, улс төрчдийн өгч буй тайлбарыг хангалтгүй хэмээн үзэж байна. Тус нэвтрүүлгээр дамжуулан Бүгд найрамдах намынхны энэхүү стратегийг шүүмжилж, өндөр настай улс төрчдийн эрүүл мэндийн байдлыг нууцлах нь улс төрийн тогтолцооны ил тод байдалд сөргөөр нөлөөлж байгааг онцолжээ.
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The Daily Show has gone after the Republicans who insisted this week they have spoken to veteran Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell and that he is in good spirits, despite ongoing concerns about his health.
McConnell, 84, was hospitalized on June 14 after being found unconscious at his home in Washington, D.C., reportedly following a cardiac arrest.
An eerie silence has reigned in the three weeks since, prompting the likes of Senate Majority Leader John Thune and his deputy, Wyoming Sen. John Barroso, to try to dispel the rumors and conspiracy theories filling the information void by saying they have had “lengthy and substantive” conversations with him.
Host Ronny Chieng tore into the GOP’s strategy on Wednesday’s episode of the Comedy Central satire, sarcastically calling it “all very legit,” but first going after the cautious media coverage of the circumstances leading up to McConnell being taken to the hospital.
“I think it’s pretty clear why he was admitted,” Chieng said. “He’s an incredibly old man. He’s half the age of America, all right? Look at him, he was probably diagnosed with, I don’t know, being extremely 84.”
He then mocked Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear for writing a letter inquiring after the senator’s well-being, pointing out that he is unlikely to be able to answer it if he is as unwell as feared.
Chieng also ridiculed CNN Newsnight panelist Mike Nellis for demanding that McConnell record “a 60-second proof of life video to show us that he’s OK.”
“You’re asking for a proof of life video from the hospital?” the comic responded. “Eighty-four-year-olds have trouble shooting video when they’re perfectly healthy, OK? If he can shoot a video without his thumb covering the camera, we should make him King of America.
“Besides, what good is a proof of life video? We’re talking about Mitch McConnell. For the past two years, we’ve been watching him in videos where I have no idea if he’s alive.”
Responding to the phone call claims made by Thune and Barroso, the host said: “Yeah, that’s right. He’s doing that totally normal alive person thing where you spend your day calling multiple guys for 20 minutes. It’s all very legit.”
Chieng then pivoted to another CNN pundit, Scott Jennings, who had also claimed Tuesday to have had a 17-minute call with McConnell, only to be challenged by anchor Kasie Hunt to get him on the phone right then.
“Yeah, OK, no, no. Let’s put – no, I’m sorry, I gotta call bulls***,” he said. “Seventeen minutes is way too specific of a number. When you describe phone calls, you say 15 minutes or 20 minutes. Anything else is like a deposition.”
Chieng then cut to correspondent Michael Kosta, in right-wing mode, who admonished him by saying: “Mitch McConnell’s health is none of your business.
“Let me break it down for you. A senator is better than us. This is the system our Founding Fathers envisioned – representation by an elite group of quasi-corpses who owe us nothing and cling to power even through rigor mortis.”
Kosta insisted McConnell was fine and that he had just got back from surfing with him, after a morning pilates class and before their planned volcano hike.
“If we get rid of Mitch, where does it end?” he asked, scorning media criticism of the Washington gerontocracy.
“Do we get rid of all the other aging, cognitively-impaired, technically dead senators? That’s called discrimination and it would be illegal if Mitch McConnell’s Supreme Court hadn’t overturned it.”
Chieng had also joked about McConnell’s condition on the previous night’s show, doing so after running a clip of a paraglider crashing into a crowd at a Fourth of July celebration over the weekend.
“That guy is completely OK,” he said. “I mean, seriously, the skydiver is fine. And actually fine, not like Mitch McConnell fine.
“Just kidding. Mitch is doing great. He’s doing great. And he can’t wait to get back,” Chieng said, giving two thumbs-up to the camera while grimacing doubtfully.
