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Fun Fact! (thelemmy.club)
submitted 1 month ago by to c/politicalmemes@lemmy.world
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[–] 12 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Because polling currently suggests that there's a bug leftward shift in American politics coming. If the special election were to happen now, there's a non-zero chance that the GOP would lose the seat to a Dem.

Hiding McConnell's death would mean that, even though he wouldn't be voting, the Dems wouldn't get an additional vote in the Senate early.

That's the justification, but it's still just a conspiracy theory. Also, I'm not a poli-sci person, so I don't know about Kentucky's special election rules or if Mitch's seat is being contested this year.

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  • [–] 5 points 1 month ago

    I was just reading up on the special election rules for Kentucky. They were recently changed - it used to be the governor would appoint someone who had to be a member of the same political party. Now it's a special election for a person from any political party. So what you're saying is correct: it's possible a dem wins and there are slimmer margins in the senate.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 month ago (3 children)

    Yeah, but if Dems would win the seat in a special election, then they'll win it in November too. I don't see how they expect there to be a difference, unless they just want to delay the inevitable until next session. But Dems won't take back the house until then anyway, so it seems kinda moot.

    I think they're just panicking and can't make rational decisions because they're desperate to hold onto power. Maybe also because of the turmoil of selecting a new majority leader this close to an election?

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  • [–] 7 points 1 month ago (2 children)

    You're right, it is delaying the inevitable. But legislation is still being written right now. Policy is still being debated right now. Having an additional Dem in the Senate early could sway other moderate GOP members on the fence to vote against bills being touted by more extreme members of their party.

    Sure, by pure numbers and inevitability, it doesn't matter on paper. But it does matter because there's more nuance and interpersonal politicking happening that the general public may or may not be privy to. Every backslide in seats or power could set off a cascade of changes. Nothing happens in a vacuum on Capitol Hill.

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  • [–] 6 points 1 month ago (2 children)

    They're attempting to pass bills that suppress Dem turnout and help them win this November. The timing matters for what they want to do.

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