No.Nonsense.

On June 14th, Mitch McConnell was rushed to a DC hospital after being found unresponsive in his home. Since that time, he has remained in the hospital and his office has continued to be cagey regarding his condition. Republican leaders are saying they have talked to him while other reports are saying he is brain dead and/or in organ failure.

This situation renews the debate of what is need-to-know when it comes to high-ranking government officials.

We have seen multiple examples of McConnell seeming to blank out during news conferences where he is unable to continue his thought and will be unresponsive for a couple of minutes. At 84 years old and in continually failing health, he did finally step down from his Senate leadership role and is not seeking re-election. In the interim, however, are his constituents being served?

Dianne Feinstein was experiencing cognitive decline for three years before she passed at 90 years old. During this time, her staff continued to minimize her memory issues as grief from her personal losses.

Strom Thurman served until he was 100 years old despite clear physical and mental decline. He collapsed at his desk on the Senate floor.

Ronald Reagan was already showing signs of Alzheimer’s before he left office. He was not officially diagnosed until five years later.

Secretary of Defense under Biden, Lloyd Austin was hospitalized for an extended period of time for complications from cancer surgery and neither the White House nor Congress was informed.

Joe Biden himself showed clear cognitive declines throughout his presidency and still attempted to run for a second term. That prospect only ended after his disastrous debate performance that demonstrated he was clearly non compos mentis. Meanwhile, his staff gaslighted the American people the entire time to say that he was not only perfectly fine but that he was running circles around everyone.

For all of us, there are times when we might be walking through a health situation and need a little grace. But none of us are responsible for decisions that determine the fate of a nation. For any of us, if it became apparent that we were no longer able to carry out the duties of our job, we would be sent at least to short-term disability pergatory and at most given the option for a more permanent solution.

And we would never be able to get away with not telling our management what is going on.

For these officials, the American people are their management and we should be informed if our officials are unable to serve. I am not saying they need to give us a detailed explanation of their health challenges. I do respect medical privacy and HIPAA protections. What I don’t respect is an official who lies to me. To say all is well but not be seen in a month? That doesn’t jive with a reasonable thinker.

I’m not going to say that people can’t serve into their 80s. Some octogenarians probably move better than I do. But when their age and infirmities begin to impede their ability to do their jobs, there must be a means to keep things functional. We need to insist on rules- and legislation if necessary- to mandate a level of accountability if someone is no longer able to serve.

Our lives and our futures depend on our leaders to be capable of doing their jobs. And we need to hold them accountable when they are no longer able to do so.