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McConnell's Health Scare Has People Talking About Term Limits

Rebecca Downs
Rebecca Downs  |  July 27, 2023 9:00 AM

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) had a bit of a health scare on Wednesday afternoon during a press conference. He was helped away from the podium by Sens. Joni Ernst (R-IA) and John Barrasso (R-WY), the latter who is a doctor. Although he returned a few minutes later and maintained that he was "fine," the incident no doubt had people talking, especially when it comes to the minority leader's age, and whether it's time for term limits. 

There were numerous Twitter trends to do with the incident, and not just "Mitch McConnell," but also "Fetterman," "Feinstein," and "term limits." Speculation about McConnell's health concerns also resulted in "stroke" trending, with some suggesting that was what he experienced at the podium. It's not just term limits that many people spoke to, but age limits as well. 

Both McConnell and Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) are some of the particularly older members of the Senate, at 81-years-old and 90-years-old, respectively. McConnell has had this seat longer than some people in Congress have been alive for. McConnell was first elected as senator in 1984, and Feinstein was first elected to this role in 1992. 

Feinstein isn't merely old. She was absent for several months due to complications from shingles, with some fellow Democrats even calling on her to resign. That some male voices were particularly vocal led to charges of sexism. That being said, her age and memory have raised concerns for years that she was fit for the job. 

Perhaps the most shocking display of ignoring the problem based on political party has had to do with Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), who is only 53-years-old. It was revealed just before he won the Democratic Senate primary in May 2022 that Fetterman had suffered a stroke. Not only did he handily win the primary, he also beat Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz in the general election. This was despite how painfully obvious it was that the man was not well, especially during the one debate he participated in. Since he was sworn in, those concerns with Fetterman's health since the stroke continue, and he was also absent for a time due to mental health struggles. 

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In covering McConnell's health scare at the time, Spencer noted how there is nevertheless a habit for the mainstream media to focus on concerns with the Republican:

Unsurprisingly, the mainstream media quickly latched onto McConnell's situation at Wednesday's press conference in an apparent diversion from coverage of Hunter Biden's plea deal falling apart in Delaware. But perhaps more notable is the media's sudden concern with the health and fitness of America's elected leaders. 

Will there be equal coverage and questions about how Joe Biden — who trips over nothing up staircases, struggles to string sentences together at times, and routinely botches explanations of U.S. policy — or Senator John Fetterman are doing? Any questions of their fitness to serve any time they exhibit potentially alarming behavior? Of course not.  

Many also continued that refrain over Twitter. 

McConnell and Feinstein may be among the oldest members in Congress, but that doesn't mean other members of Congress are much younger. At the start of the 118th Congress, NBC News pointed out that "The 118th Congress is the third oldest since 1789."

On Wednesday night, Axios published a chart of how the average age of a member of Congress if 58, which is actually a year younger than the 117th Congress. In the Senate, the average age is 64, while it's 57 in the House. More than half of senators are 65. 

It's also telling how many Boomers, those born between 1946-1964, are in Congress compared to the rest of the population. According to 2021 estimates, 21.2 percent of the population belongs in the Boomer generation. In the 118th Congress, 48.8 percent of members are Boomers.

Then there's how Congress is viewed rather unproductively, with the institution receiving particularly low approval ratings. There's certainly reasons for or against term limits, but if ever there's been a wake-up call to have them, now would be the time. 

Given how many older members still choose to remain in Congress rather than enjoying retirement, if the American people want term limits, though, it looks like they are the ones who have to put in the hard work to get them.