Weekend at McConnell's: The GOP's undead Senate strategy — Dingus of the Week Podcast #31

Mitch McConnell hasn't been seen in public in nearly a month. No photo, no video, no floor vote — just a statement from his office insisting the 83-year-old Senate Republican leader is "fully engaged" from his hospital bed. Meanwhile, the Senate is back in session, a defense bill and national security votes are on the table, and the guy who chairs the Rules Committee and the defense appropriations panel is, functionally, a rumor.This week on DINGUS OF THE WEEK, LYZ LENS and ZACHARY OREN SMITH check the pulse on America's biggest mystery: is there a light on in there? DINGUS OF THE WEEK is a weekly comedy news podcast where writers Lyz and Zach light a fire under the American rogue's gallery to see who comes spilling out. If you're tired of doom-scrolling but know ignoring the problem doesn't get us anywhere, this is your new weekend listen. New episodes every Saturday morning.SUPPORT THE SHOW by subscribing on Patreon.👑 $5/month - Not a Dingus tier (3 weekly newsletters, 1 podcast, and our entire archive)👑👑 $10/month - Definitely Not a Dingus tier (all the above + polls and topic submissions, a chat community, weekly discussions, comment access, and our love)SEND US YOUR DINGUS. Record a voice memo and tell us who your dingus of the week is. Make it good and you'll hear your voice on the show. You can also email those to [email protected]. FOLLOW DINGUS OF THE WEEKYoutubeInstagramLYZ LENZ is the HBIC of MYAM Media. ZACHARY OREN SMITH writes about politics for Iowa Starting Line. Follow his work on Instagram (http://instagram.com/zacharyorensmith) and TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@zacharyorensmith).LAURA BENITEZ wrote the theme song.SHOW RUNDOWN:00:00 - Cold open: Lyz's son wants to stay "average," not tall and Zach's trip to France20:56 - Dingus: Schrödinger's Mitch McConnell. Hospitalized, unseen for weeks, and legally both alive and dead thanks to a Kentucky succession law.43:51 - Midroll: "Dislodging that thing from his neck hole" and why you should subscribe on Patreon55:15 - Game: Guess the Oldest 1:15:25 - Joy: Liz's crisis bob haircut1:15:30 - Joy: Zach's baby, two ER trips in a month (and a socialized medicine rant).1:22:18 - Outro.