MacIntyre says all non-contractor Republicans wanted McConnell out
His Oct. 12 post quotes Laura Bassett’s comparison of Republican criticism of James Talarico’s nine-day illness absence with Mitch McConnell’s three-month absence.
Auron MacIntyre posted on X on Oct. 12: “Literally every Republican voter who isn’t collecting a check from defense contractors wanted McConnell removed.” The post quotes Laura Bassett’s Oct. 11 post, which set Republican criticism of Democratic U.S. Senate nominee James Talarico’s nine-day absence against Sen. Mitch McConnell’s three-month absence from the Senate1. McConnell is the longest-serving party leader in Senate history, having led the Senate GOP conference from 2007 until he stepped down after the 2024 elections2.
“Literally every Republican voter who isn’t collecting a check from defense contractors wanted McConnell removed”
The post is embedded from X at https://x.com/auronmacintyre/status/2109466333499052226
Talarico stepped off the campaign trail after saying he had the flu, and he said he had been shaking too many hands and wanted to keep everybody safe. After the nine-day absence, he re-emerged with an unannounced appearance at the Austin City Limits festival. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s campaign demanded “proof of life,” launched a tip line for sightings of Talarico, and promoted missing person posters of him3.
McConnell, 84, last voted on June 11, and three days later his office announced he had been hospitalized. His office said he was “fully engaged” with his staff, and few details were shared while speculation ran rampant. He returned to Capitol Hill, entered the Senate chamber in a wheelchair, and cast a vote on a judicial nomination. In a statement before the vote, McConnell said it was his first Senate vote since a bad fall in June2.
The reporting documents the comparison Bassett drew, and it stops there: it contains no count of Republican voters who wanted McConnell removed. Monmouth University’s April 2024 poll found McConnell at 13% approval and 42% disapproval among Republicans, a measure of approval rather than a demand for removal.
Laura Bassett posted on X on Oct. 11, 2026, at 7:26 PM: "The whole Republican party screaming about Talarico being out with the flu for 9 days while they're wheeling Mitch McConnell to work in a vegetable state after his 3-month absence is just incredible." The post's page showed 374K views at capture4. The phrase "vegetable state" is Bassett's own description of McConnell, and her post rests on a three-month absence followed by his return to work1.
Family Brief holds that a claim about what every Republican voter wanted needs a count behind it, and this post offers none. The test is on the campaign trail, where Talarico has accepted four debate invitations and Paxton has accepted none3. Watch whether Paxton accepts a debate before voters decide the Texas Senate race.
Sources
- @AuronMacintyre on X, 2026-10-12: Literally every Republican voter who isn’t collecting a check from defense contractors wanted McConnell removed, 2026-10-12
- Mitch McConnell returns to Capitol Hill after monthslong absence
- James Talarico returns to campaign trail at ACL festival after illness spurred GOP calls for 'proof of life'
- Laura Bassett on X: "The whole Republican party screaming about Talarico being out with the flu for 9 days while they're wheeling Mitch McConnell to work in a vegetable state after his 3-month absence is just incredible" / X
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