Former Sen. Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma has died. He was 89. The family says in a statement that the Republican had a stroke over the July Fourth holiday and died Tuesday morning.
Republican Sen. Jim Inhofe, a conservative firebrand known for his strong support of defense spending and his denial that human activity is responsible for the bulk of climate change, has died. He was 89.
Inhofe, a powerful fixture in Oklahoma politics for over six decades, died Tuesday morning after he had a stroke over the July Fourth holiday, his family said in a statement.
Inhofe, who was elected to a fifth Senate term in 2020, stepped down in early 2023.
His denial of climate change evidenced by his holding of a snowball on the congressional floor in winter was the moment I realized that memes are now more important than facts.
I remember him for blocking aid to Hurricane Sandy victims. When I suggested someone reciprocate and block aid to tornado victims in Oklahoma on reddit, I got down voted to hell.
I often wonder when a conservative asshole dies after a lifetime of doing conservative asshole things, does anyone really miss them? Like I imagine his family does not care much for him. Nothing will be named after him, I can't imagine what, being as anti science and education as can be.
Pieces of shit like this make me wish hell was real.
You're a traitor to country and all of humanity; the world became a slightly better place when you died. I hope your final moments were as agonizing as the policies you supported.
It's really sad to think that the highlight of this guy's career was that he DIDN'T choose to commit treason. He was one of the very few Republican senators to actually certify the election results in 2020.
Anyone got an in with a ski resort? I'm thinking we use one of their snow generators and a bunch of coolers and make lots of snowballs and head over to his grave and start pitching them.
I can only hope Death hasn't left D.C. yet, but is just sharpening his scythe. In particular, there are a couple presidential candidates who are rotting on the vine.
That is the problem with the impending disaster. All the people who could do something about it wont be here when it arrives. Its not like they care about their children. I've discovered to care about your childrens fate is a rare thing in people 60 and above. Most of them had it too easy. Being born and raised in a golden age.
As OP mentioned, it’s not relevant since he retired, but the seat becomes vacant for a period, meaning one fewer member votes, and results may be affected. There’s generally some mechanism for filling the vacant seat, which can vary on timing (and state law). Generally a replacement can be appointed by the state governor, special elections are held if there is still a substantial term remaining, or the position is held by the appointee if an election is already imminent.
There is no such thing as controlling the Senate 51-50. There are 100 senators and if there are only 99 voting (e.g. because one of them died), then if there was previously a 50-50 party split, party-line votes will now have 50-49 results, i.e. not a tie, i.e. the Vice President will not be asked to break a tie.
It wouldn’t actually be a 51-50 split. What happens is the senators vote, and if there’s a tie, the Vice President (aka the President of the Senate) is asked to break the deadlock. If it was a 50-50 split, and one of the senators dies, it’s now a 50-49 split, and the VP is no longer asked to break ties.