Have you ever noticed that Senator no chin's upper lip never moves?

[napi21]

I am watching Rachel on TV right now and she played several clips of Mitch. I am always amused by his appearance but was looking particularly at his face tonight. On each seperate clip, when he spoke, his upper lip doesnt move at all! He's looks like Howdy Dooty (the wooden puppet for those who aren;t old enough to remember who that was)! I don't think I've ever seen him smile, but I wonder how a smile would look without a movement of your upper lip, or any part of his upper face?

[Captain Hilts]

1. He had polio. nt

[napi21]

4. Oh. I didn't know that. Sorry to be making fun of anyone who

has the results of a disease. Please accept my apology.

[Captain Hilts]

5. Most folks don't know that. He's still a shameless creep. nt

[malaise]

8. Didn't know that

I've called him the chinless one several times and would not have done so if I knew he had a major childhood illness.

[Captain Hilts]

9. I think he'd be chinless no matter what. But the lip movement might have been affected.

He's still a complete schmuck.

[sweetladybug]

10. I don't mean to sound rude but how would having polio cause a person

to be ugly, not have a chin and not to be able to smile. I'm just asking and I'm not trying to be rude

[Captain Hilts]

11. It could affect his ability to smile. Being chinless is being chinless no matter what.

For example, FDR never recovered the use of his legs. That is known, but he also didn't have a lot of muscle action in his lower back, so the presidential train never went over 35 mph because he found it difficult to keep himself steady if the train rocked that much. He could do it, but not for long.

[elfin]

12. First case I ever heard of that had this residual effect without

having an effect on other nearby sites, such as throat, neck etc. Must be very rare.

A relative of mine has severe post-polio syndrome in legs and back after "recovering" from lower limb paralysis in the last wave of polio.

From my personal research on the subject on behalf of this relative, this is the first example of head-involved symptoms I have seen.

Must investigate further before I accept this explanation of McConnell's extraordinary facial creepiness.

Even if true, he still remains a creep for many other reasons.

[chill_wind]

14. Had a friend who had a similar paralysis effect on a part of her face

which affected her smile, which was always a half-smile-- sort of sweet actually, much like her personality. Very much unlike Mitch McConnell.

[Fridays Child]

2. Who is Senator no chin?

(no TV access, right now)

[napi21]

6. Mitch McConnell nt

[gateley]

7. McConnell -- here's proof:

[gateley]

3. I haven't heard him referred to that way, but I knew exactly who you meant! nt

[grasswire]

13. polio affected his upper left leg

according to The Washington Post. That problem was worked out via physical therapy when he was two.

I don't think the face is related to polio. I think it's botox.

[chill_wind]

15. There can be cranial-facial nerve involvement from polio

Cranial nerve involvement

* Approximately 10-15% of cases affect the lower brainstem motor nuclei.
* When the ninth and tenth cranial nerve nuclei are involved, patients develop paralysis of pharyngeal and laryngeal musculature. Unilateral or bilateral facial muscles, as well as the tongue and mastication muscles, may become paralyzed.
* External oculomotor weakness with pupil sparing may occur in rare cases.
* Direct infection of the brainstem reticular formation can cause breathing and swallowing disruption, as well as loss of control of the cardiovascular system.

http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/306440-overview

A really brutal disease, we are lucky to have all but (not completely) eradicated.

I don't know if that accounts for anything in Mitch McConnell's appearance. What I do know is that his RRR Conservatism is very much a self-chosen_affliction.