MISSING: NJ GOP Rep. Tom Kean Hasn’t Voted In Nearly 3 Months Due To Mysterious “Medical Issue”
Erin is joined by Naomi Ekperigin to discuss the mysterious cases of Tom Kean and Chuck Grassley.
Political commentator and comedy writer Erin Ryan and former White House Deputy Chief of Staff Alyssa Mastromonaco are joined by a bicoastal squad of funny, opinionated women to talk through everything from reproductive rights to romcoms. They break down the political news of the week, plus the topics, trends, and cultural stories that affect women’s lives. New episodes drop every Thursday. Get in touch: hysteria@crooked.com.
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@davidsmith62
May 23, 2026 at 5:06 am
Retire and give up all that money? I don’t think so …
@isthatkimmi
May 23, 2026 at 5:06 am
is he swimming with the fishes?? 😬
@finn3237
May 23, 2026 at 5:06 am
RBG did it to yah, mriKKKans too, (may she rest in peace) BUT her legacy, (2 ME) will be that she hung on too long, 4 her own ego's sake, and SCREWED her nation (which btw ISN'T MINE).
@Rizzowang
May 23, 2026 at 5:06 am
This ep is so informative and so fun. I'm sick of corporate/political bullsh1t games. Ty both.
@davidw551
May 23, 2026 at 5:06 am
As a longtime fan and a psychologist with specialty training in cognition and aging, I want to offer a perspective I think this podcast, given its consistent stand against prejudice, would genuinely value.
Using age as a proxy for mental incapacity contradicts the same principles that drive your push-back against other "-isms." The science is clear: cognitive capacity varies enormously across the entire age spectrum. There is no reliable cutoff. What research does consistently show is a tradeoff: processing speed tends to decline, while accumulated wisdom and judgment often increase. Neither alone tells the full story.
If the goal is to address genuine cognitive fitness concerns in elected officials, the most direct solution is also the most equitable one: establish standardized cognitive fitness standards applied to all candidates and officeholders, regardless of age. Assess the variable that actually matters, not a demographic shortcut for it.
@juanmacias5922
May 23, 2026 at 5:06 am
I truly believe if we stopped paying representatives we wouldn't even worry about senior representatives and people only doing it for power.
@1Bigpain
May 23, 2026 at 5:06 am
I'm a 67-year-old nurse working at a large Urban hospital in the US Midwest and I plan to work full-time until I'm 70. After that there is measurable cognitive decline in most people and they definitely should not be representing hundreds of thousands of Americans in Congress. 65 is probably too young for a mandatory retirement but 72 years old sounds good 👍🏼
@bob-g7v7s
May 23, 2026 at 5:06 am
Yeah, we should lower the age of voting to 16? The dumbest take I ever heard. I'm sure Republicans would love that so they could have an argument for the age of sexual consent. Did you think this out before you stated this? Besides that, we don't need more morons voting for vibes. Thanks
@sparkiepaul1
May 23, 2026 at 5:06 am
According to a search "50 senators and 150 reps are over 65"
@stewartdavies929
May 23, 2026 at 5:06 am
4:16 transitioning? Gay conversion therapy?…
@stewartdavies929
May 23, 2026 at 5:06 am
Short answer: $$$
@bje128
May 23, 2026 at 5:06 am
Granted, i'm 76, so take this for what it's worth… But i don't think age is the issue. I think our electoral process – controlled as it is by only two parties, representing far too narrow a spectrum of opinion and run by leadership that is blatantly corrupt and self-serving, driven by money and super PACs guided by billionaires… that is the problem needing to be solved. When i'm tempted by "term limits" or "forced retirement age" solutions, as i often am these days, i think of Bernie. I'd have no voice in the Senate if he'd been forced to retire.
Yes, we need to re-balance and rejuvenate congress, most of the members have far out-lived their potential. But i think it's our election process that is at fault. It rewards the wrong people for the wrong reasons.
@ChrisFixedKitty
May 23, 2026 at 5:06 am
Glad to see another indoor-masker. Thanks for the representation!
@PamTempleton-h1u
May 23, 2026 at 5:06 am
Except Bernie Sanders, bless him and keep him because we need that man
@marcy_j
May 23, 2026 at 5:06 am
I know! I know! Because of money and power. Thanks
@alix.r.albert
May 23, 2026 at 5:06 am
Seeking help for a problem isn't much of an issue for Democrats anymore (though it can still be used against them by the other side), but it sure is still an issue for Republicans. They're never honest about such things because it's considered a character failing. Which is also why they always project their own secret proclivities onto other people; they can't even imagine somebody else not being corrupt in this way. So yeah, Kean's absence is probably due to something embarrassing for him, something like rehab, not just some random medical issue.
@Papafhg
May 23, 2026 at 5:06 am
Where he is no cams… Lizardman underground
@taliesin1313
May 23, 2026 at 5:06 am
Sen. Dianne Feinstein was gone (in more ways than one) for over 3 months. AND THEY STILL DIDN"T GET RID OF HER!
@deefernandez9476
May 23, 2026 at 5:06 am
an age limit and term limits no life time appointments
@d.v.crystal5589
May 23, 2026 at 5:06 am
Wow, I must disagree! 16-year-olds Do not have the brain capacity to vote. The frontal lobe isn’t developed and voting shouldn’t be allowed until 21. Same with driving and drinking and smoking. As for the other end, 65 is way too young! I’m 62 and I can’t imagine retiring before 70 if that soon. Still,love the show ❣️
@mekanic5
May 23, 2026 at 5:06 am
Make congress have a mandatory retirement age like pilots. If you're in office when you reach the age, you're automatically retired.
@arellatikvah
May 23, 2026 at 5:06 am
How do they get to just disappear? Last year a Texas republican who had been missing was found in a memory ward! Where the hell is Kean?
@LarryAllenTonar
May 23, 2026 at 5:06 am
There is a greater than zero chance that each incumbent from a "blue district" should not run again?
If 16-y.o.'s could vote, what changes would they demand? Driving permits at 13½? Payment for attending HS? A "living wage" for part-timer workers? A shorter scbool year?
@GrandmaGrandpa-jp5xk
May 23, 2026 at 5:06 am
Not everyone ages the same. Look at Bernie!
@johnrezleog3575
May 23, 2026 at 5:06 am
I agree there ought to be age limits on ALL governmental employees. Not only because of physical limitations but people, in general, are a product of their era. Many older politicians do not reflect the changing times. I am not advocating for immature candidates but our government also should represent the best we have. The average age of the "founding fathers" was 44. With the oldest being BFranklin at 70 when the constitution was signed.
Currently the ave age in the house & senate are 57 & 64 respectively. The oldest of both sections of congress are Hal Rodgers in the house at 88 & Grassley in the senate at 92.
@susyhammond5196
May 23, 2026 at 5:06 am
I've worked in a number of nonprofits, on their boards, and there's always a clause that if a board member misses 3 consecutive board meetings, they are booted off the board. Why is there nothing like this in Congress? There are obligations. Mysterious absences should be publicized and penalties assessed.
@tammystockley-loughlin7680
May 23, 2026 at 5:06 am
Can we all retire at 65? Positive vibes from New Hampshire, remember to be kind to each other and yourself during these trying times.
@ktxxowo
May 23, 2026 at 5:06 am
At some point these folks should be succession planning, grooming the next generation of leaders.
@TimothyStanley-e3b
May 23, 2026 at 5:06 am
I've been trying to think of a good song title. "Ain't No Cameras in Hell". Thank you.
@philvasquez4542
May 23, 2026 at 5:06 am
Medical condition; VD of the mouth! Undisclosed location with no cameras; prisoner at Guantanamo! Or Love Island!🤬🔥🖕
@augustuscrocker9328
May 23, 2026 at 5:06 am
Happy to dump on any Republican but please mean girls when precisely is a good time for a sitting congressperson to go to rehab or seek intensive medical treatment without intense scrutiny? His father was a long-time NJ old-style republican governor. They know the drill. Grassley and Fox are fair game as are the rest of the Magats.
@thisisanaccountitis
May 23, 2026 at 5:06 am
I see this as a symptom of the problem casued by idiots voting.
Comments are closed.