Posted on 02/20/2007 2:48:58 PM PST by shrinkermd
WASHINGTON — More than two months after suffering a brain hemorrhage, South Dakota Sen. Tim Johnson has left a Washington hospital and entered a private rehabilitation facility, his office said Tuesday.
A spokeswoman refused to say whether the senator remained in Washington or was moved to a facility in South Dakota, citing family concerns about media scrutiny. "They just want him to focus on getting better and not worried about outside cameras snapping away," said spokeswoman Julianne Fisher.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
"Prayers for his full recovery as quickly and as dignified as possible."
Prayers for a speedy resignation. The recovery can come later.
Is it not possible to file a suit stating that this man, tragically, is not fit to perform his duties as a Senator?
Seems to me there is something already figured out for such contingencies as this.
My guess is that it would take a suit filed on behalf of the constituents that they were not being represented by this person.
The GOP needs to stop being so intimidated by the other side.
The Republicans ought to be encouraging Joe Lieberman to switch sides and become a Republican - THAT also would alter the senate and send dingy Harry back to the lower dungeon where he and Hillary ought to be thrown. Senator Johnson's family does not need all the media scrutiny, but the dems sure do!@
Nature does abhor a vacuum, doesn't it?
No one can remove a seated senator to my knowledge. He can resign or die. That's about it.
There have been limited media reports that he is working on his computer and keeping up with the news via t.v., and he is "speaking"- at least combinations of words and names. I don't believe that he is a vegetable, just a very sick man who is need of a lot of rehab-probably years of rehab.
This exact thing happened to my Uncle. He is fine now, but cannot do even the simplest math. It took about a year to get him back to work-and he had to relearn everything.
Trying to use this to recapture the Senate would be ghoulish. The media would crucify the GOP if they attempted to do that and we could kiss any chance of winning seats in 2008 goodbye. Look what the bogus Mark Foley story did.
The news reports about this guy and about Castro are eerily similar. Is power more important than dignity?
"This exact thing happened to my Uncle. He is fine now, but cannot do even the simplest math. It took about a year to get him back to work-and he had to relearn everything."
So, someone like that should remain a Senator?
"Trying to use this to recapture the Senate would be ghoulish."
No, 'ghoulish' is keeping a disabled stroke patient in office when they obviously should resign and let someone competent replace them.
The people of his state need to start speaking up and asking questions and demanding answers.
I have no problem with people from his state saying something but the GOP Senate leadership should not.
The media told us that putting Bubba through trial and then impeachment kept him from doing the work he was elected to do.
What has the Senator done for those who elected him?
He won't be returning to the Senate. This was clear before Pelosi took her oath.
It is all about the power.
I pray for this man and his family but does anything think he will go back to work even if he does recover?
He didn't vote during the recent Iraq vote.
The bar is set pretty low with Ted Kennedy and Robert Byrd still in the Senate.
Yes, to socialists and Democrats.
Do you think even if he died that the Republicans would still insist that the Democrats keep on controlling the chamber because of the "voter choices" of 2006?
There is no such chance -- in 2008, the GOP is defending 21 seats, the Dems are defending 12.
That said, following the idiotic advise of some people on this thread might make a difference -- in that it would paint the GOP in such odium that the new Democratic majority would be filibuster-proof.
From Robert D.S. Novak:
South Dakota: Despite the brain hemorrhage that has kept him from work so far this year, Sen. Tim Johnson (D-S.D.) appears likely to run for re-election. Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) served as a stand-in last Wednesday at a Washington fund-raising luncheon for Johnson. Democratic fund-raiser Haroon Khan plans to hold 13 similar fund-raisers for the absent Johnson between now and March. The senator will not attend any of the events.
The $1,000-a-plate luncheon was held at 101 Constitution Ave., a private office building at the foot of Capitol Hill. This is a naturally difficult seat for Democrats to keep, but speculation about the race is especially futile until there is a better sense of just how up to the task Johnson will be.
Let's see... Republican or Democrat?
Easy to say from the sideline - but the reason the GOP senators we do have are senators and you ain't, is that they have finessed the opposition of "objective" journalism. And you wouldn't even try to. I wouldn't either, but I would try to run at journalism, making their obvious bias the issue. And the only place I know that could work is in the Supreme Court - and even there . . .
Do you think even if he died that the Republicans would still insist that the Democrats keep on controlling the chamber because of the "voter choices" of 2006?
Republicans have a minority complex. Even when they were the majority, they acted like they were the minority. They sold their birthright to the media for a bowl of soup (IE acceptance) which they never acquired.
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