Posted on 07/26/2007 9:30:11 AM PDT by Clintonfatigued
The latest wrinkle in the recovery of Tim Johnson is his still-to-be-determined return to the Senate after a debilitating brain hemorrhage -- and the complications of it for South Dakota Republicans who are considering challenging him.
Two Republicans, Joel Dykstra and Sam Kephart, have declared their intent to challenge him, but many consider GOP Gov. Mike Rounds the most formidable opponent. And even Johnson's declared challengers carefully avoid any comments slighting the recovering senator.
In his absence this year, surrogates offer plenty of projections about when he will make his comeback. But their scenarios add to the uncertainty -- even for Democrats who might eye the seat.
In a lengthy interview last week, Johnson's wife, Barbara, told the Rapid City Journal that her husband remains committed to returning to the Senate, but she shied away from announcing whether the Democrat plans to run for reelection in 2008.
Barbara Johnson acknowledged in the interview that his recovery has been difficult and that his speech remains noticeably slow.
(Excerpt) Read more at politico.com ...
I don't believe anyone truly believes he'll be back. And under "normal" circumstances, this would not even be an issue, but for the scum who covet power above all else. I feel for this man and his family. They are caught between a rock and a hard place
The Democrats have no business pressuring someone in his state to run for reelection. They already have a feasible candidate to run in his place (Stephanie Herseth), but apparently they concluded that she couldn’t defeat Mike Rounds, so they’re keeping Johnson in.
Especially the bright lights. You don't want too much detail to leak out about the true condition of his health, which would be apparent to all if he returns. The Democrats and Dirty Harry are hanging on to this poor man for dear life because if he should be unable to function and have to resign, it might put control of the Senate in play again.
Rounds is popular in SD. Early 50s, young with a great looking family, classic center-right Republican. This seat is his for the taking.
Has anyone seen this man? We don’t know to what extent this stroke has impaired his ability to walk, talk or think.
After listening to Robert KKK Byrd the other day railing on Michael Vick, I think the Dems have a bigger “no condition to serve” problem than Johnson.
“Johnson’s wife, Barbara, told the Rapid City Journal that her husband remains committed to returning to the Senate.”
He should be replaced and when healthy he could run again.
I hate to see even a Democrat this way.
I wonder if he is competent to make any decisions.
Check out the link to see what he looks like. His wife and staff say he still has problems with his speech. I take it you have never been around a stroke victim. It is very sad. Sometimes their cognitive functions remain intact, but they cannot communicate, and sometimes their cognitive functions are severely impaired.
I question whether they need to pressure him at all - senators tend to have an over-inflated sense of self-worth to begin with. Regardless, I think that Johnson's health IS a valid issue to campaign against. Regardless of how good a job Johnson did prior, being a Senator IS a 24x7 job, the office is not a retirement present for someone unable to carry on, and if Johnson is unable to perform the duties then he shouldn't be re-elected. There is no reason why the Republicans shouldn't be able to bring this up during the campaign. But if they're too squeemish to do so then surely there is enough in Johnson's record prior to his stroke to run against without bringing up his health at all?
Democrats feel that power is theirs, by rights, and will do almost anything be it illegal, immoral or unethical to maintain that power.
It's absolutely sickening that MY senator worries about someone mistreating a dog but thinks it's OK for an abortionist to tear a human baby to pieces and forcibly remove it from the womb.
I wouldn't want to be in his shoes come Judgement Day.
Has Johnson even regained his ability to speak ? If there is a debate between himself and any Republican, it’s going to be glaringly obvious he is in no shape to run again. This is not a Strom Thurmond situation. Johnson isn’t an old man, but he’s as feeble as Thurmond was by his 99th year.
According to the article, yes. Though he speech has been impacted by his stroke. I doubt the Democrats would agree to a debate that only highlights Johnson's disability issues.
This is not a Strom Thurmond situation. Johnson isn’t an old man, but he’s as feeble as Thurmond was by his 99th year.
Thurmond got re-elected when he was what? 94?
His brain was cooked by the bleeding...there’s no way the guy can even return to the senate. It’s too bad the governor of his state can’t declare him unfit...and put a republican in his seat.
I think of how someone sounds after a stroke, and it can often be quite bad. Kirk Douglas comes to mind, though he has worked hard to regain his speech, but he’s never quite fully recovered it. Another is Patricia Neal, and she was rather young when she had a series of strokes, but was able to fully recover her speech. I would not be surprised if the rodents did all they could to prevent him from either debating or strictly limiting public appearances.
Thurmond was just a month short of his 94th birthday when he won his last term. He did not engage in public debates with his Dem opponent for obvious reasons, although even at 94, he was only mildly slowed. It wasn’t until his last two years in office that he became clearly feeble. The general opinion of the voting public in his last run for office was that he had earned the right to die in office. Johnson is not the institution that Thurmond was.
Only by an act of Congress could his seat be declared vacant because of incapacity. The last time they did this, IIRC, was when MD Congresswoman Gladys Noon Spellman went into a coma and never regained consciousness (back in 1981). She lingered for 7 years before her death. Steny Hoyer (now the rodent Majority Leader) won the vacancy.
Back in the early ‘70s, another Senator from South Dakota (Republican Karl Mundt), also was incapacitated for his last few years in office. He never returned to DC and died a year after his term expired. The reverse political problem occurred at the time, as SD had a Democrat Governor (and SD in the early ‘70s was trending rodent). A Democrat ended up winning Mundt’s seat, anyhow.
I don't doubt that you're correct. Assuming that Johnson does run again, and I expect he will, the Democrats will no doubt try to avoid the issues and paint him as the courageous man who cheated death and overcame tremendous obstacles just so he could continue to serve the people of South Dakota without concern for his own well being, yadda, yadda, yadda. And if the Republicans let them set that kind of tone for the campaign then they should lose. There is no reason at all why the Republicans cannot run a strong campaign based on Johnson's record and at the same time raise appropriate doubts about his ability to continue in office given his health. Given the GOP's propensity for snatching defeat from the jaws of certain victory I have my concerns.
Yeah, that pesky Constitution again. Johnson could be in a vegitative state and he'd still be able to retain his office. There is no method for removing a sitting senator except through impeachment.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.