Ask Al.
Posted on 12/13/2006 12:46:10 PM PST by leadpenny
Edited on 12/13/2006 2:04:33 PM PST by Admin Moderator. [history]
http://capwiz.com/c-span/bio/?id=537&lvl=C&chamber=S
Sen. Johnson suffers possible stroke
12/13/2006, 4:53 p.m. ET
By MARY CLARE JALONICK
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic Sen. Tim Johnson of South Dakota suffered a possible stroke Wednesday and was taken to a Washington hospital, his office said.
Johnson became disoriented during a call with reporters at midday, stuttering in response to a question. He appeared to recover, asking if there were any additional questions before ending the call.
If he should be unable to continue to serve, it could halt the scheduled Democratic takeover of the Senate. Democrats won a 51-49 majority in the November election. South Dakota's governor, who would appoint any temporary replacement, is a Republican.
Johnson spokeswoman Julianne Fisher said he had walked back to his Capitol office after the call with reporters but appeared to not be feeling well. The Capitol physician came to his office and examined him, and it decided he needed to go to the hospital.
He was taken by ambulance to George Washington University Hospital around noon, Fisher said.
"It was caught very early," she said.
Johnson's office released a statement saying he had suffered a possible stroke.
"At this stage, he is undergoing a comprehensive evaluation by the stroke team," the statement read.
The White House issued a statement wishing him a speedy recovery.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with Senator Johnson and his family," said spokesman Alex Conant.
If the two-term senator, 59, is unable to serve when the 110th Congress convenes Jan. 4, South Dakota Gov. Mike Rounds would appoint a replacement. Johnson had surgery for prostate cancer in 2004. He is up for re-election in 2008.
South Dakota Secretary of State Chris Nelson said there are no special restrictions on such an appointment and a replacement would not have to be from the same political party.
Johnson turns 60 on Dec. 28. The centrist Democrat was elected to the Senate in 1996 and has been one of the more reserved members of the chamber, rarely taking center stage at news conferences.
He served in the House for 10 years from 1987 to 1997. His focus has been on committee assignments important to his state's interests — Indian Affairs and Energy and Natural Resources — as well as a spot on Appropriations. The latter allows him to direct funds to South Dakota.
Johnson has worked as a lawyer and county prosecutor and served several years in the 1970s and 1980s in the South Dakota state Legislature.
How long before dems start calling for the replacement to be Daschle?
Oh my. God help him and his family.
oh boy, "apparent stroke" is scarey because a more likely scenario for his age is a ruptured aneurysm. God be with him and his family in any case
Reid:
A little after noon he felt ill while in his Hart SOB office. He was taken to GWU Hospital. Nothing on AP or Capitol News via C-SPAN.
Oh my. God help him and his family.
"It would show a great deal of bipartisanship"
It would also show stupidity...
He's in God's hands now.
I disagree. Just because a tragedy happens is no reason to ignore the fact that the voters voted for a Republican Governor in South Dakota, and, thusly, endorsed him to chose who to appoint in such situations, which would presumably be a Republican.
If it weren't for Senator Johnson's personal popularity, there is no assurance that they would have picked another Democrat over a Republican. Actually, his victory in 2002 was razor thin, and there is reason to believe they would have instead picked a Republican if it were another Democrat.
{that's even if they really picked Senator Johnson in the first place, his 524 vote victory in 2002 had major legal issues, which John Thune (whom, I sure you know, unseated Dashle 2 years later and is now Johnson's colleague in the Senate) chose not to persue.}
As someone has already pointed out, When Coverdell died in Georgia, a Democrat was appointed to take his place (even if it was Zell, at the time, nobody knew Zell would turn out the way he did). There isn't any historical reason to appoint a Democrat either.
Anyhow, I hope all this is irrelevant, because I wish Senator Johnson a full and speedy recovery, and the ability to fill the term to which he was elected. But should the worst happen, there is no compelling reason for Gov. Rounds to ignore the fact that the voters elected him as a Republican, and gave him the authority to appoint people in the event of a Senate vacancy, and that his supporters undoubtedly believed that it would be a Republican in that unfortunate event.
I don't see anything on the AP wire either, nor on CNN or Fox. I wonder if MSNBC got burned.
Some of us, others not.
As regards your tagline, Duncan Hunter is the closest guy running to Ronald Reagan. Not surprisingly, Hunter is also the only candidate who was involved with the Reagan 76 campaign.
in 10 minutes.
That's how I lost my dad in 1998. I still miss him.
I just checked his web site, he looks like a nice guy, even if he is a Democrat. He's had some health problems in the past, prostrate cancer, but that shouldn't have anything to do with an apparent stroke. Lot's of strokes cause no permanent damage, so maybe this will be one of that type.
Ask Al.
Only problem is the best GOP candidate for the seat IS the Governor.
He is very young, 60 another post said, politics aside, I hope for a full recovery. And I would say and feel the same for any Dem who got sick..
Good post!
Let me add my prayers for a speedy and complete recovery.
Appropos of "bipartisanship" - having a Republican Governor appoint a democratic replacment (should that prove necessary) - forget it.
Do you really think if the shoe were on the other foot - that a democrat governor would appoint a Republican replacement? If you think so - I have a nice parcel of land to sell you in Mexico on the seacoast (where non-Mexicans aren't allowed to own land).
Remember the screams for "bipartisan powersharing" when the Republicans had a one seat majority? (When Jeffords jumped). Where are the screams for "powersharing" now that they have a one seat majority?
All I see are smirks a la Schumer and Reid.
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