Posted on 01/06/2007 9:03:57 PM PST by FairOpinion
Johnson spent his 60th birthday last week in the intensive-care unit of George Washington University Hospital, where he has been in critical condition since emergency brain surgery Dec. 13.
He has not spoken since the surgery, said a spokeswoman, and he remains on a ventilator at night.
Johnson is up for re-election in two years, but until then no authority can remove him from office.
Should Johnson die, however, all eyes would be on Gov. Michael Rounds of South Dakota. He is a Republican, and would be under pressure to name a Republican to the Senate seat - thus giving control back to Republicans.
(Excerpt) Read more at capecodonline.com ...
The fact that he still needs to be on the ventilator a month after his stroke and surgery is a very bad sign. If they could have removed him from the ventilator, they would have.
"Mechanical ventilation itself, independent of the cause for its use, is associated with a high rate of complications, the most notable of which is ventilator-associated lung injury and pneumonia.11 Therefore, a major focus of MV investigation in recent years has been to develop ways to wean and remove patients from ventilators as rapidly as possible."
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1524720
If there were, jon carry would have ceased being a SINator many years ago.
The dems view of this is a complete 180 on their opinion of Terri Schiavo.
That is not right.
It is contrary to common sense. Amend the constitution to Declare him incapacitated and hold an election.
From my experience with relatives who've had strokes - and just common sense - I'm sad (well, sort of) - if he hasn't spoken, and is still on a respirator after a month, he's probably not getting better - ever.
It's time for him to resign - or be removed from office on the grounds of incapacity.
"They have 51 senators. They still have a majority of 50 without his vote. The VP only votes if there's a tie."
Well, technically, the Dems have 49 members, the Repubs have 49 members and their are two "independents" who caucus with the Dems to give them their majority. So right now, it's technically 49 Repubs, 48 Dems (missing one in the hospital and the subject of this article) and 2 "independents" who caucus with the rats.
"be removed from office on the grounds of incapacity."
Apparently there is nothing that says that you have to be mentally competent to serve, all you have to be is alive, as I understand it.
But if he were a R Senator, you can bet that the Dems would be screaming that the R-s do the "honorable thing" and remove him from the Senate.
Whoa, here, everybody! His response is not the issue. He is unable to be present
and vote. I have never heard that a Senator could vote in absentia...but look for
Reid and friends to make a new rule any day.
vaudine
He was elected in 2002. There is no oath to take.
Has the Senate passed their organizing resolution for this year?
He has not spoken since the surgery, said a spokeswoman, and he remains on a ventilator at night.
Funny, no Liberals calling for His "Right to Die"
Isn't he qualified like Terri Schavio?
Where are all the lawyers suing to shut off the venilator?
Cummon ACLU! isn't this why you joined the priesthood??
He can't have a quality of life just laying there?
Hey Pelosi! Have some compassion and pull the Plug, You can get Edwards to channel His vote in absentia.
My guess is the GOP, out of civility (ie. spinelessness), would allow the rats to retain majority control.
Of course, if the situation were reversed, the rats would sieze control in a New York minute.
Wow... where do they make up this crap. This statement is absolutely false. First off, under Senate rules, a Senator can be impeached and removed from office. Secondly, under the Constitution, no state can be denied their representation which, if SCOTUS says so, might REQUIRE the Senator to be replaced.
There is no provision for citizens to file a petition to challenge his seat? He won't be serving his state.
A thought just occurred to me -- I wonder and would like to know whether he has a "living will" -- I think he may actually have written instructions to let him die and not try to artificially prolong his life is he is in a vegetative state. (Unlike Terri Schiavo, where only her husband and his relatives claimed that she even mentioned anything orally, and there were no written instructions.)
Being a Senator, with assets and a family, one would think he would have a will, a trust, medical instructions, etc.
Would his family defy his wishes, just to keep the Democrats in power?
50 to 49, not the 51 to 49 they won.
If it becomes 50-50 (the Republicans picking up his seat) the VP votes to break the tie. it becomes 51 Republicans to 50 Democrats. Balance of Power goes GOP (unless a backroom deal gets a RINO to turn Democrat).
Democrats don't care about disenfranchised voters. They only care about power. Lies are just a way to make it easier to get power.
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