POL--Democratic Senator from state with Republican Governor has a stroke

[albionmoonlight]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,236369,00.html

For obvious reasons, this could end up being a huge bit of luck for the GOP that gives them control of the Senate.

[Butter]

He's not dead yet!

He's getting better!

[digamma]

I went to law school and was pretty good friends with his son. Definitely thinking about the family.

[CamEdwards]

luck, schmuck. Where was Rove before this stroke happened?

[Warhammer]

He's not dead yet!

He's getting better!

He'll be stone dead in a minute.

[JPhillips]

Johnson's office is now saying it wasn't a stroke or heart attack, but doctors are still working.

[stevew]

Surely you didn't think that it would be this easy to get control back.....

j/k

I hope he gets better, the people of his state voted for him, and I'm not really a big fan when political appointments undo the will of the people.

[SackAttack]

I had that conversation with my dad today, and he said "Hey, the people elected the governor, too."

[QuikSand]

Talking about democracy, fariness, justice, will of the people, and the like when dealing with the U.S. Senate is enough of a slippery slope as it is.

[sterlingice]

luck, schmuck. Where was Rove before this stroke happened?

So that was who was in the video, walking behind the Senator and yelling "boo" every 30 seconds ;)

SI

[JPhillips]

An update from Johnson's attending physician:

Subsequent to his admission to George Washington University Hospital, Senator Tim Johnson was found to have had intracerebral bleed, caused by Congenital Arteriovenous Malformation. He underwent sucessful surgery to evacuate the blood and stablize the malformation.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Countdown to some fucktard on national TV saying God gave him a brain hemmorhage to keep Republican control of the Senate in 3.. 2... 1.......

[-Mojo Jojo-]

An update from Johnson's attending physician:
Subsequent to his admission to George Washington University Hospital, Senator Tim Johnson was found to have had intracerebral bleed, caused by Congenital Arteriovenous Malformation. He underwent sucessful surgery to evacuate the blood and stablize the malformation.

That's code for "Karl Rove put polonium in his Cheerios".

[Butter]

I thought it was clear that Congenital Arteriovenous Malformation was code for Cam Edwards did it?

[heybrad]

Countdown to some fucktard on national TV saying God gave him a brain hemmorhage to keep Republican control of the Senate in 3.. 2... 1.......
I was thinking the same thing.

[SirFozzie]

He's in critical condition after recovering from the surgery, but the doctor they had on the radio on the way in says usually, a full recovery (or a lot better recovery then after a stroke) is in the cards.

[Ryche]

Countdown to some fucktard on national TV saying God gave him a brain hemmorhage to keep Republican control of the Senate in 3.. 2... 1.......

Actually I'm waiting for the conspiracy theories ala Paul Wellstone's plane crash.

[Toddzilla]

According to Senate rules, unless he dies or resigns, he doesn't give up the seat. So conspiracy or no, given his positive prognosis (thank goodness for him and his family), he will remain the Senator for the duration of his term.

[Young Drachma]

What's worse is, the first thing I heard in passing about this on the radio was the political implications and it's not like the guy was dead yet and now, seems like he'll pull through.

But that sort of mentality shows why stuff is so screwed up, people are so much more concerned with counting beans than they are individual people.

[SirFozzie]

This is interesting..

Even if Johnson ultimately recovers from the congenital blood disorder known as arteriovenous malformation, which required emergency surgery Wednesday night, it now looks highly unlikely that he will healthy by Jan. 4. With Johnson unable to vote, Democrats still have enough to prevail, with 50 votes (including the two independent Senators, Joe Lieberman of Connecticut and Bernie Sanders of Vermont) to 49 for the Republicans. But Democrats now fear the real possibility that Republicans will filibuster that resolution. They could insist — just as the Democrats did after the 2000 election that left the chamber evenly split, with Vice President Dick Cheney as the tie-breaker — on an "out clause" that stipulates that control of the chamber goes to them if they somehow manage to achieve a majority during the course of the session. As both sides remember, that clause came in handy for the Democrats a few months later, when Vermont's Jim Jeffords abruptly declared himself an independent and gave the Democrats a one-vote majority.

The same thing could happen again, in a Senate currently split 51-49 in favor of the Democrats, if Johnson or any other Democrat were to be replaced by a Republican. In Johnson's case, that would appear likely, because his replacement would be named by a Republican governor. State law requires that Gov. Michael Rounds make a "temporary appoinrtment, until a special election is held" — though it is unclear whether that election would occur before Johnson's term expires in 2008.

If the Republicans filibuster the organizing resolution and the question drags on into January or even beyond, it presents another truly extraordinary possibility: a chamber with a new Democratic leader, but the existing set of Republican committee chairmen. That is because, until an organizing resolution is passed, incoming Majority Leader Harry Reid would have no control over the committees.

The question of who runs the committees could have major policy implications. If Republicans took over, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, for example, would most likely be Arizona Republican John McCain, who advocates more troops in Iraq. If the Democrats retain control, it would be Michigan Democrat Carl Levin, who is arguing for a plan that would reduce the number there.

Although I would think fillibustering the organizing committee would be the WORST thing the Republicans can do. It would reenergize the Democrats into FIRMLY taking the 2008 Congressional/Presidential elections.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Although I would think fillibustering the organizing committee would be the WORST thing the Republicans can do.

There's some interesting scenarios there, but I don't think there's much chance of them happening. The GOP contingent has too many RINO's to ever hold the line long enough to win the procedural battle.

[Kodos]

And there is nothing more serious than a RINO about to charge your ass in a procedural battle.

[sterlingice]

And there is nothing more serious than a RINO about to charge your ass in a procedural battle.

Nice :)

SI