D's could lose the senate

[strandinthewind]

Staff: Senator hospitalized with stroke-like symptoms

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Sen. Tim Johnson, D-South Dakota, was hospitalized Wednesday after he suffered stroke-like symptoms in his Washington office, his staff said.

Johnson, 59, was taken to George Washington University Hospital by ambulance about 11:30 a.m., sources in his office said.

A statement issued by Johnson's office said he was suffering from a "possible stroke."

"At this stage he is undergoing a comprehensive evaluation by the stroke team," the statement said. Staffers said that Johnson was conscious when he was transported to the hospital.

Should Johnson not be able to complete his term, which ends in 2008, South Dakota Gov. Mike Rounds, a Republican, could appoint his replacement, which could shift the balance of power in the Senate.

Johnson battled prostate cancer in 2004, and after surgery, tests showed he no longer had the disease, according to his Web site.

Find this article at:
http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/12/...oke/index.html

[Rickypt]

Whoa. Wishing him well.

[SuzeQuze]

Oh crap, I hope he is okay.

[gldstwmn]

He's reportedly left the hospital and the prognosis is good. So here's to Senator Johnson's health.
Meanwhile in a surprise upset in a runoff election, the D's have picked up another House seat in Texas.

[irishgrl]

Originally Posted by gldstwmn

He's reportedly left the hospital and the prognosis is good. So here's to Senator Johnson's health.
Meanwhile in a surprise upset in a runoff election, the D's have picked up another House seat in Texas.

Thank GAWD for that, and Thanks a HEAP Jason for almost costing me my dinner!

Hope Senator Johnson recovers nicely thank you very much.

Isnt there also a possible runoff in Florida coming up? or elsewhere?

[PsychCat]

This is just how sad politics have gotten in this country. A man possibly has a stroke and all anyone can think about is how it will effect the balance of the Senate??
What about the balance of the man's family??
The coverage of this has been sick and warped.... but it's just another example of the true state of the union. Disturbing, indeed.

Note: This is not a commentary on strandinthewind who started the thread. I'm glad it was along with the other current events we discuss around here. Just wanted to make that clear! Besides, strandinthewind has one of my all-time fave avatars.

[gldstwmn]

http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/12/...ill/index.html

Senator undergoing brain surgery, sources say

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Sen. Tim Johnson of South Dakota was undergoing brain surgery early Thursday at George Washington University Hospital after suffering stroke-like symptoms, two Democratic sources familiar with his condition told CNN.

Johnson, 59, was taken to the hospital Wednesday morning after he appeared to suffer stroke-like symptoms, although a spokeswoman for the senator said subsequent evaluation showed he did not suffer a stroke or a heart attack.

Staffers told CNN Johnson was conscious when he was transported to the hospital.

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, spent time at the hospital out of concern for Johnson, Reid's spokesman said.

Johnson spokeswoman Julianne Fisher said the senator was in the Capitol on Wednesday morning conducting a conference call with South Dakota reporters when "his speech pattern slipped off."

Fisher said the senator was able to walk back to his office in the Hart Senate Office Building, then began having problems with his right arm. He thought he was all right, she said, and went to his desk, but came out a few minutes later and "it was apparent he needed help."

Staffers put him on a couch in the office and called the Capitol doctor, she said. He was taken to the hospital shortly afterward. His wife, in the office to have lunch with him, rode with him, Fisher said.

"It transpired very fast," she said, adding the senator's staff was shaken by the incident.

But, she said of the hospital, "we keep reminding ourselves, this is where they take Dick Cheney."

Should Johnson not be able to complete his term, which ends in 2008, South Dakota Gov. Mike Rounds, a Republican, could appoint his replacement, which could shift the balance of power in the Senate.

South Dakota Secretary of State Chris Nelson said the appointment would fill the vacancy until a general election could be held in November 2008. There are no restrictions on who the governor can appoint, beyond meeting the legal requirements for Senate membership, he said.

Although the issue of incapacitation is not spelled out in state law, Nelson said he believes there would be "precedent at the federal level."

South Dakota has not faced the replacement of an elected office holder "in recent history."

Rounds issued a statement saying his prayers were with Johnson and his family. "We are hopeful of good news for our friend and colleague," the governor said.

Johnson battled prostate cancer in 2004, and after surgery, tests showed he no longer had the disease, according to his Web site.

[DavidMn]

First and foremost I would like to wish the Senator from our neighbor state South Dakota a full recovery. Having said that, for the life of me I cannot understand why, even though he is a republican, the governor would risk the political fallout of appointing a republican to fill a DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED SEAT. Talk about completely and totally highjacking the will of the people! I've already heard some of the A-hole republican wacko commentators saying it's "Payback time" and let's take back control of the Senate. In a way though it might be a good thing. Because the Dem's still have control of the house and believe me, you might as well install Hilary or Barack or whomever in the oval office on January 20, 2009, if god forbid, Mr Johnson dies and the governor appoints a Republican to take his place.

[sasja]

Sigh. Just, sigh.
And yes, what you said, David!

Sasja

[estranged4life]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16199440/

South Dakota Democrat's health spurs questions of Senate control

WASHINGTON - Democratic Sen. Tim Johnson was in critical condition recovering from emergency brain surgery Thursday, creating political drama over whether his illness could cost Democrats newly won control of the Senate.

The South Dakota senator, 59, suffered from bleeding in the brain caused by a congenital malformation, the U.S. Capitol physician said. He described the surgery as successful.

The condition, usually present at birth, causes tangled blood vessels that can burst.

Control of the Senate
Democrats hold a fragile 51-49 margin in the new Senate that convenes Jan. 4. If Johnson leaves the Senate, the Republican governor of South Dakota could appoint a Republican to fill the remaining two years of Johnson's term -- keeping the Senate in GOP hands with Vice President Dick Cheney's tie-breaking power.

Incoming Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said he had visited Johnson in the hospital Thursday morning and that he was confident of a full recovery.

Asked about whether Democratic control of the Senate might be jeopardized, Reid said, "There isn't a thing that's changed."

Reid refused to comment on Johnson's medical condition, declining to even answer a question on whether the senator was conscious. "To me he looked very good," Reid said.

Symptoms caught early
Johnson was taken to the hospital on Wednesday after becoming disoriented during a conference phone call with reporters. At first, he answered questions normally but then began to stutter. He paused, then continued stammering before appearing to recover and ending the call.

"The senator is recovering without complication," said Adm. John Eisold, the Capitol physician. "It is premature to determine whether further surgery will be required or to assess any long-term prognosis."

Eisold said doctors drained the blood that had accumulated in Johnson's brain and stopped continued bleeding.

Johnson's condition, also known as AVM, or arteriovenous malformation, causes arteries and veins to grow abnormally large and become tangled.

The condition is believed to affect about 300,000 Americans, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. The institute's Web site said only about 12 percent of the people with the condition experience symptoms, ranging in severity. It kills about 3,000 people a year.

The senator's wife, Barbara Johnson, said the family "is encouraged and optimistic."

In a statement from Johnson's office Thursday, she said her family was "grateful for the prayers and good wishes of friends, supporters and South Dakotans."

A person familiar with Johnson's situation said surgery began late Wednesday night and ended around 12:30 a.m. Thursday and that the next 24 to 48 hours would be critical in determining Johnson's condition. The person spoke on condition of anonymity out of respect for the senator's family.

Political ramifications
If Johnson were forced to relinquish his seat, a replacement would be named by South Dakota's GOP Gov. Mike Rounds.

A Republican appointee would create a 50-50 tie, and allow the GOP to retain Senate control.

However, Senate historian Don Ritchie said senators serve out their terms unless they resign or die. Nine senators have remained in the Senate even though illnesses kept them away from the chamber for six months or more.

Rounds' press secretary, Mark Johnston, said Thursday the governor had nothing new to say. "We're watching as much as everyone else," he said.

The governor, elected to a second four-year term last month, has been widely seen as the Republican candidate with the best chance to challenge Johnson in two years.

Other than Rounds himself, top possibilities if a replacement senator were needed include Lt. Gov. Dennis Daugaard and state Public Utilities Commission Chairman Dusty Johnson, considered a rising star in the Republican Party. Retiring GOP legislative leaders, such as state House Speaker Matthew Michels and Senate Majority Leader Eric Bogue, also might be considered.

Johnson, who turns 60 later this month, was admitted to George Washington University hospital at midday after experiencing what his office initially said was a possible stroke.

His spokeswoman, Julianne Fisher, later told reporters that it had been determined that the senator had suffered neither a stroke nor a heart attack.

Fisher said that after making the conference call with reporters from the recording studio in the basement of the Capitol, he then walked back to his office but appeared to not be feeling well. The Capitol physician came to his office and examined him, and it was decided he should go to the hospital.

He was taken to the hospital by ambulance around noon, Fisher said. "It was caught very early," she said.

Johnson is up for re-election in 2008.

Similar situations in Senate History
In 1969, another South Dakota senator, Karl Mundt, a Republican, suffered a stroke while in office. Mundt continued to serve until the end of his term in January 1973, although he was unable to attend Senate sessions and was stripped of his committee assignments by the Senate Republican Conference in 1972.

Johnson, who was elected in 1996, holds the same seat previously held by Mundt.

South Dakota Secretary of State Chris Nelson said there were no special restrictions on an appointment by the governor and a replacement would not have to be from the same political party.

The Senate last convened with a perfect balance of 50 Republicans and 50 Democrats in January 2001. Then, the two parties struck a power-sharing agreement that gave control of the Senate to Republicans but gave Democrats equal representation on committees.

That arrangement lasted only until June 2001, when Vermont Republican James Jeffords became an independent who chose to vote with Democrats on organizational matters, giving Democrats control until Republicans won back the Senate in the 2002 midterm elections.

Johnson, a centrist Democrat, was first elected to the Senate in 1996 after serving 10 years in the House. He narrowly defeated Republican John Thune in his 2002 re-election bid. Thune defeated Sen. Tom Daschle, the former Senate Democratic leader, two years later.

Johnson underwent prostate cancer treatment in 2004, and subsequent tests have shown him to be clear of the disease.

Johnson is the second senator to become ill after the Nov. 7 election. Wyoming Sen. Craig Thomas, a Republican, was diagnosed with leukemia on Election Day. He is back at work.

© 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

---------------------------------------

I send him my thoughts since I can 'somewhat relate' to what he is going through with the neurological problems.

[wondergirl9847]

Originally Posted by PsychCat

This is just how sad politics have gotten in this country. A man possibly has a stroke and all anyone can think about is how it will effect the balance of the Senate??
What about the balance of the man's family??
The coverage of this has been sick and warped.... but it's just another example of the true state of the union. Disturbing, indeed.

It is totally disgusting. I'm so frickin' sick of this whole Dem/Rep BS.

[Nixxxed]

I hope his recovery is full and speedy, regardless of whether he is able to continue in the Senate.

I find this whole thing strange. I've been watching the Six Feet Under replays on Bravo, and I never knew that AVM existed until Nate on the show was diagnosed with it. Now, a few episodes/weeks later, here is this senator suffering the same condition. Just strange...

[SuzeQuze]

Originally Posted by wondergirl9847

It is totally disgusting. I'm so frickin' sick of this whole Dem/Rep BS.

I agree. How have we jumped to "dem's could lose the senate" when someone's actual life is in question. Shouldn't we focus on that?

[DavidMn]

Originally Posted by SuzeQuze

I agree. How have we jumped to "dem's could lose the senate" when someone's actual life is in question. Shouldn't we focus on that?

Remember the disgruntled wacko right my dear. Please dont underestimate their lack of compassion.

[DavidMn]

Allright, I've talkked to a couple people in PM's who seem convinced that the Governor would appoinnt a Republican to fill the seat. Maybe I'm totally naive, but I would think the public backlash against the Republicans nationally that would result from this would be the last theing theyd want right now.