California Conservative

Sen. Tim Johnson, (D-SD), suffered a stroke today and was taken to a Washington, DC hospital for testing and evaluation. I strongly encourage LFR’s readers to pray for Sen. Johnson and his family. Here’s what the AP is reporting thus far:

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.
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.

I hope and pray that Sen. Johnson makes a full recovery. He’s a young man with a family who needs him. His recovery or his inability to recuperate has national implications, as the AP reports here:

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.

Despite my desire for Republicans to be the committee chairs, I’m still praying for Sen. Johnson’s recovery because I never want to be cheering for the disability of a man, especially for political gain. In the end, though, Sen. Johnson’s health is in his medical team’s, and God’s, hands. I’ll keep you posted to any improvements or developments in the case.

UPDATE: Here’s the latest on Sen. Johnson’s condition:

Sen. Tim Johnson of South Dakota underwent surgery on Wednesday, a source said, after suffering what a doctor called “symptoms of a stroke.” The actions prompted concerns about his fellow Democrats’ razor-thin majority in the incoming Senate.
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Just hours after Johnson was admitted to George Washington University Hospital, a spokeswoman for him said the senator had not suffered a stroke. She provided no other details.

The information is still pretty sketchy. That’s why I continue to urge California Conservative’s readers to keep Sen. Johnson in their prayers. I’m sure his family will appreciate them.

UPDATE II: Here’s the latest news on Sen. Johnson:

Democratic Sen. Tim Johnson was in critical condition Thursday after late-night brain surgery, creating political drama about which party will control the Senate next month if he is unable to continue in office.
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A person familiar with Johnson’s condition said the 59-year-old senator has an underlying condition that caused stroke-like symptoms and doctors will be watching him closely for the next 24 to 48 hours. The person spoke on condition of anonymity out of respect for the senator’s family.

This isn’t good news so we’ll need to keep praying for Sen. Johnson. Another goodwill gesture to the family is to contact Sen. Johnson through his Senate Contact Form to tell the Johnsons that you’re praying for them. Sen. Johnson’s staff is undoubtedly monitoring those emails.

Here’s what bothers me about the coverage:

The Democratic Party holds 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, keeping the Senate in GOP hands with Vice President Dick Cheney’s tie-breaking power.

I know that Sen. Johnson’s condition has Washington buzzing about the potential implications with regard to Democrats’ control of the Senate. I understand that that’s part of the landscape. What bothers me is that every wire service article lists the political ramifications in the second paragraph, before any mention is made about Johnson’s family.

By putting that observation in the second paragraph, it’s telling the world what the reporters’ priorities are. Shame on the reporters, and their editors, for making political considerations such high priority.

In addition to that, the information isn’t correct. The Senate must pass a resolution laying out the rules. Remember the fight back in 2001 before the 107th Senate convened. The Senate was tied 50-50 that year until Jumping Jim Jeffords switched parties. Remember that the Democrats negotiated a co-chairman system with Trent Lott.

In other words, in addition to being tasteless, the information is wrong. Let’s hope that Sen. Johnson’s medical team is more qualified in their jobs than these reporters are in their’s.

Technorati Tags: Tim Johnson, US Senate, Harry Reid, Mitch McConnell

Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 13th, 2006 at 4:20 pm and is filed under Author: Gary Gross, Elections, Health Care. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.