This comment seems to put to rest any hopes of a special election. The questions I have, now that it seems a recovery is the most likely outcome, are wether a Senator can vote for majority leader (or anything else) without physically being in the chamber, and how fast a recovery is likely to take.

Blue Girl, Red State is still not a doctor so I wouldn't accept her medical judgments. Expert opinions would be someone like Senators Bill Frist or Tom Coburn who are both MDs. Anyway I would be more skeptical than Blue Girl, Red State on Johnson's chances of not dying. Supreme Court Justice William Rehnquest looked pretty healthy until the last days of his life and look how quickly he died. The same thing could be happening to Johnson.

What is going on with the AP? They are wiping the Johnson story to death. I even saw a headline "Minus Johnson, Senate would split 50-50." They got the guy in the ground already. Their gholishness reminds me of an old Monty Python skit where during the height of the black death men are pushing a cart down an narrow street shouting "bring out your dead, bring out your dead." Some man drags out another guy and throws him on the wagon. The guy yells, "I'm not dead." To which the first man responds by clubbing him, saying "you are now."

Has the entire media gone f**king nuts or its it just the AP.

Here's the Wikipedia article on Johnson's problem. For those of us who watched Six Feet Under, it's the same thing Nate had, although I'm pretty sure they overdramatized it on the show.

Want to bet that the "Culture of Life" crowd is fervently praying for Johnson's death?

Huzzah! Global Citizen finally makes it above the fold!

Gee, Al: nice sentiments, there: maybe you should find out Sen. Johnson's (or, better yet, his wife's) email and forward your thoughful and considerate post to the family, so that they too, can appreciate your level of concern for the Seantor's health.

As for me, I'll just confine myself to expressing my heartfelt wishes to Sen. Johnson and his family for a speedy and thorough recovery. Sorry if that disappoints you, Al.

latts, you're the first I've seen make the obvious reference to Six Feet Under. From what I gleaned watching the show -- Nate's one or two dramatized attacks seemed more or less similar to what Johnson experienced yesterday (though maybe, as you say, extra-dramatized -- the situation is, there's essentially a time-bomb sitting inside the AVM patient's head. He can live with it, perfectly fine, for a long time. But it can also blow up on him at any moment.

Al, Terri Schaivo is still dead.

Jay C at 1:51 pm

Well said.

I'm Al. People seem to like me because I am polite and I am rarely late. I like to eat ice cream and I really enjoy a nice pair of slacks. Years later, a doctor will tell me that I have an I.Q. of 48 and am what some people call mentally retarded.

Dear Senator Johnson

If you die, I will have to say "Sucks that you died."

I don't want to say "Sucks that you died."

So don't die?

Okay?

Love,
MNPundit

It's a good thing he was in America instead of Canada, otherwise he'd still be on a waiting list to get treatment and probably dead by now. The US system of healthcare that democrats hate so much has allowed them to keep the senate.

Gotta dig the irony.

Best wishes to Senator Johnson for a speedy recovery. I hope, for his and his family's sake, that he'll be back on his feet soon.

And, regardless as to the outcome (hopefully positive!) of his illness, Harry Reid ought to be dangling committee chairmanships in front of Susan Collins like crazy! Best case scenario is, Johnson fully recovers AND Collins switches parties. A 52-48 majority is less precarious than a 51-49 one!

American Hawk --

Scoring some good mind-altering drugs these days?

-- Bokonon

That's it. I'm now convinced that AH is satire.

Relax, everybody. Strom Thurman continued to vote the wingnut line in the Senate for decades after his brain had decayed past the Terri Shiavo line.

Doesn't anybody remember the statements issued and even votes cast in his name by staff members?

Even today, Kentucky's own completely senile Jim Bunning is being propped up by wingnut staffers who deny his obvious dementia.

C'mon, Harry - just prop ol' Tim up in the Senate chamber, attended by a reliable "interpreter" who can cast his votes for him, and problem solved!

No offense to Senator Johnson, but if the Senate dems throw their majority away because a bunch of Fox wingnuts claim one elected Senator is "incapacitated," then they don't deserve the majority.

Expert opinions would be someone like Senators Bill Frist . . .
Posted by: Al on December 14, 2006 at 1:43 PM | PERMALINK

Send a video tape right away.
(my Guess? Frist will get one look at the "D" next to his name and say "pull the plug")

Al and Hawk, Sen Johson will be back and on the job. After all, Reagan was shuffing around without much of a functioning mind for the last two decades of his life (and some would say even longer).

Congrats on the nod, Globe!

Blue Girl, Red State is still not a doctor so I wouldn't accept her medical judgments. Expert opinions would be someone like Senators Bill Frist or Tom Coburn who are both MDs. Anyway I would be more skeptical than Blue Girl, Red State on Johnson's chances of not dying. Supreme Court Justice William Rehnquest looked pretty healthy until the last days of his life and look how quickly he died. The same thing could be happening to Johnson.

What a nauseating example of Socialist realism.

That's today's Repukeliscum party for you. Facts are true TO THE DEGREE that the Party and the First Secretary of the Party, Secretary Bush, is supported by the "facts". All facts are judged in terms of their POLITICAL impact. After all, everything is politics, and truth is determined by support of the Party (truth) or lack of support (lies).

You're a little fascist tool, Al.

Relax, everybody. Strom Thurman continued to vote the wingnut line in the Senate for decades after his brain had decayed past the Terri Shiavo line.

Yeah, they would prop him up next to Orrin Hatch, and Orrin would say, right out loud, "You want to vote 'Yeah' on this, Strom"

Never forget this, you libs:

I saw her first!

american hawk, please do us a favor and fly into a glass window at top speed.

Al is correct. I am not a physician. I started my career as a paramedic, and became a lab scientist just in time, because my knees could only handle hopping out of helicopters for about a decade. After moving to the lab, I earned a Masters degree in Neuro Physiology and have about a decade working in Neuro research.

But no Al, you are correct. I am not a physician.

GC (aka Blue Girl, Red State)

In a different vein - Biden was hospitalized for a brain anneurism in 1988. he was out of the senate for six months, recovered and resumed his duties.

Get that man on life support,Then the R's will have to make sure he does not die.And not get there 50/50 split. Damn who woulda terry would come back to haunt the R's.

You're a little fascist tool, Al.
Posted by: POed Lib

Al is a parody. You make yourself look foolish by responding to his obvious satire.

Anyway I would be more skeptical than Blue Girl, Red State on Johnson's chances of not dying. Supreme Court Justice William Rehnquest looked pretty healthy until the last days of his life and look how quickly he died.

Rehnquist was 80 years old, almost 81, while Johnson's only 59. That could make a significant difference.

As long as Johnson has neither died nor resigned from the Senate, his actual presence for the organizational vote is not relevant. If he is not present, under the current alignment, the Democrats are the majority 50 to 49. All this stuff about a shift of control assume that Johnson's seat becomes vacant and he is replaced by a Republican. There are two things we know now thanks to Blue Girl Red State. First, there are a range of possible outcomes here for Senator Johnson. Second, we will not begin to get a fix on the prognosis for another day or day. Let's keep this good man in our thoughs and prayers and hope for the best outcomes for him and his family.

Yes, Al is Kevin's parody. However, both Al and American Hawk are extremely sick puppies - Can not recommend any cardiologists or brain surgeons, as neither appears to possess either a heart or a brain.

The only suggestions for them would be to either check their local proctologists for a inserted head scan or contact Dr Kervorkian who is being pardoned.

That's it. I'm now convinced that AH is satire.

I don't know, sounds pretty mainstream republican to me.

My friend is an ER surgeon and he agrees 100% with Global Citizen, although he says Sen. Johnson's condition is still extremely serious due to the fact that the doctors so quickly chose invasive surgery. If it was a less serious manifestation, they would likely have waited longer to see where he stabilized at before surgery. More significant, I think all the hand wringing about the political aspects of this is a little much. The way I read the pertinent law on this, Johnson cannot be replaced by the Republican governor of SD unless he dies or resigns; neither of those is likely. It is irrelevant that SD law says the governor replaces "incapacitated" officeholders, the Senate is a Federal Cionstitutional office and the standard for replacement is that there be a "vacancy" which is defined as death or resignation. He still counts as a Dem for purposes of determining who controls the Senate.

If Johnson cannot be present to vote, but he still holds the seat, then Harry Reid still gets elected 50-49. Cheney only votes in case of a tie.

Yellow Dog: good points. Literally, unfortunately.

I had an AVM bleed when I was 25. I'm now 49 and very healthy--though as a result of the bleed I still have a slightly weakened left side and walk with a bit of a limp. However, my career as an editor and writer proceeded pretty much without a hitch after the AVM and the subsequent brain surgery to remove it. So here's hoping Sen. Johnson will come out of this OK.

Globe:

Really well-written, succinct and informative post.

Kudos :)

Bob

Senator Johnson is "appropriately responsive" entering into the second 24º post-op period. This is good news.

(BTW: Kevin! Thanks for the link! I owe you one!)

Sadly, my guess would be that revelations of a prayer group somewhere in the hinterlands that has spent the last 24 hours praying for the senator's death might not be the stuff of a Stephen Glass story.

And here I thought it was elections. Silly me. These winger types should really hang their heads in shame.

Best of luck to the Senator and his family and wishes for a speedy & full recovery.

Ron Byers >"...Has the entire media gone f**king nuts..."

Only the neo-criminals & their supporting "staff" agencies

Total lunacy this is

"Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on or by imbeciles who really mean it." - Mark Twain

"And here I thought it was elections. Silly me. These winger types should really hang their heads in shame."

I would remind you that when Republican Senator Paul Coverdell from Georgia died in July of 2000, then Democrat Governor Barnes appointed a Democrat to replace him. I don't remember the NY Times crying any tears over it, or claiming Republican votes had been disenfranchised, etc.

Woo hoo, Globe!!!

Thanks Shortstop. My site meter thinks I'm sitting on the refresh button!