Argus Letter to the Editor: Johnson's condition more serious than we're being told
The Letters to the Editor page in the Argus today contained one of the first public criticisms of Senator Tim Johnson or his staff for their handling of Senator Johnson's debilitating medical condition:
Read it all here.
This is a tough one to comment one, because I think the author (Randy Amundson) comes off as harsh, and maybe a bit insensitive. But on the other hand, a few points he tries to make are valid.
The Senator is very ill, and has a long road ahead of him. That's generally accepted. But there's also the view that continues to gain momentum that we're not getting the full story. The senator's staff ekes out bits and pieces here and there regarding his condition, but otherwise there is this huge void of information that people will seek to fill with rumor and conjecture.
Equally fueling the fire is the fact that the state press corps' usual demand for openness and full accountability for our elected officials seems to have evaporated in this case.
Absent full transparency, this letter to the editor may just the first one we'll see. And they'll continue to grow in number until such a time as the Senator returns to work.
We have been assured that things are on the mend with Johnson. If that is the case, the senator might consider a news conference or an occasional press release to assure those of us who are represented by him that he is in fact on the road back to productivity.
My suspicion is that the senator's condition is much more serious than he or his staff has seen fit to admit. This South Dakotan is not comfortable when elected officials put themselves and their ideology above the best interest of those they represent.
Read it all here.
This is a tough one to comment one, because I think the author (Randy Amundson) comes off as harsh, and maybe a bit insensitive. But on the other hand, a few points he tries to make are valid.
The Senator is very ill, and has a long road ahead of him. That's generally accepted. But there's also the view that continues to gain momentum that we're not getting the full story. The senator's staff ekes out bits and pieces here and there regarding his condition, but otherwise there is this huge void of information that people will seek to fill with rumor and conjecture.
Equally fueling the fire is the fact that the state press corps' usual demand for openness and full accountability for our elected officials seems to have evaporated in this case.
Absent full transparency, this letter to the editor may just the first one we'll see. And they'll continue to grow in number until such a time as the Senator returns to work.
Comments
That certainly doesn't make it right to Johnson to try and hang on to his seat for his kid.
If the Senator is getting better, great, let's have some interviews so the citizens of South Dakota can see for themselves instead of the spin being put out by his staff.
I say if Johnson can go back to work full time by the end of the year, he deserves our patience, if he can't, he should resign now and let someone actually represent our interest in DC.
The dam breaks?
What's that all about? A final admission that the Repubs have been licking their chops about this all along but just finally got the guts to say so? What a bunch of phoneys!
You can't say what you don't know. People recovering from a stroke just don't know. Neither do their doctors. Only God does.
So why not just keep praying for Tim and keep your mouths shut? By God's grace you Republicans voted him in (heaven knows there weren't enough Dems in SD to get the job done) and he beat Thune, for Christ sake! So leave it to the Lord, you turkeys. He works in mysterious ways. I thought you already knew that.
Your answer will come in good time, just like the rapture. So meanwhile, how about a nice six pack of shut the ***k up?
Well, at least I do.
As for Sen Johnson I wish him well. No, people are correct that we don't know about how this will all trun out. THe doctors have a better idea and yes things can improve and yes things could slip backwards.
I would say in my huble opinion only non professional that Sen Johnson is unbale to speak good enough and it may be hard. I would say that maybe his moveablility is very limited, weak and takes lots of thought. I am sure that he gets very tired and quickly. I bet for the most part this is to be expected.
However, people still have the right to know.
Sen Johnson may come out this completely or he could have side effects that last forever or for a short time. THe doctors are the only ones who can give a clear possible sernaro.
Later.
Of course, in politics the noble and correct thing, the best thing for the state, is seldom the first thought. We see Sen. Johnson's true character clearly coming through here.
I'll give you 2 to one odds against a $5 bet, PP.
Are you on?
If Johnson is physically and mentally unable to perform his Senate duties for the people of South Dakota, I want to know about it. If he’s unfit to serve, the law may not require his resignation, but common decency does.
Evidently his son is going along with this charade and that lets us know that his integrity isn’t any better than his father’s. It’s time that the Johnson name fades away into political history.
For those of you that haven't studied the Senate or the Congress in general, formally or informally, please allow me to let you in on a little secret. The Representatives and Senators that we represent are not the only people doing work on Capitol Hill. Fact is that each one of the people that we elect has a large number of people working for them. Its true for Senator Johnson, its true for Speaker Pelosi, its true for Republican Leader McConnell... and every other republican and democrat in the House of Representatives and the Senate. These staff members (and Interns) are the ones that receieve constituent mail, respond to constituent mail, write memos, help staff from other members' offices to draft legislation, set up committee meetings, etc. Yes, the member of congress does have to approve of most of these actions, but the majority of the actual work of the US Congress is done by staffers. It is true that Members must attend committee meetings and vote on the Senate Floor, their staff cannot do that for them. Heck, even with the invention of the auto-pen... many of the documents with a member's signature on it doesn't actually get signed by the member. I have faith that the staff of the Johnson team can adequately represent the interests of the South Dakota population in the halls of the Senate, getting all necessary approval from the Senator. As far as votes in Committee and on the Senate floor. I challenge someone to show me a vote while Senator Johnson has been ill that would have had the outcome changed if Tim would have voted. Because in my study of the Senate, noting comes to mind.
A second thought: If the Republicans got their way and Senator Johnson resigned, what would that mean for SD representation? It would mean that we had NO ONE, not even those great Johnson staffers, in the halls of the Senate working for our interests (not counting Thune) until Governor Rounds appointed someone and they were able to get their new staff to Washington. There would then be a transition period while no one on staff knows their way, phyically or legislatively, around the Senate. The clout that Senator Johnson holds on the Appropriations Committee would be lost (because let's be honest, no no-name from SD is going to get on that committee as an appointed Senator). So essentially, until this new appointee got settled, SD would be worse off than we currently are.
I agree that I would love to hear more about Senator Johnson's condition. However, I don't think its valid to say that we are not being adequately represented in the meantime. I also find the idea of resignation to have no merit.
But your comments are off mark and there is great merit in some of the statements!
I agree, it's not like work isn't being done on important issues that affect South Dakota. More importantly, didn't we learn our lesson about not getting rid of our clout when we voted Tom Daschle out of office?
If you're going to make comments, using your own name at least adds SOMETHING to the conversation besides static.
One of the best things South Dakota ever did was "Dump Daschle". Yes, he is smart, crafty & could hold his caucus together but he's also calculating, insincere and more interested in HIS best interests than those of his consituents, or the country as a whole.
I no longer have to explain to friends from out of state how we managed to keep a national embarrassment like him in office. I suspect Senator Reid may find the honorable folks in Nevada feel the same way in his next election.
Partisanship is NOT Statesmanship and too many people on both sides of the aisle need to remember that!
Johnson will never step down. Reid and Pelosi et al won't let him. They are relying on the niceness of the SD people to not demand it. Until it's too late to appoint someone else.
This whole process needs to be revamped. In what other jobs does an employer hold a job for an employee who is ill without said employee honestly communicating with the employer about his status? Only in politics. It wasn't right for Mundt, and it's not right for Johnson.
If Johnson is truly improving, then why not let him tell us so. If not, it's time for a new voice.
Best wishes to Tim, but let's move on...
I have no reason to believe that's wrong. (and I think the attacks on Brendan and other family members are in really poor taste.)
But my point was (and is) that at times, from his staff, we have a lack of information. And from time to time, what little is provided has a sense of DC spin on it.
The Family can be as tight lipped as they want. I know I might be myself if I were in the same position.
But, when it comes to his staff, transparency would serve everyone the best. Otherwise (as I previously noted) the main source of information will continue to be guessing.
I think we can draw a difference between private family information, and the interaction his staff has with the public and political process.
On the serious side when Mundt did it was wrong, and it is wrong today for Senator Johnson's staff to withhold all information concerning Senator Johnson's health.
I find it completely in character for the Argus Liar to go to court for the names of those taking part in the Governor's hunt but to be completely silent on requesting information on Senator Johnson's condition.
I ask all who read this to continue to pray for Senator Johnson's complete recovery.
Jerry Apa