WASHINGTON -AP- Democratic Sen. Tim Johnson was in critical condition early Thursday, recovering from emergency surgery overnight, a hospital official said.
…
Johnson suffered stroke-like symptoms Wednesday, just weeks before his party, with only a one-vote majority, was to take control of the Senate. There was no formal announcement of the South Dakota senator’s condition. A person in the hospital’s media relations office, who declined to be identified by name pending a formal statement, said George Washington University Hospital was preparing to announce that Johnson’s condition was critical. He would not describe the nature of the surgery.
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Apart from the risk to his health, Johnson’s illness carried political ramifications. Democrats emerged from last month’s elections with a 51-49 Senate majority. If he 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.
Well, now this is going to be interesting.
The only thing about a one vote majority, that I would consider an advantage, is that the republicans would at that point be able to set the agenda of what bills get discussed. As for changing the voting outcome, on those bills, a one vote majority doesn’t mean much of anything given the number of RINOs in the Senate.
Sorry, it just doesn’t.
But .. and here’s the interesting part of this…. if Johnson dies, how long do you suppose it will be before the Democrats start claiming they were cheated by means of poison or some such?
Maybe I shouldn’t be giving them ideas.
Update: (DavidL) Too late, to worry about preventing a liberal conspiracy. It has already been hatched. Michelle Malkin has the video link, here. I’d not exactly call these chicks rocket scientists, however Elisabeth Hasselbeck does seem to keep her head.
UpdateII: (Bit) Yeah well, the usual suspects over at the DU(h) are forever losing thiers… even the admins over there hadda step in.
December 14th, 2006 at 9:09
It really doesn’t take much for the party of Micheal
Moore, George Soros, Hillary Clinton and Andrew
Sullivan to develope a persecution complex and
a conspiracy theory. I’d much prefer to play to
the ‘Rats’ fears than attempt, in vain, than to placate
them.