Touchy Subject

[Harry Boy]

I have No Comment On This I Am The Messenger:

Sen. Tim Johnson (D-S.D.) underwent emergency surgery overnight to repair bleeding inside his brain and was "recovering without complication" today, according to the U.S. Capitol physician.
Johnson, 59, who is in the critical care unit at George Washington University Hospital, fell ill at the Capitol yesterday, introducing a note of uncertainty over control of the Senate just weeks before Democrats are to take over with a one-vote margin.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...400379_pf.html

[DarrylS]

WHen you read the news this AM, how this is handled depends on the point of view of the news.. i.e. the rw sites are reporting he can be replaced is he is incapacitated, the left wing is reporting that he cannot and there is precedent for incapicitated senators.

[taltos]

From research that I have done on this question in the past, I believe that he has to die or step down. If being incapacitated is all that is required, Thurmond would have been gone along with others in the past.

[Real World]

You know, I could never understand the logic in voting in a mobile skelaton like Thurmond. Forget that he was a hypocrite racist his whole life. I don't know what the rules are here, cept for my understanding that the dude would have to die. The voting thing mentioned seems legit. Where the governor is a repub, I highly doubt there'd be a vote taking place. This guy will be there till his term is up. It's almost kinda wierd that the guy is could be non-existent for 4 years, and no one would take his place. Maybe they should have a named underling that would move into his seat in a situation like this. Just a thought. Kinda like a vice-senator?