First and foremost, I would like to express my sincerest sympathies to the Johnson family. My father-in-law suffered an aneurism earlier this year. While Senator Johnson did not suffer an aneurism, the post-trauma symptoms are the same and the recovery period will more than likely be the same, if not longer.
During the time that my father-in-law recovered, it was an emotional time as we all stressed over whether or not he would ever be himself again. My father-in-law ultimately recovered, but is still not 100% of who he used to be.
Having gone through the emotional ordeal of dealing with family members after a brain trauma and subsequent brain surgery, I feel for the Johnson family and wish Senator Johnson the very best on his road to recovery.
That being said, I find it rather twisted that all of the talking heads are worried about the implications of Johnson’s failure to return. While we certainly hope that is not the case, I suppose the Washington Philosophers must ponder for the worst.
While I concede a slight agreement over their concerns for the balance of power, it is not foremost in my mind as I have more pressing issues to be concerned about.
What is at the front of my mind, and what is bothering me about this situation, is that the governor of South Dakota gets to choose who replaces Johnson should that it be necessary. That is all fine and dandy, but the fact that a Republican governor can choose a Republican Senator to replace an elected Democrat astounds me.
The people of South Dakota voted and chose a Democratic Senator and they are due a Democratic replacement. That the voters can be trumped like this is another shining example of some of the things wrong with the American elections system.
How can the vote of the people be ignored? How did we create a law or procedure that simply ignores the vote? The laws, rules, and guidelines should demand that a replacement come from the same party as the member being replaced. It is that simple.
Governor Rounds, if you find yourself in the unfortunate circumstance of having to replace Senator Johnson, please do not violate the voice of your citizens: replace Senator Johnson with a candidate from the Democratic Party.
My best wishes to the Johnson family: you are in my thoughts.
