Posted by
David J. Hall on Monday, December 18, 2006 3:32:26 PM
When Senator Tim Johnson experienced an unexpected medical event [last week] similar to a stroke (Arteriovenous Malformation) and subsequently underwent brain surgery, he received a lot more media attention than someone normally might get.
The reason?
If he is unable to fulfill his role as a Senator from South Dakota, then a replacement would be assigned by the Governor of his state. The current Governor is a Republican, and if a Republican was assigned to fill his seat, then the Senate in Washington D.C. would experience an almost complete power shift.
After the recent elections in November, the Democrats gained enough to hold power in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. However, if Senator Johnson is out and a new Republican is assigned, then the Senate becomes a 50/50 situation, and to break a tied vote, Vice-President Cheney would step in and provide the tiebreaker... in a Republican direction, of course.
So, should Republicans pray for Senator Tim Johnson to recover?
Yes!! Absolutely!
Let us not lose sight of priorities. This is not a time to withhold prayers in the hope that he won't recover just for our political gain. That would be immoral and absurd! This is a man, a husband, a father, a human being. Let's pray for him, and we can always work on changing the Democrat and Republican balance in the Senate through other legitimate means.
"Senator Tim Johnson, my (and I am sure many other Republicans) prayers are with you and for you. I am holding your family up in prayers as well as they walk through this valley with you. We look forward to your soon return to the floor of the Senate!"