Is Johnson's health off limits?
By Bret Hayworth, Journal staff writer | Posted: Sunday, July 27, 2008
U.S. Sen. Tim Johnson, D-S.D., gets help to the podium from his wife, Barb Johnson, left, and Vermillion Mayor Dan Christopherson, right, duing a welcome home event in Vermillion on Jan. 4, 2008. (Journal file photo)
In January, U.S. Sen. Tim Johnson received two standing ovations from hometown supporters.
The applause came during the Democrat's first visit to his hometown of Vermillion, S.D., since being stricken with a brain hemorrhage in December 2006. It remains to be seen whether Johnson's vitality following his injury will be a key issue for voters pondering filling one of the state's two six-year seats in the Senate.
However, some South Dakotans believe Johnson's health will weigh on voters' minds when they head to the polls on Nov. 5.
Patrick Kenaley, a registered Republican from Dakota Dunes, said it's acceptable if Johnson's health becomes a campaign issue.
"It is a fair thing to bring up," he said. "There is nothing that is off limits."
Frank Verdoorn, a registered Democrat from North Sioux City, said he hadn't followed Johnson's recovery closely, but said "if he's healthy" there's no reason the senator shouldn't attempt re-election.
Johnson suffered intercerebral bleeding caused by an arteriovenous malformation on Dec. 13, 2006.
After treatment at the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Washington, D.C., in late April 2007 he was discharged from the hospital, then began outpatient speech, physical therapy and occupational therapy.
GOP: Focus on the record
South Dakota Republican Party executive director Max Wetz said the party will focus on Johnson's "liberal" voting record of opposing tax cuts as a senator. Wetz said the state GOP won't be running ads referencing Johnson's health, but said voters are considering Johnson's vitality.
"We hear that question all the time, you know, 'Why would Senator Johnson want to endure the rigors of a campaign and serving another six years in the U.S. Senate?' What he has gone through, I'm sure, has taken a great toll on him physically and on his family. That question, I hear that all the time," Wetz said.
Asked whether he thinks Johnson can handle six more years of service, Wetz said the question isn't for him to answer.
"The voters are going to have to decide whether he is up for it or not," Wetz said.
Republican opponent Joel Dykstra has said he will focus on issues, not Johnson's condition.
Johnson's staff said the Senator, who turns 62 in December, didn't have time for an interview or to respond to e-mailed questions over the past week. In a press release on his most recent fundraising totals, it was noted that "since his (September 2007) return, Johnson has not missed a single vote and he has sponsored or cosponsored over 130 pieces of legislation."
University of South Dakota assistant professor of political science Bill Anderson said he doubted Johnson's physical capabilities would become a campaign issue because there was bipartisan outpouring of support for Johnson immediately after the injury, "and to work back against that is very challenging."
Johnson is also well-liked in South Dakota, Anderson said, and "it would be pretty unseemly for folks to exploit a health-related problem for political gain. In South Dakota, I think people wouldn't necessarily be really keen about that."
Certainly, Anderson said, many South Dakotans will vote for Dykstra based on Johnson's positions and "some will certainly vote based on his health," but he doubted his health would be a major voting factor.
Anderson said a whisper campaign regarding Johnson's health, outside Dykstra's control, is a possibility.
"I'm not just sure it is going to get a lot of traction," Anderson said. "But I've been surprised before."
Johnson 'clearly' improving
Anderson has seen Johnson in person since the brain injury. While there certainly are some challenging physical conditions for the senator, Anderson said, "I found him to be as witty and quick and as clever as I remember him before the brain injury."
Dr. Michael Yochelson, director of brain injuries at National Rehabilitation Hospital in Washington, D.C., has worked with Johnson for a year and a half. Yochelson said Johnson returns for physical and speech therapy to NRH every few months, but his outpatient physical therapy isn't as intense as it was upon Johnson's release from the hospital.
Yochelson last saw Johnson about two months ago, and said some people will notice a lag as Johnson seems to fight for words to express himself. Yochelson said there's no cognitive loss for Johnson's brain -- he knows the words, he sometimes can't get them out as well as before the injury.
"He has certainly improved and, clearly in my mind, continues to improve even beyond a year. I know that a lot of people believe that what (function) you get back in a year is what you're going to get back," Yochelson said. "But that's not always the case, and it's clearly not in his case."
Yochelson said Johnson's biggest struggle is public speaking, which he acknowledged is important to have for a lawmaker.
"One of the biggest problems when you're in the public eye is when people hear someone like that -- who speaks more slowly, may occasionally say the wrong word, may stop midsentence looking for a word -- (there) is the sort of perception that it is a cognitive problem and that they are having trouble thinking, and that is not necessarily the case," he said.
He said Johnson could have trouble with a campaign debate in which answers are limited to a specific time.
Yochelson said Johnson has expressed satisfaction that "he feels like he is continuing to progress and that he has come a long way. He obviously would like to continue to progress, and I think that he will. At this point, I don't believe he has plateaued, so I think he is going to continue to improve."
Read more in Hayworth's Politically Speaking blog at www.siouxcityjournal.com/blogs
The applause came during the Democrat's first visit to his hometown of Vermillion, S.D., since being stricken with a brain hemorrhage in December 2006. It remains to be seen whether Johnson's vitality following his injury will be a key issue for voters pondering filling one of the state's two six-year seats in the Senate.
However, some South Dakotans believe Johnson's health will weigh on voters' minds when they head to the polls on Nov. 5.
Patrick Kenaley, a registered Republican from Dakota Dunes, said it's acceptable if Johnson's health becomes a campaign issue.
"It is a fair thing to bring up," he said. "There is nothing that is off limits."
Frank Verdoorn, a registered Democrat from North Sioux City, said he hadn't followed Johnson's recovery closely, but said "if he's healthy" there's no reason the senator shouldn't attempt re-election.
Johnson suffered intercerebral bleeding caused by an arteriovenous malformation on Dec. 13, 2006.
After treatment at the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Washington, D.C., in late April 2007 he was discharged from the hospital, then began outpatient speech, physical therapy and occupational therapy.
GOP: Focus on the record
South Dakota Republican Party executive director Max Wetz said the party will focus on Johnson's "liberal" voting record of opposing tax cuts as a senator. Wetz said the state GOP won't be running ads referencing Johnson's health, but said voters are considering Johnson's vitality.
"We hear that question all the time, you know, 'Why would Senator Johnson want to endure the rigors of a campaign and serving another six years in the U.S. Senate?' What he has gone through, I'm sure, has taken a great toll on him physically and on his family. That question, I hear that all the time," Wetz said.
Asked whether he thinks Johnson can handle six more years of service, Wetz said the question isn't for him to answer.
"The voters are going to have to decide whether he is up for it or not," Wetz said.
Republican opponent Joel Dykstra has said he will focus on issues, not Johnson's condition.
Johnson's staff said the Senator, who turns 62 in December, didn't have time for an interview or to respond to e-mailed questions over the past week. In a press release on his most recent fundraising totals, it was noted that "since his (September 2007) return, Johnson has not missed a single vote and he has sponsored or cosponsored over 130 pieces of legislation."
University of South Dakota assistant professor of political science Bill Anderson said he doubted Johnson's physical capabilities would become a campaign issue because there was bipartisan outpouring of support for Johnson immediately after the injury, "and to work back against that is very challenging."
Johnson is also well-liked in South Dakota, Anderson said, and "it would be pretty unseemly for folks to exploit a health-related problem for political gain. In South Dakota, I think people wouldn't necessarily be really keen about that."
Certainly, Anderson said, many South Dakotans will vote for Dykstra based on Johnson's positions and "some will certainly vote based on his health," but he doubted his health would be a major voting factor.
Anderson said a whisper campaign regarding Johnson's health, outside Dykstra's control, is a possibility.
"I'm not just sure it is going to get a lot of traction," Anderson said. "But I've been surprised before."
Johnson 'clearly' improving
Anderson has seen Johnson in person since the brain injury. While there certainly are some challenging physical conditions for the senator, Anderson said, "I found him to be as witty and quick and as clever as I remember him before the brain injury."
Dr. Michael Yochelson, director of brain injuries at National Rehabilitation Hospital in Washington, D.C., has worked with Johnson for a year and a half. Yochelson said Johnson returns for physical and speech therapy to NRH every few months, but his outpatient physical therapy isn't as intense as it was upon Johnson's release from the hospital.
Yochelson last saw Johnson about two months ago, and said some people will notice a lag as Johnson seems to fight for words to express himself. Yochelson said there's no cognitive loss for Johnson's brain -- he knows the words, he sometimes can't get them out as well as before the injury.
"He has certainly improved and, clearly in my mind, continues to improve even beyond a year. I know that a lot of people believe that what (function) you get back in a year is what you're going to get back," Yochelson said. "But that's not always the case, and it's clearly not in his case."
Yochelson said Johnson's biggest struggle is public speaking, which he acknowledged is important to have for a lawmaker.
"One of the biggest problems when you're in the public eye is when people hear someone like that -- who speaks more slowly, may occasionally say the wrong word, may stop midsentence looking for a word -- (there) is the sort of perception that it is a cognitive problem and that they are having trouble thinking, and that is not necessarily the case," he said.
He said Johnson could have trouble with a campaign debate in which answers are limited to a specific time.
Yochelson said Johnson has expressed satisfaction that "he feels like he is continuing to progress and that he has come a long way. He obviously would like to continue to progress, and I think that he will. At this point, I don't believe he has plateaued, so I think he is going to continue to improve."
Read more in Hayworth's Politically Speaking blog at www.siouxcityjournal.com/blogs
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Clay wrote on Jul 27, 2008 10:51 AM: