Salon.com > Tim Johnson, D-S.D

Dodd’s successor: Senator Credit Card

Fri, 08 Jan 2010 19:41:00 +0000

An unfortunate addendum to Wednesday's post speculating about what Sen. Chris Dodd's decision not to run for reelection might mean for financial regulatory reform.

Blogging at Capital Gains and Games, Pete Davis tells us that in his long experience watching and working in Washington, "lame duck committee chairs lack power" because "everyone below them is jockeying for power."

And who is the number one choice to replace Dodd as chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, presuming the Democrats hold on to their majority? South Dakota's Tim Johnson, the only Democrat who voted against last year's credit card reform act.

Bloomberg has the scoop. South Dakota has extremely lenient regulations on credit card companies, so Visa is headquartered there, as is Citigroup's credit card business.

Cowardice and courage

Wed, 29 Aug 2007 11:26:00 +0000

A few hours after Republican Sen. Larry Craig Tuesday blamed his men's room guilty plea on the stress he was under from a newspaper's "witchhunt," South Dakota Sen. Tim Johnson made his first public appearance since suffering a brain hemorrhage in December.

At a rally in Sioux Falls, S.D., Johnson was rolled onto the stage in a wheelchair, waved at the crowd, then rose to speak. Although the Associated Press reports that his face "clearly showed the effects of the trauma" and that his speech was slow and sometimes slurred, Johnson said that his "will to fight" for the people of South Dakota has "never been stronger."

Johnson is up for reelection in 2008. Republicans had targeted Johnson's seat -- remember Tom Daschle? -- before he underwent emergency brain surgery, and they continue to target the seat now; earlier this month, National Republican Senatorial Committee chairman John Ensign said that his party would no longer hold off on making an aggressive run to beat the incumbent.

Sen. Johnson is discharged

Tue, 20 Feb 2007 22:43:00 +0000

The New York Times' Caucus blog is reporting that South Dakota Sen. Tim Johnson has been discharged from George Washington University Hospital and is now at a rehabilitation facility.

Johnson, a Democrat, was felled by bleeding in his brain last December, provoking questions about what would happen to the Senate's Democratic majority if he died or was unable to remain in his seat. The governor of South Dakota, who would have been responsible for appointing a successor, is a Republican; the appointment of a Republican to fill Johnson's seat would have divided the Senate 50-50 between the Republican and Democratic caucuses.

Scenes from the new beginning

Thu, 04 Jan 2007 21:01:00 +0000

Day 1 of the Democratic Congress is coming to a close. Having spent the day in front of the television -- we'll be at the U.S. Capitol next week, when the real work begins -- we can report in now on some of the highs and lows of the new beginning.

A conversation we wish we had heard: As Hillary Clinton's family posed for a swearing-in photo opportunity with Dick Cheney, her husband spent a long moment or two whispering in the ear of the vice president, who didn't seem to say much in return. Wolf Blitzer didn't offer us any insights into what was said, but he did take note of the fact that Chelsea Clinton was in attendance. "She's clearly grown up now," he said, "as our children normally do in these kinds of circumstances."

A sight we're sorry we missed: North Carolina Republican Rep. Patrick McHenry insisting, "I'm not whining," as he called on Democrats to treat Republicans better than Republicans treated Democrats when they were in the minority.

The Lieberman maneuver

Fri, 15 Dec 2006 12:42:00 +0000

The sudden illness of Sen. Tim Johnson, D-S.D., shook Democrats from their post-election bliss by reminding them that their Senate majority is as narrow as it could possibly be -- and that an unexpected misfortune could instantly deprive them of power in Congress' upper chamber.

Although Johnson now appears to be recovering from a brain hemorrhage that required emergency surgery on Wednesday, the potential shift that could result from his incapacitation certainly awakened Republicans to the possibility of regaining lost power. Nowhere are such chances eyed more keenly than in the White House, where George W. Bush and his aides face spending his final years as president under investigation by the Senate as well as the House of Representatives.

But regardless of Sen. Johnson's health, the president may yet be able to tip the balance. With a single stroke, he could restore control of the Senate to the Republicans, fill an embarrassing vacancy in his administration and score bipartisan points -- by appointing Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., to serve as the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Should Lieberman be nominated and accept that position, Connecticut's Republican Gov. Jodi Rell has the constitutional authority to name a new senator.

Johnson update: An “uncomplicated” recovery from surgery

Thu, 14 Dec 2006 21:56:00 +0000

The office of South Dakota Sen. Tim Johnson has just released a statement in which the Capitol physician says Johnson's recovery from brain surgery has been "uncomplicated" and that he has been "appropriately responsive" to both voice and touch.

Soon-to-be Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid visited Johnson at George Washington University Hospital earlier today. Reid said his Democratic colleague looked good but declined to answer when asked whether Johnson was conscious or not.

Johnson update: an “intracerebral bleed”

Thu, 14 Dec 2006 14:42:00 +0000

The U.S. Capitol physician has just announced that South Dakota Sen. Tim Johnson is being treated for an "intracerebral bleed caused by a congenital arteriovenous malformation." He characterized the surgery Johnson underwent last night as a "successful" effort to "evacuate the blood and stabilize the malformation" but said that it is "premature to determine whether further surgery will be required or to assess any long-term prognosis."

Johnson in critical condition after brain surgery

Thu, 14 Dec 2006 13:59:00 +0000

South Dakota Sen. Tim Johnson is in critical condition this morning after undergoing emergency brain surgery overnight. A source close to Johnson tells CNN that the surgery was "successful" and said that anyone who undergoes such a procedure is deemed to be in critical condition, at least initially. "The next 24 to 48 hours are critical," the source says.

It's still not clear what happened to Johnson Wednesday. He was on a conference call with reporters a little after noon when he began to stutter. He seemed to recover well enough to finish the call, but his condition deteriorated rapidly after that. His office initially said he was being treated at George Washington University Hospital for a stroke or "stroke-like symptoms," but Johnson's spokeswoman later said that tests had shown that he had suffered neither a stroke nor a heart attack.

In the event that Johnson were to die, South Dakota's governor would be entitled to appoint someone else to serve the remainder of his term, which ends in 2008. Assuming that the Republican governor would appoint a Republican senator, the Democrats' effective 51-49 advantage in the Senate would become a 50-50 split, with Vice President Dick Cheney providing the tie-breaker for the GOP.

South Dakota senator suffers apparent stroke

Wed, 13 Dec 2006 21:33:00 +0000

South Dakota Sen. Tim Johnson was hospitalized today after suffering a stroke or strokelike symptoms, the networks and wire services are reporting.

Johnson's staff tells CNN that the 59-year-old Democrat was conscious when he was taken to the hospital from his Washington office. Still, that isn't stopping anyone from speculating on what the senator's death or incapacitation might mean politically. Reuters reports that if Johnson were unable to serve out his term, his replacement would be appointed by South Dakota's Republican governor.

Assuming that the Republican would appoint a Republican, control of the Senate would switch from what is, effectively, a 51-49 Democratic advantage to a 50-50 tie, with Dick Cheney providing the tie-breaker in favor of the GOP.

Alito picks up another Democrat

Thu, 26 Jan 2006 17:35:00 +0000

Tim Johnson, the Democratic senator from South Dakota, announced this morning that he'll cast a vote in favor of confirming Samuel Alito. While there may be little real-world difference between voting for Alito and voting against him but refusing to filibuster, Johnson's decision -- together with that of Nebraska Sen. Ben Nelson -- gives the Bush administration a little more room to claim that Alito has "bipartisan" support and makes it harder for other Democrats to paint Alito as a wholly unacceptable nominee.