However, what I was also told is that he could have gotten an exemption. Now – I haven’t checked on that – I believe the source referenced a federal, elected position exemption but I don’t know about state legislature.

Anyway – not knowing anything about the military, I didn’t really understand this situation that well. If what this source tells me is true, well – then you are of course 100% correct to ask, what’s wrong with this picture.

He’s choosing to go to Iraq? He’d rather be in Iraq than Ohio?

How very odd. I’ve been to Ohio. It’s not that bad. Compared to Iraq (at the present time) it’s positively paradise.

What’s wrong with this picture?

This isn’t exactly as if he were working for some small town employer. He ran for this office, just last fall; and people voted for him thinking that he’d be there for the long haul, didn’t they? It’s as though he can’t decide what he wants to do, fight in Iraq or fulfill the duties of the position to which he was elected nine months ago. Did he tell the voters last fall that he would be a sometimes-representative, when he wasn’t in Iraq? Or is his decision to return to Iraq a recent impulse? Are the voters getting what they signed up for? Did Mandel not COMMIT to the job of being a representative, less than a year ago? This isn’t exactly as if he’s nearing the end of his term, either. If this were his final year in his term, then fine. But Mandel was JUST ELECTED, for Pete’s sake! Didn’t it occur to him, LESS THAN A YEAR AGO, that he may want to return to Iraq in the beginning of his first term as state rep??? Is this a display of some sort of short attention span episode or something???

Now, if Mandel had been ORDERED by Uncle Sam to return to Iraq, then I’d say leave the seat open for 8 months because, then it wouldn’t be his decision and his constituents would’ve known this could happen when they had voted for him last fall. But that’s not how it happened. Mandel is CREATING the empty seat.

Sen. Johnson didn’t ask for his health problems. In fact, I’m quite sure he would’ve preferred not to have his stroke. Therefore, reasonable, compassionate people would understand that Johnson didn’t CREATE the empty seat in the Senate. However, if Johnson’s prognosis is grim, then yes, he SHOULD resign. But if he has a good prognosis, people can be understanding because, after all, Johnson didn’t exactly create the empty seat.

1. Josh has volunteered to depart for Iraq. I don’t know a lot about Tim Johnson’s health prior to his brain hemorrhage, but I’ve not read about anyone suggesting that he brought it on himself.

2. Another distinction is that Josh is occupying two jobs, literally. So he needs to attend to two jobs, literally.

Tim Johnson is recovering and apparently doing very well. I’m not aware of him taking on a second job of any type other than getting healthy enough to resume his presence in D.C.

3. Another distinction: Josh is now in his second set of choices that form a pattern: run for office, go serve in the military (I don’t recall if the first call-up was voluntary or not – I actually don’t think it was but I don’t know for sure), run for office again, go to serve in the military again.

Tim Johnson is in his second senatorial term, but there doesn’t seem to be any evidence that his getting ill is a pattern of disruption in how he fulfills his responsibilities on Capitol Hill.

4. What do his constituents think? Their opinion if far more important than mine.

5. What does the law provide regardings US Senators? I don’t actually know.

So those are just some thoughts I have that I believe are meaningful distinctions and/or questions that need answering before I would feel comfortable answering whether or not I believe Johnson should step down.

Your question is very fair and takes the kind of angle I like – let’s see what else looks like this and what do we think, as we’re trying to figure out what is best.

I have to believe that people in South Dakota feel some conflict about him not being in D.C. but I could never say where their breaking point is, if you know what I mean.

What do you think Johnson should do?

Do you think South Dakota senator Tim Johnson, who suffered a stroke in December and has been to sick to vote once in D.C. this year should step down. If not, why not?

Good for him for again serving his country overseas, BUT he’s not doing right by his district by leaving it in the lurch. His district deserves FULL representation, including a vote. Even if that one vote isn’t going to change anything, his district still deserves to be COUNTED and accounted for.

He’s just trying to save his space in line, for when he returns.

-Joel Gertner