Loading ...SHOULD SOMEONE HAVE COME CLEAN ABOUT CARSON?
My fellow blogger Gary Welsh at Advance Indiana is throwing some pretty heavy criticism at the Julia Carson campaign for playing coy with her health and not being up front with the voters about her health.
Welsh cites and an RTV 6 interview with Jonathan Baily, Carson’s minister…
The Rev. Jonathan Baily said he was with Carson when doctors told her she had cancer about a year ago. He said the doctor finally told her that she had just days to live recently. “She asked the doctor, ‘How long have I got?’” Baily said. He said, ‘It’s not our thing to tell you how long, just make you comfortable.’”
However, as Welsh points out, a statement put out by her campaign office Carson says leads readers to believe that the cancer discovery was more recent…
In the late summer of 2007, Congress granted me a leave of absence because of my leg infection. My wonderful doctor cured the leg, and I went into rehabilitation, planning to be back in Washington shortly. Then the second shoe fell — heavily. My doctor discovered lung cancer. It had gone into remission years before, but it was back with a terminal vengeance.
It’s pretty apparent that Carson has been more ill than anyone knew and she’s known this for a long time. The question is should she have disclosed this information to the public and would it have mattered in the last election? My personal rule has been that elected officials private health matters are just that, private.
However, when their health affects their job performance or when there are noticeable differences in their physical appearance, I do think they owe their constituents an explanation. They have to make the ultimate decision as to whether they are fit to serve, but at the very least they need to be honest.
November 28th, 2007 at 8:01 am
It was wrong to cover-up this fact for so very long. It was obvious to most who pay attention that she was suffering total loss of mental faculties for some time now.
The electorate has a right to know if their elected representative has the ability to fulfill the responsibilities of the office to which she is elected…and the elected official has a public duty to step down when unable to fulfill the responsibilities.
As a result of this fraud, the district has not had representation in Washington for quite a long time…and will not have representation for months to come.
It is just simply wrong to do this to the electorate. It shows the contempt of The Democrat Machine.
November 28th, 2007 at 8:51 am
I agree w/ Muckraker. For the past 3+ years I’ve felt that we haven’t had representation in Washington and just on camera she didn’t look “healthy.” …. it is troublesome. The “young dems” who are NOT part of the “machine” (at least the ones I know) have been concerned about her health and lack of representation for a while and were surprised that no-one said anything and were disappointed nothing was said/done.
November 28th, 2007 at 9:49 am
In principle, you are right Abdul. It should be private.
However in reality, it is not. Heck, it makes the cable news ticker when GWB passes gas. Remember this summer when he underwent the colonoscopy? The news media had live coverage right outside the hospital doors. Going further back, GHWB yaks up his dinner and it makes international news.
Locally, recall the coverage when the late Gov. O’Bannon had his stroke and subsequent death. It was wall to wall coverage.
So you cannot expect now for Congressperson Julia Carson treated any differently.
November 28th, 2007 at 9:55 am
I’m not sure how much difference Ms. Carson’s condition would have altered the course of last year’s election. It is apparent that her core constituency demand little of their elected officials and would probably vote for her after she passes. The ’sympathy vote’ has been extremely beneficial to Ms. Carson during her tenure as a U.S. Representative.
November 28th, 2007 at 10:05 am
When Julia Carson dies in the near future, the Indianapolis press will talk about what a great woman she was. The press will gloss over her foul mouth, poor work ethic and habitual lying (as noted in your posting). Do you really think the press would give the same treatment to Dan Burton, Mike Pence, Steve Buyer or Mark Souder under a similar circumstances?
November 28th, 2007 at 10:07 am
Actually, as a fiscal conservative, I think that her absence from Washington has been very beneficial for the entire country.
I hope that more Democrat US representatives will follow her lead and just stay home.
November 28th, 2007 at 10:15 am
So tell me…just what bills has the great congresswoman introduced and gotten passed to benefit this country?
Her only claim to fame is giving away money and benefits.
Bills on which she was a co-sponsor don’t count, because they all do that.
November 28th, 2007 at 10:48 am
Carson is our EMPLOYEE. As the employer, we have a right to know whether the employee can do their job, how long they will be off work, when they will return to work (honest estimate!)
As the employer, we have no right to the details of the employee’s health.
The difference with an M.O.C. is that in this the employer cannot simply assign someone else to temporarily occupy the desk until the employee can come back to work. So the work doesn’t get done.
This would not be acceptable if it was the payroll manager of a company. Simply not issue paychecks until the employee comes back to work? I don’t think so.
It should not be acceptable for an M.O.C., either. If you know you are ill, know it’s terminal, know you won’t be able to return to work, and/or know you cannot function in the interim, you owe it to your employers to step aside so someone that CAN do the job can take over.
I don’t care if Carson is a saint or a devil. It’s wrong to tie up the 7th District seat and deny constituents their proper representation for so long and with so little prospect of making a return.
She took an oath:
“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.”
She has not ‘well and faithfully discharged the duties of the office’ for 70 days. I doubt the ‘without mental reservation or purpose of evasion’ aspect can be claimed, either. I think she MUST have reservations now and IS evading her duties, albeit involuntarily.
November 28th, 2007 at 3:12 pm
Adbul, uou wrote: However, when their health affects their job performance or when there are noticeable differences in their physical appearance, I do think they owe their constituents an explanation. I would go a more direct route: When they are not able to represent their constituents as they’d promised when elected, they owe those constituents an explanation…or a resignation. The people of the 7th have been without representation since at least August. Even with a conservative estimation, it could take months to put together a special election to replace her (the very thought that she could “hand over” her position to a relative or anyone else just frosts me). How long, I wonder, does Ms. Carson think it’s appropriate for the people of the 7th to have important matters discussed and decided in D.C. without their input?
November 28th, 2007 at 4:55 pm
What about Scott Newman’s revelation that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease? He didn’t tell right away - even though the story published in Indianapolis Monthly makes it clear that people noticed his symptoms. It is clear that, even with the disease, he did a million times better job than Carl Brizzi; however, under the standard that you and your readers set forth, once he exhibited symptoms, he should have notified all Marion County residents. Mr. Newman wasn’t a “habitual liar” because he didn’t disclose the details of his diagnosis sooner, and neither is Mrs. Carson. Admitting to yourself the seriousness of an illness and denying it’s seriousness to those around you - even in the face of clear evidence of the illness - is just a part of grieving.
November 28th, 2007 at 5:13 pm
Oh please stop with the ’so and so was sick and they didn’t tell anybody’ stuff. Did he quit working for 2 months? No. Did he go into seclusion? No. Was he ever ‘barely able to speak? No. Did he ever hand his ID card to someone else so they could do a job only HE was authorized to do? No. Did the prosecutor’s office stop prosecuting cases while he was in a ’secret location’? No.
See? Two entirely different sets of circumstances.
It’s not about Carson’s health, it’s about her not resigning so that the process of selecting a replacement can start. Meanwhile there is zero representation in Congress for an entire District. Apparently she wants to die in office. That’s just being selfish. Besides, she hasn’t been ‘in office’ for 70+ days.
November 28th, 2007 at 6:19 pm
“Even with a conservative estimation, it could take months to put together a special election to replace her”
Actually by law it must be within 60-90 days, unless it’s within 30 days of the General Election, in that case the seat remains vacant until the next session of Congress.
November 28th, 2007 at 7:32 pm
YOU SAID:
When Julia Carson dies in the near future, the Indianapolis press will talk about what a great woman she was. The press will gloss over her foul mouth, poor work ethic and habitual lying (as noted in your posting).
REMEMBER THIS:
“WE ARE” the Indianapolis Press of the future.
We won’t let this example of political corruption in Indianapolis escape it’s rightfully earned place in civic history.
We will ensure that there are hundreds of articles in various magazines and independent newspapers, as well as open discussions on talk shows.
Ultimately the truth will reside in the Indiana History Society Library Archives. The Carson machine is real and will be discussed by many for many years.
We’ll feel like ding-dong when we discover the truth. (of course some already have the scoop)
November 29th, 2007 at 7:18 am
The difference between a politician and a statesman is that a statesman is a dead politician. I guess Ryerson and the Star will be calling Carson a “Statesman(person)” pretty soon.
November 29th, 2007 at 9:34 am
Inasmuch as I understand the situation, the process is as follows: Were I to have some sort of health condition, it is my private affair until such time as that health condition begins to significantly impair my ability to perform some aspect of my life, such as my job. If it does being to impair that aspect, it is my responsibility to inform the appropriate people of the condition. In the case of a job, it would be ones supervisor. For a member of the House of Representatives, that supervisor is the electorate.
November 29th, 2007 at 5:54 pm
In case you didn’t see it, there was a great post on this topic on Ruth Holladay’s blog: http://ruthholladay.com/index.php?blog=1&title=rep_julia_carson_1&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1. And the single comment that was posted by Tell the Truth is worth a read as well.
November 29th, 2007 at 10:15 pm
cofirmation from Wilson:
Congresswoman Carson is dying
November 30th, 2007 at 7:15 am
What part of “terminal lung cancer” didn’t you understand in the newspaper?
November 30th, 2007 at 7:31 am
When did it go from detection of Lung cancer to treatment of Lung cancer to Terminal Lung cancer ?
November 30th, 2007 at 7:41 am
Godspeed to Julia and her family. They need our prayers and support now.
Wilson, I understand “terminal lung cancer” very well.
Maybe you should ask the good Congresswoman and/or her staff, exactly how one jumps from a “leg infection” in August, reported in September only after a Capitol Hill newspaper snoops, to full-blown terminal lung cancer?
We’re waiting.
Finally, she can no longer duck the obvious. We can no longer be distracted with shiney objects. She appears at a public rally looking awful, and her staff says “look over there–Haley’s comet!”
Deception is a trait best practiced in the dark.
November 30th, 2007 at 7:53 am
It went from a LEG INFECTION to TERMINAL LUNG CANCER. Julia and her staff LIED.
November 30th, 2007 at 11:47 am
Lies.
This was about controlling Congressional Reps in the House. By keeping Carson in office, yet out in left field, the GOP/Dem party is more easily able to get their socialist/globalist agenda passed without a newcomer throwing a wrench in the works.
Remember, GOP Congressional candidate Eric Dickerson’s campaign had little to no support from local, state, and national GOP offices. This was intentional. Dickerson proved to them that he couldn’t be blackmailed, resulting in the media trashing him over an old police report. He proved to the GOP/Dem leadership that he couldn’t be controlled, and resulted in getting zero support.
The next best scenario was to keep Carsons illness under wraps, assuring her election victory and assuring that a new Rep. Eric Dickerson wouldn’t make waves in a privately controlled Congress.