Every time one of these medical situations arises with U.S. Rep. Julia Carson (D), just as sure as the sun is going to come up in the morning, you can count on local Democrats trotting out former U.S. Rep. Andy Jacobs (D) to make a folksy quip about Julia to suspend disbelief. It happened again. “People will tell me that they’ll see Julia come in and she seems very feeble," Jacobs tells the Star. She’ll get help up to the podium . . . Then when she x gets to the podium ..... bam! The firecracker goes off and she has them rolling in the aisles.” That's not exactly the tales I've been hiring as of late, but Neville Chamberlain also stepped off a plane in 1938 and announced, "I believe it is peace in our time."
Let's put this in perspective. Carson is missing for an entire week before her staff fesses up to the fact that she' been hospitalized for the past week at Methodist Hospital with what must be a serious leg infection. Her staff tells us the infection is under control and she will be back to work very soon. They won't tell us when she will return to work. They won't agree to allow a reporter to interview her, although they claim to have spoken to her on the phone and claim she's quite lucid. They aren't forthcoming about any medications she may be on which might affect her decision-making ability. In the period prior to her hospitalization, news reports from Capitol Hill tell us she can no longer cast a vote in the House of Representatives without the assistance of another member. And this is nothing new. Past illnesses have given her the distinction of being the member of Indiana's congressional district with the worst attendance record. She has missed 13% of the recorded votes this year alone. In some years, she has missed as many as 21% of the recorded votes.
In spite of all this, local Democrats carry on as if nothing is happening. “If Julia Carson has a desire to run again, I will be, and I believe the party structure will be, supporting her,” Marion County Democratic Party Chairman Michael O’Connor told the Star. Well, it's time for the public to say enough. An online poll conducted by the Star showed that 90% of the respondents believe Carson should retire because of her health problems. These latest reports raise serious concerns about whether Carson even possesses a state of mind that allows her to carry out the people's business. An independent psychiatric evaluation is in order. If the Indianapolis Fire Department can order firefighter Tonya Coffman to undergo a psychiatric evaluation because it didn't think a small woman like her get drive a fire truck, then is it too much to expect a psychiatric professional to advise us if Carson is capable of making independent decisions given her life-threatening health issues?
Finally, let me make it clear that I wish Carson a full and speedy recovery. Her defenders have a way of trying to turn the tables to make anyone who dares to raise questions about her fitness appear mean-spirited, notwithstanding the overwhelming weight of evidence already in the public record. This is not about what is best for her. It is about what is best for the voters of the 7th District. We have a right to expect our member of Congress to be ready and able to be present when any vote is taken. Rep. Carson has demonstrated time and time again she is not capable of meeting that expectation. It's time for her to go.
And for the record, I wished Rep. Carson well while we still await a reaction from Blue Indiana or Taking Down Words. Both of these Democratic blogs have been noticeably silent since Rep. Carson's office announced her hospitalization yesterday afternoon. I'm not quite sure what, if anything, we should read into that. Maybe we'll hear from Jen shortly.
UPDATE: Blue Indiana blogger Joh Padgett is now calling on U.S. Rep. Julia Carson to retire because of her latest health problems. His post is particularly interesting because he relates his own battle with a similar type of illness Carson is suffering from. He predicts she will be unable to work for many months to come."The kind of pain and suffering that Ms. Carson is dealing with at this time is nothing short of physical torture and in my opinion will severely limit her ability to make proper decisions for several months to come due to the heavy pain medication that she will be forced to take during her recovery," Padgett writes.
37 comments:
Okay, okay...I've waited for several days now, and it looks like everybody has fallen for the left-wing line:
"and was treated for an infection in her leg near the area where a vein was removed in 1996 during double bypass heart surgery"
Doesn't anybody see a problem here? An infection 10 years later "near the area" etc.
This is just cover. What is her true ailment? What is the true cause? Why is she in Methodist Hospital under an alias?
Either the print, TV, and radio reporters in this city are all exceedingly stupid, or they are all helping forward the leftist agenda.
Which is it?
Carson's deteriorating health condition not withstanding, what is the REAL reason that a select handful of HER people continue to literally prop her up as OUR Congresswoman?
For some reason,when all is said and done, I believe it all comes down to money be it legal or otherwise.
since you threw it in. coffman was ordered for a fitness eval based on the fact she kept hitting things or i should say thing. apples and oranges. plus she was counselled and written up by her supervisor without improvement. her supervisor was a female so forget that card
8:44 Her health has deteriorated because of the effects of chronic alcoholism and congestive heart failure.
What I find to be most intriguing aspect of this whole sordid affair is why precisely, did Ms.Carson enter Methodist Hospital under an alias???
Now I can understand an alias being used if for instance the name of the patient is Gotti,Lansky,Lucianao,Giancana or even Corleone but our own member of Congress???
Something just doesn't seem to fit here. Why the alias and the extraordinary ploys to keep her condition under wraps for over a week?
What are her handlers so afraid of???
Often when a high profile public official is being treated at a hospital, the family will authorize the hospital to release certain information to the public about the person's condition, notwithstanding their right to privacy. It doesn't appear Methodist Hospital has been given any such authority as you haven't heard any public statements from the hospital.
Our Congresswoman suffers from ALCOHOLISM? Perhaps this explains some of her bizarre behavior that others insist is a result of other health conditions.Perhaps this explain the use of an alias.
Unfortunately, if she is indeed suffering from acute alcoholism I'm not certain that she should run for re-election. She needs to get help if it's not to late already.
Gary, this woman is our Congresswoman for cryin out loud! She is a high profile public figure because we made her one and we ARE entitled to the truth as such.
My gawd, if our President is willing to tell the world about his colonoscopy then why the special treatment for Lady Carson.
If she is suffering from alcohol or other substance abuse and it's being swept under the carpet then you're going to see a huge backlash and not just from those in her District but from her fellow members of Congress, not that they are any cleaner than she.
If someone with proper credintials wants her medical file from the MIB (Medical Information Bureau)they can get it.
Blue Indiana had a post on the subject.
8:44 AM - the MSM (print, TV, and radio) reporters anymore don't go digging until they see a press release. None of this was ever reported until Carson's office issued the press release on Friday - 7 days after she was admitted.
An educated guess would be someone in Carson's office saw Gary's posting here about her being absent from Washington and then decided to fess up and a quasi-damage control.
Doug - yes I noticed that. Even Thomas is becoming a (pardon the pun) Doubting Thomas on Julia's ability to serve another term in Congress.
The reason they want to keep pushing her to go is because in cliques like this, when the leader dies, sometimes the power and standing of the clique dies as well. There are a lot of folks that stand to lose the Carson name backing.
The previous post on Blue Indiana was published before news of her week long hospitalization was released. I have just posted a diary there in response to this latest news which I would have posted last night except for network trouble in my neighborhood causing an intermittent Internet connection problem.
Julia Carson is our fool on Capitol Hill! She is an embarrassment to Indianapolis!
She is a sick and senile old lady.
9:55, Ms. Carson always checks in to Methodist under an alias. This time it was Ann Marie Jimenez. And quite a spectacle it was when her handlers showed up with her and blocked the ambulance bay with their cars and refused to move them when asked. They through quite the tantrum. They also hindered patient care when two ambulances with critical patients arrived and couldn't get in.
Rumors about Ms. Carson's health has been slimed for many years now: cancer, AIDS, psoriasis, alcoholism, senility ... it's all a part of being a popular public figure who cant be defeated on her politics so fabricated and extraneous issues get raised.
As to Gary Welsh's odd attempt to have her examined by a psychatrist: the Constitution, the Congress and the voters determine her fitness and qualfications - not some eternally hostile partisans! Any competent lawyer would know that.
Of course she won't, Wilson. Her staff will continue to hide her from the public and let other members of Congress cast her votes for her when she's well enough to show up for work and be wheeled in to the Chambers by a staff member. Meanwhile, the voters of the 7th District are left without a representative. If she cared about reassuring the public, she and her staff would be much more forthcoming about her true medical condition. Why are they going to such lengths to hide this from the public?
Of course, the Indianapolis Republicans have always claimed that neither Andy Jacobs or then Julia Carson were sufficient and active Representatives. The voters decided otherwise and repeatedly re-elected Andy Jacobs and then Julia Carson.
The voters will decide again in 2008 who to elect as their Representative in Congress. That's the American way...
Alcoholism??? Julia Carson doesn't even drink.....some people have no shame.
Steve Buyer has missed almost as many votes as Julia Carson and no one is suggesting he step down. If he's so frail that he has to miss 12% of his votes because he got hurt skiing, then perhaps he's too feeble to serve. Why aren't you demanding accountability from Buyer, Gary?
IOKIYAAR [It's OK if you are a Republican]
So many posts, so much misinformation...where to start?
Alcoholism/Does Julia Drink?
I've seen her well-lit. So, that myth is shot. And by "well-lit," I mean personally observed her downing mixed drinks in rapid succession and slurring her words.
Infection at Spot of Leg Vein Harvest: This happened to my grandfather years after his bypass. But the docs later determined it had been too long since the harvest, and was not an infection, but rather a clot forming. I think the term was phlebitis. At that time, in 2000, the docs said no infection could enter the harvest site absent some strange medical phenomona, years after the harvest.
Dealy in Information: Wilson, if Eric Dickerson's campaign had treated (potential) constituents like this last year, you'd have screamed bloody murder. Julia creates more of a problem for herself than necessary. She just needs to level with folks from the get-go. I think you'd all be surprised how sympathetic people can be if they don't feel hoodwinked. Which is exactly how we feel every time this woman goes down for the count.
Other Dem bloggers: It's not their job to bail Julia out.
Other: if you think this public bruhaha about her illness is something, you haven't seen anything come time to replace her, whenevr that is. It'll be Media Manipulation 101, with rumors flying everywhere about every replacement candidate EXCEPT the one favored by the Center gulag. Those rumors will be fanned by you-know-who. No big surprise.
Andy Jacobs: I read his comments differently, Gary. That he said anything at all is remarkable. His comments basically admit that she's been completely feeble on many occasions. Which is a stunning admission.
He tried to turn it into a positive, in true Andy folk terms...but he failed.
Of course no one truly wishes her ill. She has served with distinction for many years. But it's way past time for her to be effective. She needs to leave. And her district will be ripe next year: using Wilson's own admitted fund-raising barometer, with this illness, she has not been able, nor will she be able, to raise large funds in DC.
With an opponent like Wayne Harmon, does anybody imagine she'd need a large campaign warchest? Even Gary Welsh couldn't support him!
Wilson,
It's ironic, because a fellow named Wayne E. Harmon was a Parole Officer in Ohio and was found to be psychologically unable to perform the duties of his job!
http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:8N3dGdmA2DUJ:pbr.ohio.gov/pdf/2001/01-IDS-07-0194.pdf+%22wayne+*+harmon%22+ohio+parole&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=2&gl=us
I can't confirm its the same guy, but Ohio and Indiana are pretty close, as are the jobs of Parole Officer and Probation Officer. Not to mention that Congressional candidate Harmon has several holes in his resume.
anon 4:29, Wilson already knows about that report. He's just waiting to spring it on the public in the unfortunate event the GOP is unable to find someone other than Harmon to run against Carson.
lets pull Wilson E. Allen criminal history, along with the mugshot,, and see if it's the same guy.
What the citizens of the 7th district have is TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION.
I live in the 7th congressional district and I feel well represented......if the GOP hates Julia so much and she is so horrible, why do they run so poor candidates against her? Wife beaters, child abusers, off the wall former libertarians, men who dont pay their child support...come on now....put up or shut up.
"I live in the 7th congressional district and I feel well represented"
Nice Try, Ms. Lear, or is that Mrs. Fisher?
A private citizens criminal history is not a public record. Interestingly, a candidate for public office is indeed open for public inspection of any criminal record. All it takes is $10 at the State Police Hdqtrs downtown. Of course, you have to sign an affidavit certifying your request is for a political candidate!
Only ignorant, hateful folk who might have a criminal history themselves would assume I have one. Sorry, I have no arrests, no mugshots, no indictments and of course no convictions! I am sure Jocelyn, Gary, Ernie and Darla have already searched fruitlessly.
That odd info on a Wayne E Harmon had already been posted here and duly noted. At this point, I remain skeptical...
Not to worry Wilson. I have access to those records and I am not afraid of making them public.
And to correct you, they ARE public records. All court actions are PUBLIC, except for Juvenile.
So, gennius-boy...
Get ready for the big slam.
Hey, Wilson..
I couldn't care any less about your past activities.
I have too much of my own to be concerned with yours.
Glass houses! We all live in them.
Please start changing clothes in the basement!
Wilson I don't care about your criminal record. I haven't checked you out. Get it through your thick skull, I DON"T CARE.
Last I heard you and Jen were the file freaks of blogsville. Your claim about public records doesn't hold water. My private life didn't keep the two of you from digging in my past. I'll leave the mud slinging trash-talking BS to you.
During your obsession with me last year you snooped on my children my wife and me. If I were you, I wouldn't cross that line again. I won’t hurt you I won’t have to. However when the red head I’m married to sticks her boot up your ass I will be there with a camera and I will post those photos on line.
As I’ve stated before hurting you would be like spanking a three-year old. The spanking won’t accomplish a thing and the next day you’ll be right back picking your nose.
"However when the red head I’m married to sticks her boot up your ass"
IndyErnie - watch out when you're talking about sticking anything up anyone's ass... remember whom you are referring.
This is not new. Julia Carson has always played the "sympathy card" in politics to keep from being accountable to voters and her advesaries. When she has literally messed up something, to maintain her false image as the caring, and not self-serving politician that she is, the sympathy card, or the race card is played to hold her opponents at bey.
Shame on you Julia, what is really wrong with you this time? A drug or a alcohol hangover?
Wilson Allen is not so important for anyone to investigate him. he is a wannabe flunky for Julia Carson and that is all he will ever be. He will more than likely die off with her. Good riddens!
Another IPS dropout? It's spelled "riddance" ...
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