True to form our local news media has gone back to sleep after being briefly awakened last week at the prompting of D.C. reporters that something was amiss with U.S. Rep. Julia Carson (D). It took a news story in The Hill once again raising questions about the health of the wheel-chair-bound Carson and her inability to cast votes without the assistance of another member or staff person. That prompted the Star's D.C. reporter, Maureen Groppe, to start asking questions about Carson's whereabouts after she missed several busy legislative days this past week at which important legislative votes were taken. After the blogosphere lit up over the reports coming from our nation's capital, Carson's office released a short statement saying Carson had been hospitalized for more than a week with a leg infection. While that announcement naturally raised only more questions in the blogosphere, the local news media ended any further coverage. No further follow up stories have been done by the Star or any of the local TV stations. Why?
Think about this, folks. Congresswoman Carson's office clearly went out of its way to hide her latest medical problem and the fact that she was hospitalized. When they did release information, we were not provided any information about her current condition. Is she in critical condition? Is she in the intensive care unit? When does she expect to be released from the hospital? When does she expect to return to work? Is she lucid? Is she heavily medicated? Her staff claims to have spoken to Carson, but they have refused to grant any interviews to the media. Why hasn't Methodist Hospital been authorized to release any information about her condition or provide any updates on her health status as is typically the case with high profile public officials?
Democratic blogger Joh Padgett has called on Carson to retire based on the latest report of her medical problems. He suffered from a similar infection and knows from first hand experience what it means. "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 wrote. He added, "To put it simply, Julia Carson is going to be out of commission for MONTHS to come." "Not days, not weeks, but MONTHS." "This is too long of a time to have the people of Indianapolis unrepresented in Congress and her doctors know this, her people know this and Julia knows this, but no one is facing the reality here."
So would the Indianapolis media now please do its job? Too many times in the past you have allowed Rep. Carson to skate, and the people of the 7th District have wound up the loser. As her 2006 GOP opponent often repeated, "A congressional seat is a terrible thing to waste." This is an issue that matters to voters. Do your jobs and start digging for answers.
UPDATE: The Star's Maureen Groppe is reporting from D.C. that Carson's office has requested an additional two week leave of absence because of her hospitalization for a leg infection. Still no details on her condition from her congressional staff.
42 comments:
Don't be daft. That would require the MSM to do something other than copy press releases off the wire.
advocating that PRIVATE medical records become public...would you want yours to become public?
and we would be wasting the seat with eric dickerson in congress...you know that just as the voters of the 7th do...
"advocating that PRIVATE medical records become public...would you want yours to become public?"
No, however this waiting a week to admit there is a problem smacks of Cuba and the former Soviet Politburo. She is a public figure after all, hired to supposedly represent the 7th district voters.
Then again this is Democrats we're referring here.
"we would be wasting the seat with eric dickerson in congress...you know that just as the voters of the 7th do..."
Whatever. Can't be any worse than someone who needs help voting on the House floor. Mr. Dickerson could at least get up and walk to the voting machine himself and drop in the voting card.
anonymous at 8:24 PM:
Do you not think we should be aware of the health status of our elected officials? Nobody is asking for a detailed history, just a meaningful update so we know whether we stand a chance of being represented between now and next November.
By the way, at least 46% of the voters of the 7th would disagree with you regarding Dickerson. Do 63,000 voters not matter to you?
I'm not a public official upon whom people depend upon for my services. A public official has to give up at least a little privacy in that area when his/her ability to serve is called into question. And yes, Eric Dickerson would have run circles around Carson. She has distinguished herself as the lowest performing member of the Indiana congressional district. Even first termers Donnelly and Ellsworth have already surpassed her.
The Democrats are probably scrambling right now to find a succesor for Julia. I will bet you one donut that Andy Jacobs and others know her condition and are trying to find the right person they can control before she steps down.
Wait and see!
Four hours after the original post and no comments from you-know-who.
No one advocates a detailed release of the Congresswoman's confidential medical records.
But as a publicly elected official, she has a responsibility to give constituents a minimally-accurate accounting of her ability to serve; or, in the alternative, how long she might be out of commission.
Most of us would fully accept a report that indicated she'd be hospitalized one, two weeks, and recover at home another week or so.
But the Carson office's limp defense of her "time away" only adds fuel to the fire.
And no, I don't expect the local media to bird-dog this very much. That would require elbow grease. They're not adept at that. Not a damned one of them.
The President is a tad more important than a member of Congress, but we know all about his colon. I'd think Miss Carson could give us some unvarnished idea about her condition.
If she really cared about her district, instead of holding onto the power and paycheck, she'd already have done it. And the reason you don't see you-know-who defending her office's actions and her actions, is that there's NO defense. Period.
You know who isn't saying anything because he's completely out of the loop. Nothing is being shared with him.
I would just like to reiterate here what I wrote in my original piece on Blue Indiana in my call for Julia Carson's retirement. My past criticism aside, my call for her to retire is based out of concern for her health. I have experienced the type of infection she has on several occasions due to a clotting disorder that I have. On more than one occasion due to my early return to a normal working schedule I have caused reinfection to occur and this is why I am so concerned for the Congresswoman. Recovery from these infections are very tough and with diabetes and other health conditions thrown into the mix it complicates recovery even more so. I am deeply concerned that this will do more damage to her health and leave us unrepresented for a much longer period of time.
My father had diabetes and was an amputee with leg problems. I remember some of the tough Antibiotics they had to pump through him. Just getting him back home and into bed was more than enough to wipe him out for the day. Trying to do Congressional work on top of that would be very hard on the body.
Pike Voter
So will Carson have to call in sick on Tuesday like they did for her last week or have a doctors note sent in like we did back in our school days ?
"After missing votes Monday and Tuesday, Carson included a “leave of absence” request in the Congressional Record on Wednesday for Sept. 24 through Monday but did not give a reason for the absence."
Pike Voter
advance indiana, Gary get over your ego trip...no body cares about your position.
No Body Cares..,.
Don't worry. One of the main reasons she went to Congress (besides the power and the paycheck) was the great healthcare benefits. After all, surgery was her first act in congress, even before being sworn in.
It looks like the crocodiles need a fresh box of Kleenex.
"advance indiana, Gary get over your ego trip...no body cares about your position.
No Body Cares..,."
That's the problem. If my rep in Congress was absent as much as Julia Carson has been this term, I'd be PO'ed. The lack of concern from her constituents speaks volumes.
I wish Ms. Carson no ill will, and will pray for her good health. But I'll also pray that she realizes that an absent member of Congress does her constituents no good, and that she thinks about what serves them best and acts on it.
Just how in the hell did this woman ever get elected to Congress in the first place?
Was it the change in demographics, as some insiders say, that forced Andy Jacobs to the sidelines?
No, 7:53--Andy decided he wanted to spend time here with young children at home. He was tired. No one blames him. He had richly earned retirement. There has not been an MC with more integrity than Andy. Sadly, his successor checked some of her integrity at the door...but who knew?
She won the nomination in 1996 because many Democrats, myself included, thought she had earned it with difficult election victories and, at the time, a complete turn-around of the trustee's office.
Her opponent was Ann Delaney, and most of Gov. Bayh's people lined up with Ann. As the campaign wore on, two things happened:
Julia raised just enough money to be credible. And Ann's true personality came out, which turned off voters. In all my 30-plus years in volunteer political activity, I have never ever met a more hateful, spiteful candidate than Ann. Or smarter, frankly, which is a cryin' shame.
That contrast in personalities--Ann's hatefulness, Julia's caring, showed up in the May 96 primary.
The Peter Principle personified.
I just wish Julia cared enough for ehr distric tnow, to quietly step aside. She's not doing the job. The thing is--no one's talking about this, but trust me, it's true--she needs the money, and it's the most money she's ever made in her entire life, by far. Three grand a week is tough dough to walk away from. But if she had any honor, she would.
"Three grand a week is tough dough to walk away from. But if she had any honor, she would."
She's earned a congressional pension which isn't too shabby. As I recall there's also a lifetime health benefit in there for her.
She'll do alright after she leaves Congress.
The e-mails have gone out in the Carson camp. NO COMMENTS on the blogs or to the press about Carson's health.
Wilson must have gotten in line with the rest
Carson has asked that two more weeks be tacked on to her leave of absence.
How long her leave of senses will continue is to be determined.
Hailstone at 8:23am is absolutely correct. Ms.Carson worked as a staffer for 8 years which'll be also credited too if she retires for a very decent pension. She lives frugally and thriftily anyways...
Two more weeks of medical leave.
And still her office persists witih the medically unsound "leg infection" story.
If any of the media had any gumption at all, they'd interview a specialist in these diseases.
And if they didn, they'd be told what WedMD.com says, and what many of us who've had relatives go through this, know:
A leg infection near a vein harvest site, 11 years later, is not only unusual, it's damned near medically impossible.
But hey, no need for the truth here...we're just the masses, feed us shit and keep us in the dark...
Wilson wrote:
"She lives frugally and thriftily anyways..."
Judging by the way she kept up her property/properties (as depicted on the news a few years back), I think Wilson is more than 100% correct.
Of course, I wish her good health - it is terribly unfortunate that she's going through this. I may disagree with her politics (and I do), but I don't wish her ill.
But her absence affects more than just the citizens of the 7th district - it affects all citizens of Indiana. Out of 440 seats in Congress, Indiana has NINE. Now, with her absence, we have 8. And she's not been there to vote on important legislation as of late, and as appropriations bills are working through the process, she may not be there for some of the conference reports.
It's just terrible, but if she is no longer able to do the job, then perhaps it's time she leaves of her own volition. She owes that much not only to her specific constituents, but all citizens of Indiana.
AR
TDW just posted this comment about Julia.
Is Carson still in the hospital or resting at home ?
Posted by: Pike Voter | Oct 02, 2007 at 03:40 PM
I believe she is being moved to a rehabilitation facility to recover from her leg infection.
Posted by: TDW | Oct 02, 2007 at 03:43 PM
---
Too bad we get this information 2nd / 3rd hand instead of from her or her staff.
Pike Voter
Lest it be forgotten: when GOP Congressman David MacIntosh was running for Governor against Frank OBannon, he skipped 75% of Congressional votes that year to campaign. That set a modern record for Congressional absenteeism.
But it's OK if you're a Republican!
Mike B: I just saw Chad Chitworth, Ms. Carson's official spokesperson, say the same information on Channel 8... Evidently TDW was repeating that info.
Deflecting the criticism with a lame McIntosh reference.
HE'S NOT IN CONGRESS NOW, WILSON. JULIA IS.
Can you try to stick to the subject, please? I know it's painful, and difficult...you're close to her, and that's understandable. She's declining, and no one here wishes her bad health.
But this is not a typical citizen. It's a member of Congress, on whom we depend to reflect our views in DC.
If you think the current bruhaha is bad--just wait until Julia leaves office. Katie bar the door.
Since a few Republicans are getting all hysterical about absenteeism in Congress, I just wanted to reassure those flighty folk that David McIntosh skipped voluntarily almost all his votes and the Republic didn't collapse!
At this point, I think Steve Buyer still holds the 2007 Hoosier absenteeism record.
Scuttlebutt at Methodist Hosp is that she is dealing with heart problems. Will we ever know for sure?
Wilson knows, but the truth will never pass his lips.
The wording on the original official statement about Congresslady Carson's medical condition was vetted by her doctor. He's seen the patient and the blood tests - the anonymous nobodies here are just speculating wildly and ignorantly...
Sorry, Wilson, but if that were the case there would have been a statement from Methodist Hospital. Carson has not permitted the hospital to release any information about her condition. We have no reason to believe what her staff is saying. They withheld the fact that she was hospitalized for more than a week. Their credibility is shot. And you, Wilson, don't know her true condition. You haven't been permitted to visit her at the hospital, and her staff isn't sharing information with you.
Gary, you can believe the moon is made of green cheese but I'll never ask you to make me a toasted cheese sandwich...
Being a tad closer to Ms. Carson than you, I'm a tad better informed than the wild speculations and theorizing this blog is notorious for...
Lets see . . .
http://juliacarson.house.gov/
( Nothing new )
9/28/07 Statement from Representative Julia Carson
Washington DC- Congresswoman Julia Carson (IN-07) was admitted to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis, IN on Friday, September 21st complaining of leg pain and fatigue and was subsequently treated for an infection in her leg near the area where a vein was removed pursuant to a surgical procedure performed in 1996. The infection is now under control and Ms. Carson reports that she is “very anxious to get back to work.” Click here
And
http://www.juliacarson.org/
Nothing on the home page.
http://www.juliacarson.org/pages/news.asp
The news page is empty . .
I am glad her and her staff are keeping her constituents up to date.
Maybe they need to re-hire Wilson to work on the web pages ?
I think I did find the little girl she was talking about last year.
http://www.juliacarson.org/images/welcome1.jpg
Pike Voter
"Being a tad closer to Ms. Carson than you, I'm a tad better informed than the wild speculations and theorizing this blog is notorious for"
Yes, Wilson, you are closer to her, but you know what I said is true as embarrassed as you are to admit it.
Hey Wilson. Can't you get your friend Jen to post anything about your dear lady. Whassup with that?
Heart ailment or leg infection, Congresswoman Carson is not at work. The citizens of the 7th District are without representation. Whatever the reason.
We shouldn't punish people for their ill-health, but the voters shouldn't be punished for her ill-health, either.
BTW, Wilson, bring up Dave McIntosh all you want - I never voted for him, and never would.
AR
Actually Mr. Wilson.
On the chan 8 web site the report just her 2 week extension.
Carson Absent from Congress for 2 More Weeks
Oct 2, 2007 01:02 PM
INDIANAPOLIS - Indianapolis Congresswoman Julia Carson will be absent from Capitol Hill for two more weeks.
Carson received a second leave of absence that lasts until October 15th.
Carson, a Democrat, entered Methodist Hospital last month for treatment of an infection in her leg.
Representative Carson is in her fifth term in Congress and plans to seek a sixth term next year.
----
No word about her still being at methodist or that she moved somewhere else ?
Not the additional information Jen posted about where she might have gone to "I believe she is being moved to a rehabilitation facility to recover from her leg infection."
Pike Voter
Mike B: you are just seeing the AP wire story. Chad Chitworth was on a video clip explaining our Congresslady had left the hospital....
Mr. Wilson - If you can find the video clip on Chan 8 web site that talks about her leaving and going into rehab please let me know.
Chan 6 has a longer story today - but nothing about her leaving or going anywhere else ?
http://www.theindychannel.com/politics/14252307/detail.html
Same type AP Story on Chan 13.
Nothing about leaving or going to a rehab place . . .
Pike Voter
Hmm - Chan 13 just reported the same old story - nothing new about her leaving and or going anywhere else.
Citing health, Carson requests two more weeks of leave
The Indy Star now reports that Julia Carson has been moved from Methodist Hospital to a rehabilitation facility to get her walking.
-----
We get the information not from her staff but from Andy Jacobs ?
It seems her staff is keeping everyone else out of the loop - even the Marion county Democratic party chairman Michael O' Connor did not know she was in the hospital when Norman Cox from Chan 6 called to verify his information last Friday.
See how easy it is to report medical conditions to the public.
CNN - Influential Republican Sen. John Warner of Virginia was hospitalized Tuesday with a heart condition, according to a statement from the senator's office.
Doctors at Inova Fairfax Hospital performed a procedure to correct atrial fibrillation, the statement said, and a follow-up, routine procedure is scheduled for Wednesday.
----
Now see how easy that is. It is reported by the STAFF soon after it happens and they tell you the exact condition he has.
None of this wait a week and lets be vague about what is happening now and down the road.
Post a Comment