Where’s Julia? Only the Shadow Knows!
Yesterday the Digital Farmer posted an article from the Washington D.C. newspaper “The Hill” that questioned the health of Indiana’s 7th Congressional representative, Julia Carson. Now in today’s online edition of the Indianapolis Star, Julia’s absence without explanation is called into question. So the question begs itself, where is Julia Carson? (Not that the voters of the 7th Congressional, would even notice she was gone.)
Update: According to WTHR, Julia has been in the hospital due to a leg infection that also caused to experience fatigue. As we do not wish ill will on anyone, we do wish Congresswoman Carson a speedy recovery.
Rep. Carson absent without explanation
By MAUREEN GROPPE
Star Washington Bureau
September 28, 2007WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. Julia Carson has been absent without explanation from the House this week, missing votes on a health insurance program for low-income children, flood insurance, small-business investment and other issues.
The 69-year-old Indianapolis Democrat included a “leave of absence” request in the Congressional Record on Wednesday for Sept. 24 through Oct. 1 but did not give a reason for the absence.
“We do not have a statement on this absence at this time,” said Leonard Sistek, Carson’s chief of staff.
The leave was granted at the request of House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md. Hoyer’s office referred questions about the leave to Carson’s office.Carson has missed 71 percent of the 77 floor votes since the House returned from its August recess after Labor Day.
She has missed 13 percent of the 923 votes held since January, her lowest participation rate since 2004 when health problems caused her to miss 31 percent of votes.
(Read more about Julia being M.I.A. in Congress below the fold)
A Capitol Hill newspaper reported Thursday that Carson, who has been using a wheelchair to get around the Capitol, has had aides and colleagues insert her voting card into the voting machines on her behalf when she has been present and voting.
Sistek said she sometimes asked for assistance with her voting card.
“Ordinarily, what she asks for is help getting it out of the card holder. But on a particularly bad day, she might ask somebody to put it in the machine and then she’ll push the button,” Sistek said. “It’s her vote, she’s casting the vote. She’s asking for assistance to place the card.”
Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Org., one of the lawmakers who has assisted Carson, said he was trying to be a gentlemen last week after seeing Carson in her wheel chair at the bottom of a series of stairs leading up to the voting machine.
“It was clear she was going to have difficulty getting out of her chair and up the stairs to vote in time,” DeFazio said in a statement.
He said he saw her vote card in her hand, offered to insert it for her, and asked how she wanted to vote.
“She answered with a lucid `yes,’” DeFazio said. “I took the card and within her full view, I inserted and voted ‘yes’ on her behalf and took the card back to her and confirmed the `yes’ vote.”Defazio said he believes that “assisting an infirm member in this manner is consistent with the rules of the House.”
House rules state that “no other person may cast a member’s vote or record a member’s presence in the House.”
Sistek said Carson’s office was advised by the House ethics committee and parliamentarian’s office that Carson can have help as long as Carson is directing the vote.
Carson, who underwent double bypass heart surgery soon after her 1996 election to Congress, has said she plans to run for re-election next year.
September 28th, 2007 at 1:14 pm
Someone posted this anonymously as “emergency doc” on IndyUndercover. Of course its unverified but could explain some things:
Update: So Julia Carson shows up the the Methodist ER with her purple suited, red hat wearing thug entourage,using the alias “Ann Marie Jimenez”.She’s there for a while, leaves to have a few drinks, comes back, and the entourage blocks the ambulance bay with their cars.The bay was already full of ambulances and two more were on their way with critical patients.The dapper thugs were politely asked, first by a Wishard ambulance crew and then by a methodist employee, to please move the cars to the parking lot. Well that was apparently the wrong thing to say. Their first response was: “Do you know who this is?” It went downhill from there and spiraled into a racial issue with Methodist security taking the ghetto mafias’side! Sam Odle was summoned. He’s the Clarian Health big dog that happens to be a big Jimenez..err…Carson supporter. He made a few phone calls and in minutes the Wishard EMS supervisor showed up and made an ass of himself. The Methodist employee was pretty much threatened with losing her job over the incident. They didn’t even ask her side of the story. All this while critical patients had to wait to be seen because Queen Julia needed a place to park.
October 1st, 2007 at 10:27 pm
The status of the Republican party in Marion County is on the ropes and has been for several years. The organization does not seem to be aggressive or active. Maybe it has been and I just haven’t seen it.
We are just over a year from the next election and Carson is stating that she is intending to run for reelection.
What is the next move for Republican activists? What do we do in order to set the stage for a Republican resurgence in Indianapolis?
October 3rd, 2007 at 12:20 pm
If your leaving your hopes in the party, then you can’t hope for much in Marion County. In my view what needs to be done is a citizen/voter revolt against the powers that be and say that the people aren’t going to take it any more. And if you want a county chairman with guts and who is willing to take a stand for the party’s candidates then more people need to run for precinct committeeman because it’s those people who elect the chairman.
The change in the party is only going to come from those who are disgusted enough to make a change. The more people realize that everyone is in each other’s back pocket the bigger the cry will be.
October 3rd, 2007 at 2:15 pm
Agreed. I think the party needs to be taken back. I think that the way for it to be taken back is for some people to start running and winning office by running effective campaigns and communicating a message relevant to the citizens of Indianapolis.
A Ballard victory would provide one piece. It would allow for him to start setting the agenda for the Republican party in Indianapolis.
If Ballard fails next month, then the next opportunity is in 2008 in the Congressional election.
October 3rd, 2007 at 2:28 pm
Joel,
I would like to agree if I thought that the MC Party would actually put forth an effort to get Greg elected. But that’s not going to happen.
I agree then that the next best hope is in 2008 should Eric Dickerson run. But we can’t count on the party or Republicans running for office to provide the turn around. It’s going to have to be a peoples revolution (wow, does that make me sound like a communist!) and that’s why I suggest disgruntled Republicans running for a precinct committeeman’s position. Change can only happen if we make it happen.