Senator Tim Johnson Propped Up In Front Of Crowd Of Supporters, Says He’s “Back”
But he’s still in a wheelchair, he apparently can’t stand on his own and he’s slurring his words so badly people are having difficulty understanding him.
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) South Dakota’s senior senator, Tim Johnson, told state residents he has returned to public life.
“I am back,” he told a cheering crowd on Tuesday.
The 60-year-old Johnson made his first public appearance since a mid-December brain hemorrhage by addressing hundreds at the Sioux Falls Convention Center.
Johnson was wheeled to the podium and rose to his feet. He spoke in a measured pace, and some words were slurred. But everyone seemed to understand the senator as he spoke.
Here’s the video of his speech (he starts a bit after the 40 minute mark):
Am I the only one a little…disgusted about this? Partisan politics aside, a man in this medical condition and at this stage in his life would probably be getting assistance from friends and family for making personal medical and financial decisions. Yet here Tim Johnson is, being propped up by his partisan political supporters and made to painful-to-listen-to speeches for the sake of convincing people that he’s able to hold on to his seat in the most powerful legislative body on the face of the Earth.
It’s…morbid. I don’t know if Johnson’s thirst for power is driving him to this, or if he’s being pressured into it by his party/supporters, but it’s grotesque.
