Buckeye State Blog - Betty Montgomery Hosptialized - Comments

Very unlikely

AmberCat — Fri, 19 May 2006 12:36:27 -0700

But doing very little has worked for her in the past as AG and auditor so we can't afford to get complacent.

ROFL

staff — Fri, 19 May 2006 07:42:42 -0700

was waiting for you to jump in with the revised code...agreed it is way too early. But if she is still off the campaign trail in 2 months people are going to start talking about it seriously - a replacement is going to need some time to ramp up and raise money. From all my reading on this condition - a return to campaiging in 2 months or so is highly unlikely.

According to Ohio election law....

modernesquire — Fri, 19 May 2006 07:35:09 -0700

Under R.C. 3513.31, the Ohio Republican Central Committee can nominate a candidate to fill the vacancy created if Montgomery were to withdraw.

However, it's waaaayyy to early to start playing those scenerios.

It's easier to replace a statewide candidate than a Congressional candidate which requires a special election.

Dunno

staff — Fri, 19 May 2006 06:47:59 -0700

I think the GOP could replace her - as to how this would impact voters, i have no clue. But it isnt going to help her fundraising that's for sure. Hopefully she recovers quickly - and decides after such a nasty scare to spend mroe time with her family.

What are the scenarios?

Castro_Democrat — Fri, 19 May 2006 05:59:00 -0700

Can some one tell me what happens if a statewide candidate has to drop out post-primary?

Also, what are the image ramifications of a candidate on bed rest who's a smily woman? Does that make her draw compassion of the voters? If it were a dude, we'd think he was weak and he'd lose votes. But with Betty, I think it's another story.

I have known people with it

AmberCat — Thu, 18 May 2006 20:18:09 -0700

The main long-term effect seems to be that they are too weak and exhausted for long periods of time (usually measured in years) to work normal jobs and normal hours. The complete helplessness is usually short-lived, but it seems like often resuming a normal work schedule can be difficult. Betty might have trouble accepting those donations in return for no-bid contracts and it might take her years to accomplish normal tasks, such as auditing coin dealers who have been entrusted with huge amounts of state money. It might even take her 12 or 15 years instead of a mere eight.

Joseph Heller had a pretty bad case

Lucie — Thu, 18 May 2006 16:49:11 -0700

of it -- he was paralyzed for a while, thought he would die. He wrote about the experience in a book called No Laughing Matter, which I haven't read.

I'd never heard of it

staff — Thu, 18 May 2006 15:56:38 -0700

had to go google to see what it was..sounds pretty rare and nasty.

I agree again (that doesn't happen often :-)

LisaRenee — Thu, 18 May 2006 15:54:58 -0700

It sounds like it could take some time before they know how her recovery will be.

I hope

staff — Thu, 18 May 2006 15:53:20 -0700

she is on the lesser side of the recovery curve and gets well quickly and we will probably have to wait some time to know - but if she is unfortunate enough to not recover quickly then this AG race takes a very strange turn.

I agree

LisaRenee — Thu, 18 May 2006 15:46:40 -0700

The news story doesn't make it sound as serious as the link to information on the actual disorder. Especially the prognosis part of it:

Guillain-Barré syndrome can be a devastating disorder because of its sudden and unexpected onset. Most people reach the stage of greatest weakness within the first 2 weeks after symptoms appear, and by the third week of the illness 90 percent of all patients are at their weakest. The recovery period may be as little as a few weeks or as long as a few years. About 30 percent of those with Guillain-Barré still have a residual weakness after 3 years. About 3 percent may suffer a relapse of muscle weakness and tingling sensations many years after the initial attack.

Doesnt sound good at all

staff — Thu, 18 May 2006 15:34:58 -0700

not according to the info here.

Betty Montgomery Hosptialized

LisaRenee — Thu, 18 May 2006 15:04:04 -0700

Not sure what impact this could have on the race in November but WTOL has this story:

http://www.wtol.com/Global/story.asp?S=4923031

COLUMBUS -- Ohio Auditor of State Betty Montgomery is being treated for Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS), an inflammatory disorder of the peripheral nerves. According to a statement from Montgomery's office, the condition is not life-threatening, but progression of the disorder can be unpredictable. Montgomery is being treated in The Ohio State University Medical Center's intensive care unit.