Brown-Waite explains absence from Congress

U.S. Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite just issued this statement explaining her absence from Congress this week:

“At the advice of his doctor, earlier this week I left Congress and returned to Florida to be with my husband, Harvey Waite. While we are still awaiting the results of follow-up medical tests, Harvey has been diagnosed with cancer and will require ongoing treatment. As anyone who has been through serious medical issues with a loved one knows, I plan on spending as much time as necessary to care for my husband.

“Harvey and I appreciate the kind words and prayers from our friends and loved ones, but at this time we would ask for some privacy in dealing with his medical problems. I plan on returning to Washington , D.C. as soon as we know more about Harvey ’s prognosis, and both of us look forward to the upcoming campaign for the 5 th District House seat this fall.”

Comments

While I feel very sorry for her husband and understand how serious this is. I think it is time she leave Congress and stay home with her husband. It is the right thing to do for your husband and for your constituents who really need a Representative working for them as times are at their worst. Do the right thing for once Ginny.

What a horrible comment. Sounds like some young punk working for one of the Parties who doesn't understand squat about life.

Good luck and God Bless Congresswoman!

10:36 What is so horrible about saying she needs to be with her sick husband? If he has cancer, and we do not know what kind or if he does, then where else should she be? How horrible is it to want my elected member of Congress to be there looking out for the people? So sorry you feel that way. I wish her husband the best, but she needs to be there with him and let someone else do the job we the people need het there to do.

Does anybody know if he does have cancer? I hope not. If so is it serious?

Who's going to swipe GBW's opponents' signs this upcoming campaign?

This should not even have been posted on this blog. The Times is once again practicing "rag sheet" journalism.
No family should be subjected to having their personal affairs discussed by strangers.

11:34...LOL

I don't trust anything she says. I hope her husband is fine, but I just don't believe anything she says. Heard and have seen her do some pretty dispicable things .

11:49 Then they should stay out of politics. She asked to be a public figure. People deserve to know if their elected official can be there doing a job for them. Believe it or not some politiocians capitilize on issues like these. Some even lie about this stuff. It is horrible.

Wasn't her office picketed yesterday?

[hobson-thats who!]

Ginny Waite Brown is a hideous distortion. How perveresly amazing that such a miserable,wretched, unappetizing horror can succeed in anything let alone elective politics.

Harvey is a good guy. The spouses of politicians aren't required by any aspect of the public interest to face serious health problems without the full and, if need be, constant attention of their loved ones.

Get well Harvey. Ginny, you're doing the most important thing--the right thing no matter what job one might hold. Disregard those who think you cease to be a person and a family member when you offer to serve them.

Harvey is a good guy. The spouses of politicians aren't required by any aspect of the public interest to face serious health problems without the full and, if need be, constant attention of their loved ones.

Get well Harvey. Ginny, you're doing the most important thing--the right thing no matter what job one might hold. Disregard those who think you cease to be a person and a family member when you offer to serve them.

Harvey is a good guy. The spouses of politicians aren't required by any aspect of the public interest to face serious health problems without the full and, if need be, constant attention of their loved ones.

Get well Harvey. Ginny, you're doing the most important thing--the right thing no matter what job one might hold. Disregard those who think you cease to be a person and a family member when you offer to serve them.

10:32am,

absolutely NOT

She should not have to resign just because she is taking care of her husband. If she or her staff can still do her duties, I have no problem with her temporary absence.

Look how much time Barrack Obama & Hillary Clinton have taken off.

2:53 this is not a partisan issue. Your comments just show me you are a radical partisan individual. Don't give me this garbage that a spouse of an elected official is not to be in the news, what are you nuts? She asks for this attention to her and her family by running for office. The people have a right to know if she can do her job. She has an obligation to be with her sick husband and she also has an obligation to do her duties for her constituents that elected her. If she cannot fullfill those duties, I did not vote for her staff to do them, then she needs to be big enough to leave that high paying job and step aside so someone else can do it. And no, Ginny is not doing the most important thing. If she was doing the most important thing she would leave and be there for her husband totally. So if Harvey, who is a great guy, stays sick when Ginny has to be back at work, what happens then? Or could Ginny just think he will be better by the time her campaign kicks off. She said she is looking forward to her campaign kickoff. Will she still do the right thing if Harvey is still sick? The right thing is to fullfill both ther obligations, to her husband and to the people she represents. the only way to do that is to step aside. Now, if this is a temporary minor illness, that would be a different story. But without knowing that, and with her statement that she plans to take as much time as she needs to take care of her husband, tells me she will not be able to perform the duties she needs to do. Of course she should do the most important thing, and that is to take care of family first. But if it is for a long period of time it is just not fair or right to do to the people who need a representative up there doing the job they were hired/elected to do. Just be big enough to let it go so the people have a representative.

Lets not even get into who the real Ginny is. Its not the one she portrays herself to be that is for sure.

I wish the best to Harvey. Speedy recovery. I do not like Ginny. Cant help it. I know her.

3:56PM

Why shouldn't Barrack Obama & Hillary Clinton resigning not be discussed here if we are discussing Ginny Brown-Waite?

Ginny Brown-Waite could probably do more than those two even taking care of here husband.

The real person that should have considered resigning was:

Sen. Tim Johnson, D-South Dakota, who had a massive stroke in Dec 2006.
No way he should be running for re-election.

What a disgrace Senator Barrack Obama have been. He has missed near 80% of his Senatorial votes in two months:

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/11/02/obama.missed.votes/index.html

He should have resigned!

Obama was a cocaine user. He should have gone to jail and is not fit to even run for dog-catcher.

[Jim]

New poll has John McCain ahead of both Barrack Obama & Hillary Clinton head to head-

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-poll27feb27,0,5452138.story

This is a publicity stunt by Ginny Brown-Waite. Do we know for sure her husband is sick? Make your husband's records public, Ginny. Just the way you did at Haley VA Hospital. You revealed the records of the Veterans to everyone who was present that day.
Ginny will do whatever it takes to win the elections. This is a CHEAP stunt.

5:27 I was nevr talking about Democrats -vs- Republicans, thats why. You showed and continue to show that you are either Ginny herself or are a Republican Partisan fool. My point was not Partisan. I could not care if Ginny was a Republican or a Democrat. Get it yet? I still do not like or trust her because I know her. I know thw stunts she has always pulled. I know the lies she has told.

6:09 you are so very correct. She has pulled many like this. I know some that would knock your socks off.

Ginny is now asking Democrats for reinbursement for the picketing of her office. She actually thinks that people do not have a right to picket an elected official. What a arogant statement from her. Ginny, this is the peoples government. Not yours. You have sucked enough tax dollars from the government teets. Remember the people pay your large salary.

[Chris W]

Ginny Brown-Waite wasn't in Congress? How can they tell?

[Jamie]

It is easy to tell when Ginny Brown-Waite is not in Congress. No group has been slandered. First the French (and in reality she attacked our troops who fought for our freedom) next the Musilms (after she took their cash) now the Hispanics...we know she is not in Washington because we have not added to this list yet......updates to follow no doubt.

Why do I get the feeling that many of the anti-Ginny posts on here are courtesy of that wack job that ran against her last time? I forget his name, but I remember what a low life crazy man he is.

Does everyone remember that video last year of him getting kicked out of the Dem convention? What a jerk.

As for Harvey and Ginny, we wish you the best and you are in our prayers.

7:22pm, I never said anything about Democrats vs Republicans either.

I was just comparing Ginny Brown-Waite case versus Barrack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and others.

Ginny Brown-Waite would probably miss a lot less time in Congress caring for her husband than Obama or Hillary, yet they have not resigned.

In fact, Sen. Tim Johnson, D-South Dakota missed around 1 year and is still not the same person before his stroke. Yet, he did not resign. So don't give me this about partisan.
The only thing we are talking about is if an elected person can handle his/her job while dealing with another situation.

plain & simple

Now that Ginny Brown-Waite realizes she messed up so badly, and that there's no way she can win a reelection, she is in a panic and is playing the "Mother Theresa" card to gain symphaty votes.
She is a disgrace to District 5, our Veterans and the whole USA.
She should stay home, make herself useful for once in her life, and bake cookies for the Troops.

8:09 I don't know about her baking cookies, but I do know what you mean about her making thoings up for sympathy votes. She even did that when she was in the state senate. Sometimes right on the senate floor. The stories she told to get sympathy. I just hope that her husband is Ok and that it is just Ginny being Ginny.

[Crusader]

She was on vacation in Puerto Rico -- her idea of a foreign excursion.

Barrack Obama definitely should have resigned. He is totally not doing his job as a Senator.

What a disgrace and another reason that shows his lack of work ethics.

He is not qualified to lead Illinois less the nation.

She was on a secret CIA fact finding mission in a foreign country called Puerto Rico.