We originally posted this Detroit News column summary on May 8, 2014. It has legs firm enough to stand up three and a half years later. (The original no longer is accessible online, so we can't link to it.)
Nolan Finley doesn't mince words when it comes to U.S. Rep. John Conyers, the 84-year-old Detroit Democrat whose performance in office, age and current troubles with nominating petitions have created an issue that is sensitive and, until now, largely unspoken in the local media.
I’ve seen John Conyers in recent years when he was completely cogent, charming and conversant.
I’ve also seen him when he was addled and agitated, seemingly unaware of purpose and place.
Intermittent mental lapses are not unexpected in someone almost 85 years old. But if that someone is a United States congressman, ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee and the sole representative from one of America’s most troubled cities, they have to be considered a disqualifier for office.
That’s why those now engaged in the desperate drive to either get Conyers’ name on the ballot or mount a write-in campaign should instead see his nominating petition foul-up as a blessing in disguise.
