Is Kerry's health an issue? Should it be an issue?

[hellhathnofury]

I know Kerry had surgery for his prostate cancer, but is it possible he's having a bit of a relapse? I heard a comments from alot of people who think he looks pale, wan, and is very thin.

If he's sick and knows it he should drop out for the sake of his health and because we really shouldn't have a candidate with major health issues. If he gets bad in October we'd be in trouble.

I don't mean this as an attack of any sorts, but I truly believe it is an issue and alot people I've been around have noted his less than stellar health appearance.

[xultar]

1. This is 4 n/t

[Walt Starr]

2. Absolutely it's an issue!

It was an issue with Tsongas in '92 and rightly so! History bore out that Tsongas should not have been elected and he didn't even look ill during the primaries!

[Cocoa]

3. not his prostate cancer

it's so common, I don't think it will even have a psychological effect with voters.

People realize no president is guaranteed to live forever, and that a risk of a relapse is not enough to rule anyone out.

Plus, Kerry projects probably the best health of any of the candidates, except possibly Kucinich due to his diet.

[mitchum]

4. No more than Dean's mental health

nice try

[XanaDUer]

6. Thank you for writing that

I was just going to. No, I think a candidate's physical health (look at FDR) is less important than their mental health.

If anything, I noticed people at Kerry's meeting last night saying that THEY had relatives with the same cancer, and that it made them feel like he is one of them.

[hellhathnofury]

8. Dean does not have mental health problems and you know it.

I was being polite above, you should try being polite for a day.

[Nicholas_J]

23. Then he certainly

Has problems with controlling his actions behavior and his tongue.

According to the Burlington Free Press, he also seems to have problems with facts and seems somewhat truth impaired, as his need to apologize to a number of candidates for mis-statements about their records and stances certainly indicates:

From earlier in the campaign:

Dean bites Democrats



Although sometimes loose with the truth, Dean's attack strategy seems to have paid off. He has put his opponents on the defensive and has drawn considerable attention from political commentators and Democratic contributors. Polls show him neck and neck with Kerry in the critical New Hampshire primary and closing in on the favored Gephardt in the Iowa caucuses.


As Dean becomes a top-tier candidate, however, his casual approach to facts and abusive tactics against his opponents could get him into serious trouble -- and severely damage Vermont's reputation for political civility and intellectual honesty.

Or How About:

Edwards was referring to the speech Dean delivered to California Democrats last weekend, in which he stood at the podium at the party's annual convention in Sacramento and lambasted Edwards and Kerry by name for supporting the war. Dean, who has won a following with his antiwar pronouncements, sought to distinguish himself further by telling the delegates that both of his rivals had refused to stand by their position during their speeches to the crowd. The remark triggered cheers for Dean - even though he would later acknowledge it was wasn't true.

http://www.topdog04.com/000071.html

Here Dean himself admits he has lied about Edwards in order to get support. He lies in public, but apologizes in private, by letter or some other format. Still he has lied in order to sway voters.



.

[hellhathnofury]

25. Cute hijack attempt.

Not even really a reputable source.

[Nicholas_J]

26. A repost of an article

From the Burlington Free Press is certainly a valid source, as well a reposts from the Des Moines Register.

Sorry, Dean has flagrantly prevaricated during this campaign, and it finally caught up to him In Iowa. His behavior a candidate has even exceeded Nixon's "I am not a crook line"

[mitchum]

36. Not in my nature

see Marcus Aurelius

And you should try being a little more subtle and/or skillful for a day. But I must say that your concern for Kerry's health is touching.

[intheozone]

14. Dean's mental health is just fine!

Even if he were angry, which he is not, there is a hell of a lot to be angry about!! You must have heard the saying by now "if you're not outraged, you're not paying attention!"
There are a hell of a lot of us paying attention and yes, IT IS OUTRAGEOUS what is happening to this country under this administration! Every democratic candidate should be shouting this!

[emulatorloo]

33. No one in this thread is claiming Dean is Mentally Ill

just pointing out the absurdity of this cancer nonsense.

[mitchum]

37. Thank you

[cheezus]

5. People watch the West Wing too much

He had prostate cancer, they caught it early, and it's gone. He was just talking about it at the town hall meeting, using it to show the disparity in health care.

[Namvet04]

7. No, but clark not being able to cook pancakes in NH

Could be far greater.

Men get over this all the time. It is nothing major anymore if caught in time.

[DeepModem Mom]

9. It's common; it should not be an issue --

but count on the Bush campaign to spread rumors if Kerry's the nominee.

[flaminbats]

10. It is an issue, and one people will think of every time they see him!

The real question is how long ago did he get cancer, and how frequently in the cases of prostate cancer..does it come back?

One relative of mind was watching him in a debate, and she said "that guy just doesn't look well to me!"

When I told her about his fight with prostate cancer, she asked "well why is he even running then?"

Considering that I'm still undecided, I still consider this an issue which must be addressed to win my vote.

[Benhurst]

11. Perhaps health should be an issue -- for all the candidates.

But after Dick "I've-had-a-zillion-bypasses" Cheney, now running as "The man with electro-shock paddles in his Chest", I don't see health ever being an issue again, unless the candidate dies while giving a speech.

[DuctapeFatwa]

12. Cheney is on life support. Is Kerry worse off than that?

[hellhathnofury]

13. There's a different in the public mind btwn Pres and VP.

Guess which one get's more focus.

[justinpower]

15. Still though

If we can have the undead in office, i dont think a minor cancer is an issue.

[hellhathnofury]

16. I never knew prostate cancer was minor. No matter how severe.

Thank you.

:eyes:

Welcome to DU!

[Nicholas_J]

28. rarely metastacises

And is the slowest growing cancer known.

After the age of 65, it is rarely removed, as the person is likely to die of old age before it becomes a serious health problem.

After removal and resection it is rarely known to recur.

[Monte Carlo]

17. He's been campaigning with little sleep for the past few months.

And yes, having cancer surgery can take a lot out of you, sometimes literally. And he's never been a fat guy. So yes, he may appear less than 100% physically.

Kerry's cancer may have upped his risk of future growths, but if he were to win against Bush in November, he'd literally have access to the world's best doctors and medicine. Besides, he already has a pretty good health plan, and they caught and removed the growth early. His chances are still pretty good.

In any case, I don't think it should be a disqualifier. What he stands for could live beyond him.

[spooky3]

18. I surely hope my future employers don't decide whether to give me a job

and whether I'm healthy based on looks.

I trust Kerry and the other Democrats to make the judgment as to whether they are capable of doing the job physically.

[hellhathnofury]

19. Has Kerry released any health records?

[Monte Carlo]

20. Is that really necessary?

Unless he's been trafficking OxyContin with his maid during recent years, should he really have to release some very personal details, at this point in time? Dick Cheney has had a half-dozen heart attacks and he hasn't released anything. ANYTHING.

[KaraokeKarlton]

21. I saw him on Cspan this morning

And I have to say that he really DID look pretty "sickly", for lack of a better word. I didn't notice it as much in the debate, but I imagine they use makeup for those, which would hide the pale ashen look that I saw this morning. He really doesn't look well at all. He did recently lose his voice, but Dean has had that same issue and he isn't pale and ashen looking. So yes, I've been wondering about his health myself.

[Nicholas_J]

27. Isaw him too

He looked fine, but he he wasnt loaded up with heavy pancake make-up as Dean usually is.

[KaraokeKarlton]

30. All candidates wear makeup for studio appearances and debates

But they don't wear it on the campaign trail. Kerry not only looks sickly pale, he also looks like he's lost about 20lbs. You can ignore it if you choose to, but the man just looks sick. If it were my candidate I would be concerned for his health, not denying he didn't look very well. :shrug:

[patricia92243]

22. A person is not considered a true "cancer survivor" until they have not

had a relapse for five years. I know because, I've had a son die of cancer.

To pretend that cancer will not be a part of this campaign is short-sighted and down right dangerous. Decisions need to be made intelligently.

Bush will use anything to win. He'll use lies when necessary, but when a truth - KERRY HAS HAD CANCER ONLY ABOUT A YEAR AGO - is laid right in his lap, we can only imagine the havoc, innuendos, rumors, etc, the Pubs will use to scare people from voting for Kerry.

And to be quite honest, Mr. Kerry or anybody else, doesn't KNOW if the cancer will reappear somewhere else in his body. I am sorry if this sounds harsh, but Bush will be even more cruel and harsh on this subject.

[dsc]

24. the kind of cancer he had

generally doesn't kill when caught in time. Many people don't even get treatment for it due to how slow moving a cancer it is. I do have to say though, that releasing his health records may well be a good idea. Cancer is a scary word and as a person who worked on the Tsongas campaign I have to say these issues can snowball.

[GR]

29. He Looked Sick In The Debate...Maybe Just Tired...But Should Be

throughly examined...Remember Bradley had a problem with an irregular heartbeat...

Incidentally, for those taking shots at Dean's mental health, if you don't stand up against the media's total unfair treatment of Dean regarding that speech, you are making a BIG mistake.

Your candidate's time is coming and we must all stand together against the whore media.

[dkf]

31. You can't get life insurance until you're in remission for over 5 years.

I remember people saying that he was really tired for several months after surgery. Now he's tired again which is probably a little understandable in this heated primary.

You've got to wonder though what his energy level is going to be like for the rest of the campaign.

[robbedvoter]

32. Giuliani thought it was - withdrew from senate race in 2000

And not for lack of ambition. Considering Tsongas as well...

[dsc]

34. Giuliani also was having a nasty divorce

I think that had something to do with it as well.

[Leilani]

35. No it shouldn't be an issue

It's time to take the cancer bogeyman scare off the table. We're all living longer, & most people are going to get a serious illness like cancer, or heart disease, etc.

However, be warned, if Kerry gets the nomination, it will be used against him by the Bush crew. They did it to McCain in 2000, who has had several skin cancer surgeries.

[Loren645]

41. Agreed, it's one more thing for the Pugs to use against him

(Even though Cheney's death warmed over.)

But they all look exhausted, for obvious reasons.
Lack of sleep does that.

[Walt Starr]

38. If it's not an issue in the primaries

I guarantee, it WILL be an issue in the GE. Count on it.

[zulchzulu]

39. Seeing Kerry up close in Iowa shows how amazing it is...

...and how absolutely wrenching it must be to run for President.

Kerry's schedule was basically 18-20 hour days for what will be about 6 months straight. I'd imagine all the top-tier candidates are under this kind of ruthless schedule.

If you're the candidate, you have to be "on" all the time, doing speeches, shaking hands of thousands, driving, flying, being interviewed, trying to sleep, trying to maintain your voice and keeping up with whatever strategies are needed in the process.

From what I've seen of Kerry in Iowa (I was within a foot or two of him on several occasions), he's in good shape and in good spirits.

[Lefta Dissenter]

40. They all look more tired

even my candidate, General Handsome. I don't like to make assumptions based on Kerry's fatigued look any more than I liked it when someone made similar comments about Clark a week or so ago.

What IS the deal with medical exams? Do all of the candidates need to have a physical exam (with results made public) at some point, or do people only do that voluntarily if there's some issue that has been brought forth?

It seems to me that it would be good policy - perhaps after the nominee is selected - to have an exam made public. Pre-emptive strike against any rumors.

[Dr Fate]

42. If it weakens a DEM, then it is an "issue" for the media...

I'm sure the media will talk about that more than Bush's WMD lies...