I hate to bring this up, but,..Kerry's health may be an issue

[SoCalDem]

Kerry's health has been a "do not touch" issue during the primary run, but it will NOT be off limits during the regular campaign..

Even though I sincerely hope that he is A-OK, you can bet your last dollar that there will be endless mentions of his "questionable" health, and like Bradley's heart issue, and Tsongas' health issues before him,the reporters will hammer away at him about his health..

They are building him up like there is no tomorrow, and we all know what will come after they have gotten him to the "top".. he will either be ignored completely as * starts throwing his money around, or they will start chipping away at Kerry..

Once the discussion shifts from the issues to a candidate's health, it's over..

---

title edited after I was informed that I broke a rule.. I do not post here much ..sorry :(

[Tweed]

1. True, we know that McCain having a black child got brought up in SC in '00

And it wasn't even true! They are experts at getting crap like that out into the public. I wouldn't say it is a reason not to vote for him all by itself though. However, if you are on the fence, I would put it into play.

[HFishbine]

32. The McCains do have a black child

Her name is Bridget and she was adopted.

[Ripley]

34. I believe she is of Indian descent.

Not black.

[Toucano]

38. I thought they adopted the child from Bangladesh? n/t

[HFishbine]

39. She may not be African American

But she is very dark skinned. No matter.

[Terwilliger]

2. ok...THAT's freaky-deaky

your Cat-warp picture :D

[deutsey]

13. I second that!

Wow...I dare not stare at it too long...
:silly:

[BurtWorm]

14. My eyes *were* getting very heavy.

Now I know why!

[Toucano]

3. To the extent that this may be true...

it can easily be balanced with a strong running-mate.

Campaigning is incredibly stressful, but I think JK will be alright (on this issue) as long as he has a running mate that is as qualified as he is.

[lancdem]

4. I'm pretty sure Kerry is prepared for that.

BTW, I read somewhere else that Bush has already spent $33 million of that money, with nothing to show for it.

[elsiesummers]

7. I read the money Bush has spent is on fund raisers for big doners.<eom>

[displacedtexan]

5. As long as he doesn't choke on a pretzel and faint...

I think JK can handle the GE campaign.

[blm]

6. Nope. GOP ran Dole in 96 AFTER his prostate surgery.

Non issue. Kerry has a clean bill of health.

[xray s]

9. and don't forget our current vp

Dick "Crash Cart" Cheney

[Westegg]

15. Anyone quoting Donald Sutherland's....

fantastically bizarre hippie character in the WWII action-comedy "Kelly's Heroes" is okay in my book!

As to the topic at hand: I honestly didn't know he had specific health issues.

[JaneQPublic]

12. How did Dole do in the General Election, by the way?

Other similarities between Dole and Kerry :

-- Both were war heros

-- Both running against incumbents criticized for ducking Vietnam service

-- Both were long-serving members of the senate

-- Both have outspoken wives

God, it's true -- Kerry is Bob Dole without the wit!!!

[deutsey]

17. I also think that's not an encouraging comparison

I don't agree about Kerry being Dole without the wit, but I don't think saying the GOP ran Dole settles the debate either.

For one thing, it wasn't the Busheviks who ran Dole. As much as I disliked Dole, I think he had a lot more integrity than the cretins who have taken over the GOP since his defeat.

These people will use any dirty trick they can and I think it's quite possible they'll smear Kerry on the issue of his health. Perhaps it won't work (let's hope), but their "whispering" campaigns have succeeded against McCain and the Vietnam vet in Georgia (I can't think of his name at the moment, but this guy lost his legs and an arm in combat and the Busheviks succeeded in tarring him as unpatriotic).

Updated for edits...

[blm]

24. No comparison, really, no matter how hard you try.

Dole was NEVER going to beat Clinton.

Clinton had no real vulnerabilities and Bush has PLENTY.

Kerry has STRENGTHS that Dole could never take advantage of with his record.

[deutsey]

33. I hope you're right, but

again, the Busheviks have smeared McCain (a former POW) and Democrat Max Cleland (who lost limbs in Vietnam) as traitors and unpatriotic.

If Kerry gets the nomination, I do hope he has the ability to slapdown these low, disgusting tactics. So far, no one else has.

[bearfartinthewoods]

25. dole did lose , irrc

[krkaufman]

8. Especially if he picks a VP with weak experience n/t

[HereSince1628]

10. It isn't the known knowns that we fear its the unknown unknowns

(BTW I am available for the top job in DOD)

Counter arguments can certainly be made, I think that Rebublicans would not look good on this. A prognosis of short life expectancy is one thing, this is another.

[YouMustBeKiddingMe]

11. As I recall, Kerry has a clean bill of health now

There is nothing "questionable" about his health.

[SoCalDem]

16. I hope you are right, but

I have gone to several funerals of people who had gotten a clean bill of health until the cancer returned.. One of them was a 33 yr old mother of two.. Her cancer recurred after 3 years of clean bill of health..another was a friend who died at 45 , after "successful" cancer surgery.. His came back after 4 years..

Too many people in the US have had up close and personal experience with cancer. It's there in the back of their minds..

I do not put ANYTHING past Rove.. Look for photo ops of Georgie "being youthful and healthy".. They may not come out and say it, but they will hammer the public with Kerry's rather gaunt face (not his fault..heredity at work there) opposed with W's airbrushed and tanned mug..

[YouMustBeKiddingMe]

19. I think Kerry looks pretty good

A side by side comparison of Bush next to Kerry would backfire. Bush sneers, and he's not too popular right now. He has beady eyes. The pictures where Kerry looked gaunt were taken after his surgery.

And you want to base your opinion on a health condition that "might" happen several years down the road?? Have you researched the other candidates medical records so thoroughly? Any history of heart disease or hypertension for any of them? Any one of them could keel over with a heart attack.

I don't know who your candidate is, but history shows how easy it would be to choke on a pretzel, keel over and perhaps knock yourself out cold.

Any of the candidates could get hit by a bus.

Nobody can predict the future.

[SoCalDem]

22. I HAVE no favorite candidate

:)

Whoever emerges will be my candidate :)


I just posed the issue so that hopefully, we could all be ready..just in case..

The Dem leadership did little or nothing to help Bradley, even though they were not 100% in favor of Gore.. They tend to sit back and say nothing..and often..do nothing :(

[Name removed]

18. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Carl Spackler]

20. Not to mention that it breaks the rules

Titles are supposed to be descriptive of the content, not teasers.

[twilight]

21. yeah really!

I hate to bring this up but Dick Cheney travels with a heart surgeon, * had polyps in his arse, the list goes on and on and on and on ... give it a break!

:dem: :kick:

[gasperc]

23. He mentioned his protate cancer at today's event

he was very energetic and the crowd was very excited!!! He's a fighter and will do great!!!!

[MaineDem]

26. Right! He also said he's 100% healthy

I don't see this being an issue.

[incapsulated]

27. The reason I don't think it will matter

People are far more aware of prostate cancer now, and that detected early, it is curable and people go on just fine. Many, many politicians have had this and gone on with their careers.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

28. That's where Dean can support the party...as a doctor he knows Kerry is

cured.

The treatment Kerry got would not have been given if they didn't get it all.

[Atlant]

36. No one can know if Kerry was cured.

From http://www.prostateinfo.com/professional/rec/ :

• Approximately one decade ago, the 10-year clinical recurrence
  rates in a majority of T1-T2 (N0, M0) patients following radical
  prostatectomy (RP) and radiotherapy (RT) were reported to be 28% and
  33%, respectively.1,2
  
  
• More recently, the 5-year clinical recurrence rates following RP and
  RT were reported to be up to 7% and 24%, respectively.3
  
  
• The 10-year clinical recurrence rates following RP and RT were
  reported to be up to 31% and 44%, respectively.3
  

[CWebster]

29. Sorry to say this, but he looks like death warmed over. nt

[Mobius]

30. Cancer is an unpredictable disease

Just becuse you are in remission, does not mean it can't come back. Once you've had cancer, your chances of it reoccuring are about 100 fold. Any doctors, if you could give us real information, Id appreciate it.

[Ripley]

35. Not a doctor but..

My cousin had surgery for breast cancer in her early 40's. She is very healthy...runs marathons, etc. She was clean for 7 years. Then it came back this year...she just had a double mastectomy and she is deciding whether she wants to do the chemo or not. Everyone thought she was a poster child for breast cancer survivorhood.

It will become an issue, altho I've heard prostate cancer has a much lower recurrence than other cancers.

[bigtree]

40. Sorry

"You may be sorry that you spoke, sorry you stayed or went, sorry you won or lost, sorry so much was spent. But as you go through life, you'll find -- you're never sorry you were kind."

-Herbert Prochnow

[bigtree]

31. Removing cancerous prostate ups survival rate, study says

CHICAGO (CNN) -- A new study suggests that having a cancerous prostate removed before the disease spreads improves a man's chances of surviving by 60 percent to 97 percent.

Researchers found that patients whose cancer had not spread and who had normal-appearing cells had "excellent disease-specific survival, which is associated with relatively good overall survival."

Between 60 percent and 97 percent of the patients lived at least 10 years after the surgery, depending on the stage and grade of the cancer. Some prostate cancers are more aggressive than others.

A spokesman for the American Cancer Society said the life expectancy for surgery patients is, in general, longer than for patients who have other treatments.

http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/9707/01/prostate.cancer/


CNN Breaking News with Wolf Blitzer Transcript
Location: Unknown
Date: 02/11/2003
CNN BREAKING NEWS 17:23
February 11, 2003
John Kerry Announces Good Prognosis on Cancer
http://www.vote-smart.org/speech_detail.php?speech_id=M000003225&keyword=prostate&phrase=&contain=

Presidential viability question- Will he be judged as unfit?:

KERRY: I really don't think that's possible, if you talk to any medical people in the country. They're going to tell you that I'm 100 percent capable, that I'm going to live, you know, based on whatever the outcome of the operation is, that I'm going to be, you know, living to probably well into the 80s or whatever. I mean, I can't even predict. I know I'm going to be cancer free. And I believe that. And Dr. Walsh has assured me that is the greatest outcome of this particular operation and that's what I'm looking for.

And I think if you talk to people who have been through it, that's what you'll find. So I don't think it's going to have any impact at all. I'm going to be out there. In two weeks, I'm scheduled to be doing some things, I think, on the West Coast. I intend to be there. And I intend to be riding in the Best Buddies Ride as I have last year and in the Pan-Mass Challenge and continue to lead the active, physical life that I've led all my life. And that's one of the reasons why I'm doing the operation that I'm doing tomorrow because quality of life is a critical factor and choice.

What tests were taken to assure that cancer has not spread?

KERRY: We specifically -- I wanted -- let me tell you sort of what led up to this because I want to -- just partly in answer to Glen's (ph) question earlier. I knew that running for president of the United States, I have a special level of accountability to the American people for my health. I knew that. And that's why I undertook extensive series of annual physical and went further than I might have normally. I had a colonoscopy in November at Georgetown University. It came up completely clean, no contraindication at all.

I also, you know, had all the full blood workups. But as a result of this particular diagnosis, in early January, at Mass General, I had a full body bone scan and CAT scan and the experts there as well as the experts at John Hopkins have both viewed it. And I had no other medical indications, no other anomalies whatsoever other than the signs of a remnant from a broken rib and the signs from a broken clavicle from some years ago.

[Auntie Bush]

37. That's why we need Clark to stay in the race..