Specter: Jack Kemp's Death May Have Been Caused By GOP Priorities

[babylonsister]

:wow:

Specter: Jack Kemp's Death May Have Been Caused By GOP Priorities

Huffington Post | Katharine Zaleski | 05/ 4/09 09:57 AM


Sen. Arlen Specter went on CBS News' "Face The Nation" with Bob Schieffer on Sunday to discuss his recent switch to the Democratic Party.

Asked whether he believed that he had let people down by changing parties, Specter said issues like Republican attitudes towards cancer research had made him unhappy with the party. Specter went on to suggest that if Republicans had been more aggressive about cancer research, GOP luminary Jack Kemp would be alive today. The former GOP Congressman and vice-presidential nominee died over the weekend, at age 73, from cancer.

Watch Specter talk about Kemp in the interview below and read a partial transcript underneath. The question begins about seven minutes and thirty-five seconds into the interview:

more...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/05/04/specter-jack-kemps-death_n_195584.html

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

1. Jack Kemp was 73.

I don't mean to be callous, and Specter certainly does have a point about the GOP and cancer research, but it's very, very difficult to gripe about living to 73.

[WI_DEM]

3. Really? in this day and age many people who are 73 are healthy and vital.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

6. 74 is life expectancy. (nt)

[Boudica the Lyoness]

4. 73 is not old!

My parents are both 79 and going strong. They drive places, go shopping, go on vacations, walk the dog, have a beautiful garden. Heck I'm 55 and I suppose I'm living on borrowed time according to your logic. I bet your very young.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

5. Life expectancy in the U.S. for males is 74.

My logic is not in any way, shape, or form flawed. I understand your desire to have what is considered "old" to be a moving goalpost of sorts, but if 1 year below life expectancy is not considered "old", I don't know what is.

[SteelPenguin]

10. take a look at this life table

Life Expectancy is affected by things such as infant mortality. For people in Classical Greece the after life expectancy was about age 30, but that doesn't mean that 30 was old even back then. People lived to ripe old ages like they do today....just less did, and ALOT more died early.

If you reach age 65 in this country you're expected to live into your mid 80's. Every year you go it extends upwards till you get into the 90's. The "Expectation of Life at Age X" for 65 is 83.5 years old. At 67 it's almost 85 years old. Etc. Essentially it's a moving Life Expectancy.

So for people that turned 65 say, when Jack Kemp did, more than half are still alive, and it will still be about 10 years before we reach that point.

So while I would indeed call 73 old, it's a good decade or more of life he could have led but didn't thanks to cancer.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

14. There's still absolutely no way I would consider him "cheated".

And while I wouldn't exactly say he was living on borrowed time or anything, 73 years is a very full life. The message just simply does not resonate.

[LanternWaste]

12. If one looks at numbers...

"but it's very, very difficult to gripe about living to 73."

If one looks at numbers rather than faces, I imagine it is.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

16. If one looks at anything.

People need to start considering themselves lucky for the time they have on this earth, rather than feeling cheated when they don't hit an artificial and ever expanding concept of what it means to be young or old. 73 is a good, long life by any stretch of the imagination.

Everyone should be so lucky to pass 70. That has nothing to do with either faces or statistics, and one should not fear their own mortality so greatly that they forget to feel lucky that they are alive.

[LanternWaste]

18. I imagine many people adhere to your opinion.

I imagine many people adhere to your opinion. I'm not among that number.

[Boudica the Lyoness]

19. I don't fear my own mortality.

I've already lived 38 years longer than one of my first boyfriends and his two friends. I think of that often. I wouldn't feel cheated if I died tomorrow. I've lived a good life and I have have done good thing's. But also 73 is not old. When you are older you will understand a bit better.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

20. If your age is one year less than life expectancy - you are old.

Otherwise, there literally would not be a definition of being old.

[Boudica the Lyoness]

21. And according to you

when we reach old age we just roll over and expect to die. I hope I'm around when you get 'old'.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

22. Did I say or even imply that?

No, so stop being obtuse. I only said that one has lived a full life, not that they should immediately give up on everything once they hit a certain age. How utterly ridiculous of you to even suggest otherwise.

If you disagree with my definition of old, let's see you put one out there. What is "old" in very real terms?

[Boudica the Lyoness]

25. Yeah you did.

You wrote the following;

"I don't mean to be callous, and Specter certainly does have a point about the GOP and cancer research, but it's very, very difficult to gripe about living to 73".

I read this to mean 'Hey gramps your lucky to have lived 73 years so don't gripe about kicking the bucket now. Quit yer bitching and die because your already over stayed your welcome, not to mention going over the average human lifespan".

Clear enough for you? My definition of 'old' is you. Your getting old!

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

26. YOU read it to mean that.

That's YOUR problem, not mine. Sounds like your prejudices are getting the best of you, because I said ONLY what I said and nothing more.

And yes, I am getting old. We all are, Einstein. And it's "you're". Watch out, that senility will get ya!

[Boudica the Lyoness]

27. Showing your true colours now.

Your are REALLY going to hate yourself more when you get old. I have no prejudices, so you are not making any sense again. At least you can blame a typo on my advanced years, or senility as you put it. What can you blame your stupidly on?

Hey I hear the ice cream truck coming, so why don't you get yourself a treat and get the fuck off my lawn. Bloody kids.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

28. You apparently lost your sense of humor, too. (nt)

[Old and In the Way]

2. Funny that. As Republicans grow older, they approve of the government's role

in funding pure science...especially on diseases like cancer.

[SeeHopeWin]

8. I hate ALL Hypocrites!

A great point...

[SeeHopeWin]

7. Anti-science GOP killed Jack Kemp!

:think:

[Dreamer Tatum]

9. The GOP is suppressing a cure for cancer?

Kemp was diagnosed in January.

Talk like this is just plain stupid. The only way Kemp would be alive now is if they had a cure.

[babylonsister]

11. Maybe if we'd had the last 8 years to try to find a cure

(stem cells?), he wouldn't have died. Could be Specter's thinking as he was a big advocate of stem cell research.

[Dreamer Tatum]

13. A cure for cancer has been in pursuit for more than 8 years

Although I get the stem cell argument, it's ridiculous to argue that one political party's philosophy killed
a cancer victim with 4 month mortality.

[babylonsister]

15. Hey, I'm not going to defend Specter making sense. nt

[supernova]

17. It's arguable that the GOP's anti-science attitude

in general could have tangentially caused Kemp's death. I think that's more what Specter was getting at.

Under Reagan and both Bushes, the GOP tried every year to dry up NIH funding any way they could. NIH gives out millions each year in research grants to medical schools and research facilities at our colleges and universities.

[Rebubula]

23. Stem Cells...

...you do know that the entire rest of the world has been working on Stem Cell research since before 2000? The stupid US ban did not prohibit private companies from doing research or international entities.

Arguments like this (and John Edwards saying Chris Reeve would walk again if Kerry were elected) are simply wrong. Stem cell research has been going on with vigor worldwide.

[Jennicut]

24. Specter was really affected by having cancer himself. I think he is right.

There needs to be more devoted to cancer research. Kemp was older but it was the cancer that killed him, not old age.