Kerry Cancer Rumors....?

[mb7588a]

Where are these coming from?

Did we NOT see him playing hockey today? He looks fine. His doctors declared him cancer-free and ready to RUMBLE!

He looks and sounds no more fatigued/beat up than Dean or Clark who are doing similar amounts of campaigning...

[Brett]

1. to which cancer rumors are you referring?

:shrug:

[mb7588a]

9. They're all over DU today. nt.

[Walt Starr]

2. Cancer is not considered 100% in remission for five years

Five years is generally the cutoff point.

It was an issue with Tsongas, and Tsongas relapsed.

[carpetbagger]

8. Big difference Tsongas v. Kerry

Kerry had an early prostate cancer, caught at a stage and grade which is cured in over 95% of identical cases. Even with the prostate cancer, the chances of him living until January 20, 2013 are actually better than those of other candidates just 2 or 3 years older.

Paul Tsongas's cancer was a much more difficult issue, and is much more prone to relapse (although he had been in remission for five years when he ran).

[bigtree]

10. Prostate surgery has a 7 year 66% survivability rate

Higher if it is caught early like the senator's

The digging at this by folks with other motives for not electing John are nothing short of disgusting. Same folks. Think no one notices. Then they come on with some seemingly innocuous complaint about John. "I was just wonderin'" "I'm just pointing out" "I'm concerned, and the like" It's like the esoteric insults. There are folks out here who may be struggling with some of the same things some are playing with, and it stinks. These attacks serve only to define the attacker, and god knows who else is hurt by their insensitivity.

But hey, at least they get a dig in on John. :(

[carpetbagger]

47. Those numbers are wildly low for Kerry's tumor.

For Kerry, the chances of death within the next 9 years from the cancer is probably less than 2%.

[dkf]

3. Unless you are cancer free for 5 years, you are uninsurable for

life insurance purposes.

[carpetbagger]

48. That's not true anymore w/ prostate ca.

Insurance companies will review each case individually, and provided the tumor stage is low enough, and treatment is completed w/o evidence of persistant disease, the rates are pretty similar.

[MilDem]

4. Kerry's Cancer is still a concern

True, he looks healthy right now, but cancer has a nasty habit of coming back. I sincerely hope it doesn't, and don't believe this discounts Kerry as a candidate. But as long as cancer is a good possibility I hope Kerry puts a lot of thought into his VP (assuming he gets the nod), beyond who has the best electoral math.

[lastknowngood]

5. just some jousting by the Rover's

team. The idea is to cause people to wonder and lose confidence now and measure the swing so it can be used in the future. Why aren't our guys pushing the deserter, cocaine use drinking lying and bribes the shrub is taking. Just a short rant. I took out the curse words or we would be here all night.

[NWHarkness]

6. I'm not a Kerry supporter, but...

These cancer rumors are way out of line, and I hope that it isn't any of our own people spreading them.

[Ivote]

7. Rumors

like that are more likely to be spread by that red party.

[Walt Starr]

13. They are not rumors

Kerry DID have cancer. He did have surgery to remove the cancer.

If it's not a concern of the Democrats now, I guarantee Rove will have it all over the airwaves come June.

[oasis]

58. 2008 GOP hopeful, Rudy Giulliani would caution Rove against doing that.

[Tom Rinaldo]

14. Rumors are most likely to be spread

By those bemoaning the rumor, to which one then one asks, what rumor? Age old trick. Might not be happening with this thread, but it doesn't matter the intent, it serves the same function. Rumors were used against McCain in 2000 also. Discussing them keeps them in play. This is my last post on this subject for that reason, unless rumor mongers succeed in forcing everyone to enter debunking mode. And I'm not a Kerry supporter either, but this be too low for me to tolerate.

[LBJBestEver]

11. Why threads like this are even allowed is beyond me <nm>

[MilDem]

19. Because a future President's health is a legitimate concern -nm-

[LBJBestEver]

20. It sounds like a RW talking point <nm>

[MilDem]

40. The RW may make it an issue

But candidate health has been an issue for as long as we have had elections. Lyndon Johnson's heart conditions was brought up frequently during his many campaigns, for example. More recently, Bob Dole's age was an issue in 1996. A potential President's health is always an issue.

[carpetbagger]

49. Go for it.

There are 10 million cancer survivors in the United States. And some of them vote.

[MilDem]

54. I agree

I never said that Kerry should be disqualified because he had cancer. It may come up, and Kerry should be able to field the question.
I don't think the President is going to make a big issue of it, however, due to the reason you stated above. I suspect the Rush Limbaughs of the world will attack him on it.

[Walt Starr]

21. And because Rove will play non-stop ads all Summer long

about Kerry having cancer surgery a bit over a year before the convention.

[bigtree]

23. How is what Rove might do different from your efforts here?

A smear is a smear is a smear

[Walt Starr]

25. This is politics

Get used to it as many were fond of telling me when Dean was the frontrunner.

so how do you answer the Rove ads? Will Kerry have to mortgage his house again?

[Name removed]

43. Deleted message

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

[LBJBestEver]

46. Somebody makes this place unbearable <nm>

[Old and In the Way]

50. Last time I checked, there is a 100% probability that we all will die.

A perfectly healthy person can drop dead with no prior problem. So what? That's life. That's why we have VPs.

I hope your not going to suggest we stop picking Presidents because they may health issues in the future? That'd winnow the pool of available people down to "0".

Sad that we need to go this deep into the well to smear a candidate.


What a bullshit card to play.

[mb7588a]

22. I had a legitimate concern

that maybe these rumors were coming from an article somewhere or something...

[Walt Starr]

28. Again, These are FACTS, not rumors

FACT: Kerry had Cancer
FACT: Kerry had cancer surgery a little over a year ago.
FACT: Cancer will not play well in the General Election.

[Name removed]

29. Deleted message

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

[Walt Starr]

33. That was uncalled for

Perrsonal attacks are unbecoming.

If you don't like it being brought up now, you're really going to have a hard time during the months of June and October.

[Name removed]

34. Deleted message

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

[Name removed]

36. Deleted message

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

[LBJBestEver]

37. Give me a break <nm>

[Walt Starr]

38. Fine, if you want Bush to win

but I guarantee, I've been nice, Rove won't be.

[LBJBestEver]

39. Yeah, my bad. DEAN will win.

LOL

[Name removed]

41. Deleted message

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

[Name removed]

44. Deleted message

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

[Old and In the Way]

52. And you aren't contributing in the worst personal attack?

Are you prepared to tell us what diseases are OK and which ones are not acceptable for Presidential candidates.

Sorry Walt, you've been pitching every imaginable smear against Kerry...you've been a poster on this board since I've been hear. I find this stinking....just like I would if Dean had a cancer issue in his past.

BTW, FDR was a polio victim.....did you have a problem with him as a President?

Unbelievable....

[jjmalonejr]

12. Smells Bushy to me.

[flaminbats]

15. I agree these are dark concerns, but not rumors.

Normally prostate cancer is curable if caught early, but if five years are the norm..wouldn't it be wise to wait this long?

I believe Tsongas waited longer than this, but because his cancer was worse he still went into remission shortly after Clinton took office! If Kerry underwent treatment a year ago, wouldn't it of been better to wait the full five years and then consider running?

[mikehiggins]

16. Where are they coming from? Most likely from some office in

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Maybe even the same office that Bob Novak sat in to hear about a certain CIA agent whose husband pissed off the head Republi-con.

We've seen it all before.

If I knew for a fact that John Kerry was going to drop dead immediatly after the inaugeration, I'd still vote for him over George Bush.

Even a corpse would be a better president that the incumbent.

[Walt Starr]

30. THERE ARE ONLY FACTS!

It is a factual statement that Kerry had cancer and had cancer surgery. This is an election for the president of the United States and the helth of the candidates is a concern.

[mb7588a]

53. The people of Iowa didn't care. nt

[JCMach1]

17. Bob Dole

That's all I'm going to say...

[LBJBestEver]

18. Kerry is 80 and can't use his left arm?

And Bush is a '96 Clinton?

[JCMach1]

35. no... had the same surgery and still kicking

:)

well, at least kicking as much he ever was.

[Nicholas_J]

61. Wasnt Bob Dole

Out of office by the time he came down with prostate cancer?

(TIME, April 1) -- By the time Bob Dole learned that he had prostate cancer, he had already mounted two unsuccessful campaigns for the Republican presidential nomination. At first, he assumed that his condition would rule out a third attempt. No one who has had cancer has ever been elected President of the U.S. Then, like so many American men who catch the malignancy in its early stages, Dole found out that his chances of beating it were excellent. His tumor, which doctors removed along with the rest of his prostate five years ago, was quite small and did not seem to have spread to the rest of his body. In subsequent blood tests, Dole's PSA levels have held steady at zero. From a medical point of view, the candidate's prostate cancer is not an issue.

http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/1996/analysis/time/9604/01/gorman.shtml

[markus]

24. Hey, they beat our candidate for governor four years ago

on a breast cancer story.

Hell, they leaked her private medical records before she'd told the extended parts of her family.

Politics is getting so f---ing wierd and ugly, it's starting to remind me why I no longer live in an urban area any more. You used to be able to get buy if you kept your head up, gave out halloweed candy and sat on your stoop and made friendly with your neighboors. Good inside the glass iron bars helped.

But sometime in the early 90s (crack epidemic) things started to turn into Clockwork Orange, and I moved out.

Politics is getting to be a bit like that, and I've from Louisiana, and I have a pretty high tolerance for it.

[Name removed]

26. Deleted message

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

[XanaDUer]

31. Mitch-you're a straight talker

And I love it when they come in the form of "concern".

They actually sound like they WANT someone to get cancer, which I hope not, because besides being sick and the sign mental illness, karma can be a BIG PROBLEM.

I hope they have also had their annual health check ups.

Fortunately, under Kerry's health plan, which he will implement without spending 7 years "balancing the budget", we ALL can buy into the excellent Federal health plan that Kerry has.

Just in case any of us, unfortunately, get cancer.

[mitchum]

56. Thanks, but I'm afraid that post has gone to wherever uncomfortable...

truths are consigned. Probably not far from that place where the fox was looking at the grapes.

[mitchum]

51. I rest my case

[deminflorida]

27. I think it's actually disgusting....

It's the lowest form of campaigning, and rest assured the right-wing will use it, and it will turn people off, period. Any-body's ass that resorts to this crap should take a hike back to Freeper land.

John Kerry might not be as exciting a candidate as most, but one of the things I have admired about him is his strong and steady approach towards adversity in his life.

Uncalled for these rumors, totally uncalled for and the people spreading them will ultimately have it turned on them someday.

[Old and In the Way]

55. I agree......if I thought Walt Starr was really a Dean supporter, I might

also make my vote non-transferable. Howard Dean would be really impressed with his "supporters" on this thread.

[ACPS65]

32. Haven't heard any "rumors" about it.

As far as I know, it was taken care of a long time ago and done with.

[hellhathnofury]

42. It's not Rove, it's a natural reaction.

Kerry is pale and skinny. Furthermore, he did have cancer and it is a legitimate concern when choosing a nominee.

[Walt Starr]

45. Absolutely!

Thank you.

[Old and In the Way]

57. So sick, he was skating up a storm today.

Right.

Your name fits you well.

[oasis]

62. That's an even better reason for having Edwards as V.P. Keep those

ideas coming.

[shivaji]

59. Prostate cancer is the SLOWEST cancer of all

in fact a man's chances of having prostate cancer after age 60 matches
his age after 60! The good news is those older men are much more likely
to die of somwthing else, since it is such a slow growing cancer.

With early detection and excellent medical care Kerry is fortunate to
have received, his chances of dying of prostate cancer are less than
Dean, Clark and Lieberman having a heart attack. And at 50, Edwards
is at an age to have a 50-50 chance of some cancerous cells in the prostate.

[Nicholas_J]

60. I dont think one serving elected official at the federal level

Has died of prostate cancer in the last decade.

But one, Sonny Bono has died of skiing.

Perhaps we should be more concerned about their recreation than their health.