Ted Kennedy Is Dying (Joe)

Senator Kennedy has a malignant brain tumor.  The prognosis is not good. 

As a rule, I don't look up to politicians.  I definitely don't believe in them.  Most Democrats, I only give credit for being marginally better than the Republicans.  But this, this is sad news.

Comments

[Ruchira]

From all I have heard so far the prognosis is indeed not good. Let us see for how long he can hang in there and whether he can pull through by some fluke or miracle. Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) is a brain tumor survivor although I don't know how his case compares with Kennedy's.

Ted Kennedy is a man who has "grown" with age and experience. Once he gave up his presidential ambitions, he became a tremendously effective law maker who is free to vote his convictions rather than pander for votes. He has done more for civil rights, fair wage and labor laws than most presidents.

[Sujatha]

Why is the press so busy eulogizing him as though he is already gone? I don't think he is planning to go softly into the good night.

[Joe]

Sujatha,

He might have -- how much time left? I don't know, and I don't think the press knows. I would guess he's not going to pull a Magic Johnson and live forever without showing any symptoms, however, and as I understand it the treatment will be chemo and radiation. Couple that with the shock of learning that he has cancer (probably terminal brain cancer), and it makes sense to me as a reaction. Hopefully he has many years and accomplishments left, but it seems as if everything from a reporting standpoint is mostly behind him.

I also think that there's a tendency with the press today to try to cover events in advance, which could certainly play into this. Recall the early primary coverage, with announced "winners" and "losers" -- even before Iowa, many candidates were written out of the race! There has been plenty of discussion over what type of Supreme Court nominee Hillary Clinton might make, or whether she should run as Vice President, and speculation over John Edwards as a possible Attorney General.

[Sujatha]

Some estimates for lifespan after diagnosis of malignant glioma (depending on position, size ,etc.) are upto 3 years with some degree of remission on treatment.
What surprises me is the gloom-and-doom that the press has been putting out-is there something else that they are not making public? They weren't even this pessimistic in their coverage of Elizabeth Edwards' recurrence of cancer (again, a case of 'treatable but not curable').
Or it could be a sort of end of the Camelot era reaction, similar to what they came up with when JFK Jr. was killed in the plane crash. The very involvement of a Kennedy means that they have to milk it for all the tragedy they can muster.

[Ruchira]

Also Joe, I agree with you about the dismissive role that the press played about the candidacy of some presidential candidates earlier in the race. Dennis Kucinich comes to mind.

But now? Do you really think that Hillary Clinton's campaign would be alive today had it not been for the press coverage that follows her? Every hostile and divisive tactic is being reported and analyzed, the right wing commentators giving credence to her claims.

Even if some "hard working" white people find it distasteful to vote for a black candidate, as Hillary gleefully advertised, do you think that it behoves a candidate to shout about it from the roof top? For how many minutes would any other candidate, Democrat or Republican, have survived after such a statement? Her supporters (Bill Clinton and Geraldine Ferraro) have accused Obama of playing the race card. I have seen no evidence of it unless they consider African Americans voting in droves for Obama a "race card." Yet they have no compunction in crying foul about the sexist attitude toward Hillary. It is true that there has been some appalling quips and jokes in the media about Hillary which make me flinch as a woman. But Bill Clinton complaining about sexism against his wife? Is there anything more ironic and hypocritical than that? Has anyone humiliated Hillary as a woman more than he himself has done? Yet the press covered it without commentary.

[JPK]

Ted will fight beyond the course that most will falter, he will prevail longer than a mere man ! We , all Americans should forgive his transgressions of past and rally for his and our hopes!!! Roar on Ted, give yet another day to positive social changes so desperately needed by all of us! Don't stop, we need you, and forget you we will not!!!!