By Admin1 (admin) (151.196.44.226) on Friday, May 07, 2004 - 4:43 pm: Edit Post |
Paul Tsongas ran for president in 1992, asserting that he had recovered completely of non-Hodgkins lymphoma. His account of his health turned out to be optimistic; he died of the disease five years later.
Paul Tsongas ran for president in 1992, asserting that he had recovered completely of non-Hodgkins lymphoma. His account of his health turned out to be optimistic; he died of the disease five years later.
That's Senator Kerry. He's From Massachusetts, You Know
By ADAM NAGOURNEY
Published: March 31, 2004
ides to Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts have seemed a little startled at the extent of attention and scrutiny drawn by the announcement that he is undergoing what they describe as routine shoulder surgery.
But they should not be surprised. It is the just latest example of the disadvantage Mr. Kerry suffers in being a Democrat running for president from Massachusetts.
Nothing against Massachusetts, of course. As Mr. Kerry likes to say, often, that is where John F. Kennedy was from.
But the truth is, Kennedy is the only politician from Massachusetts to be elected to national office in the last 43 years. That's a long time.
And these days, when people hear the words Massachusetts Democrat, they are more likely to think of Senator Edward M. Kennedy (an image the Bush White House has certainly encouraged as it has pushed the notion of Mr. Kerry as a Massachusetts liberal) or, most famously, Michael S. Dukakis.
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Mr. Dukakis, the former governor of Massachusetts, ran a memorably bad campaign for president against Mr. Bush's father in 1988. Mr. Kerry's campaign often seems based on proving to the world that he is not Michael Dukakis (for whom, by the way, Mr. Kerry served as lieutenant governor).
The problem now is that Mr. Kerry's operation comes in the same year as he was treated (successfully, he says) for prostate cancer. Fairly or not, Mr. Kerry's year of medical problems — consequential or not — raise the memory of Senator Paul Tsongas, who was also from well, you can guess. Mr. Tsongas ran for president in 1992, asserting that he had recovered completely of non-Hodgkins lymphoma. His account of his health turned out to be optimistic; he died of the disease five years later.