Michael Bennet has prostate cancer but is still planning presidential run

[brooklynite]

Sen. Michael Bennet has prostate cancer. And he's planning to run for president.

The second statement may not be too surprising -- the Colorado Democrat has indicated he's been considering joining what could turn out to be the largest Democratic field ever (1976 holds the record, with 16 candidates).

Bennet told The Colorado Independent's Mike Littwin that after he had "become comfortable with his decision to run," he went to his doctor for a physical. His prostate-specific antigen (PSA) count was high, and a biopsy revealed a malignancy. But Bennet is optimistic. The cancer was caught early, and it's treatable.

"'I'm 54,'" Bennet told Littwin. "'That's relatively young. It seemed to make sense to have the prostate removed … I'd be recuperating for 7-10 days and would need some rest after that. The hope is then I'll be cancer-free and able to move on. If I'm not cancer free, then I'd have to make another decision.'"

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/michael-bennet-has-prostate-cancer-but-is-still-planning-presidential-run/

[Fiendish Thingy]

1. Who is advising these people?

At this rate, we'll be up to a couple dozen candidates by the debates; I'd be surprised if there are a dozen left standing by Super Tuesday.

Anybody have a link to the list of 16 candidates from 1976?

[JI7]

2. they are running more to raise their public profile

[brooklynite]

4. Here

Robert Byrd:
West Virginia favorite son candidate

Walter Fauntroy
Washington, D.C.: Favorite son candidate

Birch Bayh
Withdrew: March 4, 1976

Fred Harris
Withdrew: April 2, 1976

Lloyd Bentsen:
Withdrew May 1, 1976

Terry Sanford
Withdrew: January 25, 1976

Sargent Shriver
Withdrew: March 16, 1976

Milton Shapp
Withdrew: April 27, 1976

Scoop Jackson
Withdrew: May 1, 1976

Frank Church
Withdrew: June 15, 1976

Jerry Brown:
Eliminated at convention

Ellen McCormack
Eliminated at convention

Mo Udall
Eliminated at convention

George Wallace
Eliminated at convention

Jimmy Carter
Nominated at convention

[Fiendish Thingy]

5. Hey I recognize a lot of those names!

How cool is it that 5 candidates survived until the convention? I guess the super delegates weren't all locked in to one candidate before the primaries started...

And who is this mysterious Ellen McCormack, who made it all the way to the convention? I remember Shirley Chisolm running in '72, but I didn't recall any women running for decades after that.

[brooklynite]

6. McCormack was a pro-life candidate...

"McCormack, generally identified during her 1976 campaign as a "housewife", appeared on the ballot in 18 states, more than any female candidate to that point (Republican or Democrat). She was also the first woman to raise enough money to qualify for federal matching funds and Secret Service protection.

She ran on an exclusively pro-life platform and won no primaries, but had her name placed into nomination and received 22 votes from delegates at the Democratic National Convention, and engaged in a debate that also included future President Jimmy Carter." -- Wikipedia

[JI7]

3. John Kerry got it while he was running for president also