Sen. Lautenberg has 'curable' stomach tumor

[arcos]

Source: MSNBC

New Jersey Democratic Sen. Frank Lautenberg, 86, has been diagnosed with stomach cancer, according to his office.

"After several days of hospitalization and testing, Senator Lautenberg's doctors have diagnosed that he has a B-Cell Lymphoma of the stomach," a Lautenberg spokesman said in a statement released Friday. "This is a curable tumor, and will require treatment over the next few months."

Lautenberg's doctors "expect a full and complete recovery," and say that he will be back at work in the Senate between chemotherapy treatments.

Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35481134/ns/politics-capitol_hill/

[WriteDown]

1. Best wishes to him. That is a horrible diagnosis.

:(

[frazzled]

2. So sad ... and

why does this keep happening to Democrats? It's like a plague or something. Or maybe it's just like real life.

[Yupster]

34. Interesting question

I'd like to see a list of the 10 oldest senators.

I guess Byrd would be first. I think he's over 400 years old now. Other thn him, I really don't have any idea of who's really, really old. Is Lautenburg next at 86?

[FBaggins]

35. Lautenberg is 2nd to Byrd (86)

Then I think you have Inouye and Akaka (HI - both 85) and Arlen Spector (80).
The oldest republicans are Bunning and Lugar (78 and 77) and then comes Feinstein in CA

[Yupster]

37. That kind of explains the health concerns then

If the five oldest senators are all Democratic and the oldest Republican is retiring.

[soleft]

3. I wonder if they only detected it because of his fall

[hlthe2b]

5. Quite possibly... unfortunately stomach cancer is not often

diagnosed at an early stage. I truly hope this is not the case and wish him the best of outcomes.

[karynnj]

24. It sounds like it led to the fall

One account said that it caused a bleeding ulcer and the loss of blood led to the fall.

[cal04]

4. U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg is diagnosed with cancer (treatable)

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/02/us_sen_frank_lautenberg_is_dia.html

U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg, New Jersey’s 86-year-old senior senator, was diagnosed with treatable stomach cancer in the last 24 hours and will begin chemotherapy today.

The Democrat still plans to finish out his current term – his fifth in the Senate – and seek re-election in 2014.

“This doesn’t change any of that,” Lautenberg’s chief aide, Dan Katz, said of the senator’s political plans. “After he receives his treatment, back to normal.”

[leftynyc]

20. LOL - he's going to be 90

when he runs for reelection!! I love this old guy. My prayers are with him to beat this illness and kick its ass.

[madmax]

25. I love him, too

He was my Senator until I moved to NC. He's such a mensch!
My son was diagnosed with Stage III non-Hodgkins. After 6 months of chemo he has been cancer free for 6 years.

[leftynyc]

27. Oh - that's great news

Hugs to you and your son for coming through such a difficult time with good news.

[goclark]

33. Excellent!

[Beavker]

6. Am I a horrible person?

If whenever I see these reports (Kennedy, Bird, etc.), I think...why not fucking Cheney, Limbaugh, Beck, or any of the other racist, hate mongering, selfish bastards in the Republican caucus?

I of course wish him the best, but within seconds, this is what crosses my mind.

[Bigmack]

7. Yes.. you are... me too! Proof there is no god! nt

[Highway61]

10. I feel the same way as you

God forgive me...

[tilsammans]

11. Yeah, when does THEIR karma debt come due?

Bastards. They're all walking around, with plenty of money to boot. It just doesn't seem right. :rant:

[marshall]

12. They're all at least a generation or more younger than Lautenberg

Take comfort in knowing he has so far lived a full and productive life and had more years than many get. Everyone's body will start breaking down at some point. The lucky ones keep their health well into old age.

[StercusAccidit]

13. Tony Snow?

nm

[Jennicut]

14. Forgot about him.

That was a sad way to die. Cancer sucks for everyone.

[leftynyc]

21. Nah - just human

When I heard dick cheney say that President Obama would only serve one term my first thought was I hope he stays alive to see him re-elected. Then he could croak.

[fascisthunter]

36. you mean you are a human?

a human that wishes bad people live in pain before they die?

It's a sentiment lot's of people have from time to time and I honestly can't say that I am immune to such sentiments.

[brooklynite]

8. Star-Ledger details...

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/02/us_sen_frank_lautenberg_is_dia.html

U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg, New Jersey’s 86-year-old senior senator, was diagnosed with treatable stomach cancer in the last 24 hours and will begin chemotherapy today.

The Democrat still plans to finish out his current term – his fifth in the Senate – and seek re-election in 2014.

“This doesn’t change any of that,” Lautenberg’s chief aide, Dan Katz, said of the senator’s political plans. “After he receives his treatment, back to normal.”

Moments ago, Lautenberg’s office issued a statement from the senator’s oncologist, James F. Holland, saying:

"We expect a full and complete recovery for Senator Lautenberg. The senator will be treated with chemotherapy administered approximately every three weeks. We anticipate that he will receive between six and eight treatments, and in between treatments, the senator is expected to be back at work in the Senate.”

I suspect he's not looking forward to Gov Christie replacing him...

[JustAnotherGen]

32. John Wisniewski sent out the below email on Wednesday last week

Dear NJ Democrats,

I'm writing you today to introduce myself as the new Chairman of the New Jersey Democratic State Committee. I am honored that the elected members of the State Committee unanimously chose me and I am excited to take on the responsibility of reinvigorating our party.

We are all disappointed in the outcome of the election last November and know we cannot allow a repeat in 2010. At the same time we can't forget how much success this party has had in recent years, under my predecessor and colleague Assemblyman Joe Cryan;
Electing US Senator Bob Menendez
Re-electing US Senator Frank Lautenberg
Giving President Barack Obama an 18 point victory
Electing Congressman John Adler as the first Democrat in over 114 years to serve in Congressional District 3
Winning Freeholder and Mayoral elections in places once thought impossible for Democrats to win
Even on a tough Election Day last year, returning all 47 Democratic incumbent Assemblymembers to the Statehouse
Although we face challenging times, we have an enormous opportunity to help New Jersey working families get ahead. We understand the concerns of those who worry about whether they can afford to live in our state, whether they will have a job to provide for their family and whether the economy will get back on track – because these are the concerns of our friends, our families and our neighbors.

The stakes are too high for Democrats not to succeed and we have much work to do. Democrats are the party of the people and we must renew our efforts to build the party from the bottom-up by strengthening relationships with candidates, activists and voters on the grassroots level.

Last weekend I was at the Democratic National Committee meeting in Washington, DC where President Obama reminded us of the array of challenges we are facing as a country. But even in the face of these challenges he and Democrats in Congress have accomplished much, including:
Passed almost $300 billion in tax relief
Passed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act
Extended health care to four million more children
Passed a Credit Card Bill of Rights to protect consumers from getting ripped off by credit card companies.
Appointing Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court
Perhaps the biggest accomplishment with the most direct effect on New Jerseyans was the signing of the Economic Recovery Act one year ago today. The stimulus program has already awarded over $4.5 billion to New Jersey and had provided funding for 21,493 jobs.

In Washington, President Obama told the crowd, '...if you look at a tally of the things we said we would do - even in the midst of this extraordinarily challenging economy - we've kept our promises. We've kept our commitments. We have moved forward on behalf of a more prosperous and more secure future for the American people.'

I look forward to working with our new leadership team of Senate President Steve Sweeney, Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver, and Senate Majority Leader Barbara Buono and Assembly Majority Leader Joe Cryan. We should all be proud of how quickly they have gotten to work addressing turning around our state in a series of open meetings in Trenton and around the state to hear the concerns and ideas of New Jersey's citizens.

Over the next few months I look forward to having the same kind of dialogue with you. Soon we will be announcing a series of meetings to hear from local Democratic elected officials, county committee people and grassroots activists about what you think the State Party and Democrats in general should be doing as we enter this crucial stretch for our party.

In the meantime, please send me some of your ideas, whether broad strategy or specific action, for what we should be doing as a party across the state and in your area at [e-mail].

Thank you and I look forward to meeting you soon.

Sincerely,

Assemblyman John Wisniewski, Chair

Thursday I responded with this:


Dear Chairman Wisniewski:

The single most important thing is to push through legislation that would require a special election for Senators and Representatives that leave their elected position in Washington, for whatever reason. Though I'm thrilled to be represented by Senator Lautenberg, we cannot ignore the fact that he is looking rather frail lately. I would hate to see a Christie appointment back fill that grand old lion. Moreover, Christie has said he would sign the legislation if it was brought to him.

With Warmest Regards,
justanothergen
Bridgewater NJ
*******************************************************************************************************

Chris Christie in his radio call in hour *I think* two weeks ago - stated that if our legislature sends the legislation to him - he'll sign it.

So now is the time for our Dem Majority in NJ to get off their asses and move. While we can hold Christie's feet to the fire.

[tilsammans]

9. So sorry to hear this news . . .

. . . but he's tough as nails, and I'm sure he'll fight it as hard as he fights for us.

Be well, Senator Lautenberg. :hug:

[secondwind]

15. Hope he pulls through.....I've said many times before "Byrd and Lautenberg are

not getting any younger".........we needed to push through lots more legislation before these two leave us!!!!!

FRANK, GOOD LUCK AND GOOD HEALTH TO YOU!

[ShortnFiery]

16. The man is 86 years old. Isn't it about time for him and Robert C. Byrd to retire?

Or have we elevated our Senators to the level of "The Catholic Pope" and it's A OK to die in office thereby leaving their own party in shambles. :thumbsdown:

[FarCenter]

17. +1

[tabbycat31]

22. if he retires

he will be replaced by a Republican as Christie would put some teabagging wingnut in his place.

He has to stay healthy until 2014. My preference was that he would have stepped down before Corzine left office.

[CBHagman]

28. Would you really have had Kennedy resign?

Frankly, I don't think it would have been in Ted Kennedy's nature to simply withdraw during the last year of his life, and it's not necessarily a given that a new senator would have been able to get his/her sea legs in that time. Granted, we might have kept the seat, depending on how things worked out, but I don't think we should take the attitude that a senator can do no good past a certain age and/or within a certain medical condition.

In fact, speaking from the other side of 50 and a life-threatening health condition, I am not crazy about the sort of Wild in the Streets/Logan's Run mind-set of some in the U.S. We don't put people out on the ice once they hit a certain age, and moreover there's no guarantee that youth, or relative youth, guarantees that someone is especially skilled and/or productive, let alone experienced.

[Posteritatis]

30. Yeah, who cares whether his voters choose to elect him? (nt)

[flyarm]

18. Bless you Sen. Lautenberg and wishing you a speedy recovery ...a very good man!! n/t

[Kolesar]

19. He was a champ because he came out of retirement to replace Sen. Torricelli

..who was going down in flames. The NJ Democratic party had a good, popular candidate in Frank Lautenberg to run and win.

Love you Frank!

[saracat]

23. Bless you Senator.Keep well.We need you!

[Lasher]

26. Another kick in the head for Senate Democrats.

Lautenberg's illness could hurt Senate Democrats

WASHINGTON -- Concerns about New Jersey Sen. Frank Lautenberg's health pose yet another challenge for Democrats struggling to retain control of the Senate.

Lautenberg's announcement Friday that he's suffering from stomach lymphoma and will receive treatment over the next few months could complicate matters for Democrats as they seek to muster enough votes to overcome Republican delaying tactics over jobs, health care and more.

Even before his illness, Democrats had lost their 60-vote supermajority when Republican Scott Brown won the special election to replace the late Democratic Sen. Edward Kennedy. That deprived them of the numbers needed to head off any GOP filibuster. Now, they're staring at the possibility of further erosion - and momentum gained by newly emboldened Republicans - going into the midterm elections.

Indiana Democrat Even Bayh is planning to step down, a surprise decision that followed a flurry of other Democratic retirements, including Sen. Christopher Dodd in Connecticut. In Delaware, Vice President Joe Biden's son decided against a Senate run, boosting Republican hopes to take over the seat Biden held for 36 years. In Illinois, Republicans like their chances in trying to win President Barack Obama's old Senate seat. That's now held by Democrat Roland Burris, who was appointed by a scandal-tainted governor and has decided not to seek a full term.

If Lautenberg, 86, has to miss multiple votes for health reasons, Democrats could struggle to fill the void. A first test could come Monday when a vote is expected on a Democratic jobs bill. A Lautenberg spokesman said Friday the senator would miss the vote.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/20/AR2010022000491.html

[Kahuna]

29. Thank God! I was truly distraught when I heard he had stomach cancer...

:woohoo:

[marshall]

31. What is the point of putting the one word "curable" in quotation marks in the headline?

The use of the single quotation mark (as opposed to the usual double mark) is an indication of what is called "scare quotes", similar to the verbal use of "air quotes", which signal irony. It also signals that the writer many not accept the truthfulness of the quoted term.

I wonder then if this is a reference to stomach cancer in general, and the writer's opinion that it is never really "curable", or whether the writer is expressing doubt on this diagnosis in particular. Either way it expresses a pessimism that I find discouraging.