Politico: Why Bernie's heart attack was good for him

[JoeOtterbein]

(Disclaimer: the article was written by this DU poster's daughter)

[link:https://www.politico.com/news/2019/11/13/bernie-sanders-heart-attack-070538|

Politically.

By HOLLY OTTERBEIN 11/13/2019 05:32 PM EST

DES MOINES, Iowa — Bernie Sanders’ heart attack could have cut his presidential bid short.

Instead, it was the start of a surge of momentum that's still going strong six weeks later.

Since he was rushed to a Las Vegas hospital in early October, the Vermont senator has flourished in early-state polls, held some of the biggest rallies of any Democratic candidate, and scored the endorsements of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other members of the so-called “Squad.” The curmudgeonly candidate looks happier — sunny, even — on the stump, cracking jokes and sharing personal stories.

In an era in which conventional political wisdom has been set ablaze, Sanders has challenged the notion that a major health issue is an automatic death knell for a presidential candidate. His age and health remain serious long-term question marks — at 79 in Jan. 2021, he would be the oldest person ever inaugurated into office, a fact that could well draw more scrutiny as voting approaches.

snip

more at link

[The Valley Below]

1. "Re-framing" taken to the ultimate level.

Unsurprising spin.

[George II]

2. Brings to mind the "flesh wound" scene from Monty Python:

[The Valley Below]

5. Especially considering his earlier crash through a shower door.

Should have been a clear warning sign.

BS isn't the guy I want in charge of my health care, that's for sure!

[BannonsLiver]

36. No no the crash was "good for him"

This is some unintentionally hilarious logic in this story. Wow!

[onetexan]

27. LOL couldnt have said it better

[BannonsLiver]

35. The pretzel logic by the author is comically pitiful

I knew the author was totally in the tank for Bernie but we’re reaching new levels of nonsense here. Ah well. True to form, I guess.

[Ferrets are Cool]

3. Yes, I am positive that he is overjoyed that he had a heart attack.

[greatauntoftriplets]

6. Next thing ALL the candidates will want heart attacks!

It'll become the next fad. And gods help the candidate who hasn't had one by the time the convention rolls around.

Very strange.

[NurseJackie]

7. Heart attacks, stents, afib, angina, hernia... it's all the rage! :rofl:

Next thing ALL the candidates will want heart attacks!

Heart attacks, stents, afib, angina, hernia... it's all the rage!

Very strange.

Yes, it is. I know. If there's not any real good news, it gets invented.

Fact is, and everyone can easily see it (and the polls show it) the BS campaign is stagnant and running out of steam. If he continues to follow-doctor's-orders by resting and taking it easy and not traveling so much, then the (current) low-energy BS campaign will continue to suffer and falter.

[onetexan]

28. In deed, why woudn't we want a nominee whose been known to keel over any minute now

What a dufus article. Whoever wrote this needs their head examined.

[NurseJackie]

30. It stretches the boundaries of credulity. Are Politico writers paid by the word?

It stretches the boundaries of credulity. Are Politico writers paid by the word? Are they employees under contract? Will they get a paycheck regardless if there's nothing newsworthy to write about? Or, maybe many of their writers are "freelance" who just shop-around their essays until some outlet decides to publish it.

In any case, it must be challenging for anyone to always be spinning bad news (ie: heart attacks, fainting spells, afib and stents) as being "good news". It certainly does take someone with "wordsmithing skills" in order to pull that off time after time.

[onetexan]

33. "wordsmithing skills" LOL - something GOP are good at. I didn't expect so much spinning by Bernie's

team on his behalf, though given their behavior at the DNC nomination i shouldn't be surprised. BUT...onwards & upwards. Love the unfolding impeachment hearings going on. Our Dems leaders are kicking the GOP'ers butts!

[BannonsLiver]

39. It's just bad journalism. Period.

[BannonsLiver]

37. "Fun for the whole family!11"

[betsuni]

12. And Bernie will say he was FIRST to have a heart attack, that it used to be a radical idea

but now it's mainstream because of him -- and for once it will be true!

[Uncle Joe]

4. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread JoeOtterbein.

[NurseJackie]

8. Does Ms. Otterbein write about anything other than Bernie?

[JoeOtterbein]

10. Presently, Holly's job is to cover Bernie.

It would be really fun for me if she covered Joe instead.

[Xandric77]

25. Not Just that

she's embedded in his campaign by Politico, which is fine. But I think she doesn't understand that she doesn't always have to kiss his ass

[NurseJackie]

26. That's an astute observation. Thank you for pointing it out.

But I wonder if that's part of the "assignment" and directives. Or is it just that someone thinks it's a way to get more "likes" and "shares" and/or "clicks"?

[BannonsLiver]

38. Apparently not

Basically an unofficial wing of his campaign at this point. Lots of pro Bernie propaganda from Politico. Anyone wanna take a guess at why that is?

[ismnotwasm]

9. No.

I say this in all seriousness, as no fan of Bernie and with all due respect to the talents of your daughter, it was NOT GOOD FOR HIM. A piece of his heart, big or minimal, is now dead. That is what “heart attack” means. I don’t care if he gets political mileage out of it. This is horrible thinking, a throwback to the bird on his podium as a “sign” of some sort, of his inevitability.

Bernie Sanders would have been better off not having a goddamn heart attack.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

20. As someone who lost a brother to a sudden heart attack, I prefer the mild heart attack....

.... with stents and ongoing cardiologist monitoring. Also known as a wake up call.

I read somewhere recently that dying of a heart attack while under the care of a cardiologist is increasingly difficult.

My dad had open heart at 63 and follow up stents years later. He lived another 25 years.

Unfortunately for a lot of people like my brother, the first warning sign is being dead. There are far worse things than having your pipes opened up and being monitored by a cardiologist. Especially for someone like Bernie who is otherwise pretty healthy.

[ismnotwasm]

21. If I was to guess about Bernie

Judging from a number of physical manifestations, he’s not entirely healthy.

But that’s not the point. He’s healthy enough

It’s better to not have a heart attack then have one, period. Why are people treating this as something not serious, or as the OP seems to indicate, good for his political career?

It’s better to have a healthy working heart. If I’m reading you right, you are saying since it was a mild heart attack, he’s lucky because he’s being monitored closely, and this perhaps saved him from sudden cardiac death down the road. Yeah sure. Ok. I can see that.

The bottom line is part of his heart is still dead. I’m guessing his EF is lower than it should be, and he has some valve issues— it goes with cardiac damage. What caused the heart attack in the first place ? Blood clots? Plaque buildup? Both? Did he have an arrhythmia? Is he on blood thinners, and is at risk for bleeding? Hypertension? Diabetes? Probably some renal insufficiency as well, cause your kidneys are easily affected by cardiac damage. It’s like a snowball from hell, and I don’t wish a heart attack on anybody. Especially not to give them better political numbers.

[Aaron Pereira]

11. Nice to see him bouncing back so strongly.

I thought he would be drummed out of contention after a heart attack but it looks like Dems are smart enough to make their own evaluation of his condition based on performance. He's looking as healthy as ever.

[brush]

13. Is this from "The Onion"? Since when does someone pushing 80 with a heart attack make a good...

candidate?

Is this mic on?

Hello?

[JoeOtterbein]

14. See below:

[link:https://www.healthline.com/health/heart-disease/stent#benefits|

snip...

What are the benefits of cardiac stenting?

For many people, stenting has a positive impact on quality of life. The combination of angioplasty and stenting can be a lifesaver, especially when performed right after a heart attack.

It can substantially improve your blood flow and prevent further damage to your heart muscle. It can also improve symptoms of heart disease, such as chest pain (angina) and shortness of breath. In many cases, you will feel the benefits immediately.

In some cases, stenting may eliminate your need for coronary bypass surgery. Stenting is much less invasive than bypass surgery. The recovery time is also a lot shorter. It only takes a few days to recover from stenting, while you may take six weeks or longer to recover from bypass surgery.

snip...

more at link

[JoeOtterbein]

15. By the way I meant to mention...

...I love raw onions. And they are really healthy. Full of Vitamin C.

[brush]

16. Still pushing 80.

[JoeOtterbein]

17. I hope to be as healthy as Bernie at 80.

[brush]

18. And we all hope to have a pres with the probability of being alive and coherent for the next 8 years

[JoeOtterbein]

19. I can see Bernie doing it. He's sharp, quick and as pro little-guy as ever.

Go Bernie!

[MrsCoffee]

32. You hope to have a heart attack by 80?

I hope you rethink that.

[comradebillyboy]

22. Bernie standing at death's door is a winner? Really?

[Xandric77]

24. If he gets a stroke and lung cancer, Trump is toast

According to the writer, Holly something.

[Xandric77]

23. If it was a female candidate

We wouldn't stop hearing about her fragility and health concerns.

[FM123]

29. Very interesting article...

Your daughter is good writer!

[BannonsLiver]

40. Propaganda is often entertaining.

[MrsCoffee]

31. Holy fucking delusional, Batman.

[LanternWaste]

34. This tortured revisionism of a major health concern is dancing into nineteen eighty-four territory.