Presidential Candidates Have Not Released Medical Records

(These caricatures of Sanders, Warren, Bloomberg, and Biden are by DonkeyHotey.)

The job of the President of the United States is probably the most difficult job in the world. It is a job with enormous pressure, with the fate of this country (and the world) hanging on their decisions.

And it is a seven-day-a-week job. Even when the president takes a vacation, he/she is expected to stay current on what is happening in the world -- and be ready to react to a crisis.

It should then be obvious that the public has a right to know whether the person they elect has the health and stamina required to do the job right.

In the recent past, most candidates for president have released their complete medical records. Donald Trump (who is 73) changed that. He did not release his complete medical records, opting instead for a one-page summary that declared him in "astonishlingly excellent" health.

Four of the leading Democratic candidates are 70 or over -- and all of them have followed Trump's lead by not releasing their full medical records. The two younger candidates, Buttigieg and Klobuchar, have also not released their medical records. This is troubling. Doesn't the voting public deserve to know fully about their health -- especially the septugenerians?

Matt Viser and Lenny Bernstein of The Washington Post tell us what little the Democratic candidates have released:

Four of the six major Democratic candidates are 70 or older, and Sen. Bernie Sanders, the polling leader, suffered a heart attack about five months ago — an episode he at first failed to disclose. But the candidates, for the most part, have declined to release full dossiers on their health, relying instead on the Trumpian physician testimonial.

Former New York mayor Mike Bloomberg, for example, has released a single page from his doctor declaring the 78-year-old in “great physical shape” and noting that he “plays golf avidly” and has a pilot’s license.

Former vice president Joe Biden has released a three-page letter describing him as a “healthy, vigorous 77-year-old male.”

Sanders, 78, has released letters from three doctors, including a cardiologist who expressed confidence that the senator from Vermont “has the mental and physical stamina to fully undertake the rigors of the presidency.” Despite the heart attack, Sanders has refused to provide additional information, and a campaign spokeswoman has branded questions about his health a “smear” similar to false claims that Barack Obama was not born in the United States.

The fourth septuagenarian, 70-year-old Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, has released five pages of documents revealing her blood pressure (115/57) and thyroid condition, along with a doctor’s letter declaring her in “excellent health.” 

But neither Sen. Amy Klobuchar, 59, of Minnesota nor former South Bend, Ind., mayor Pete Buttigieg, 38, has released any medical records — though Buttigieg argued during last week’s debate that the candidates should undergo physical exams and disclose the results.

Wounded

Political Cartoon is by Steve Sack in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.

Broken Promises

The Mind That Opens

Joe Biden Still Leads In South Carolina

The chart above is from a new CBS News / YouGov Poll -- done between February 20th and 22nd of 1,238 likely primary voters in South Carolina, with a 5.5 point margin of error.

Message Approved

Political Cartoon is by Monte Wolverton at Cagle.com.

Most Voters Think Trump Will Be Re-Elected

The charts above are from a new CBS News / YouGov Poll -- done between February 20th and 22nd of a national sample of 10,000 registered voters with a margin of error of 1.2 points.

Donald Trump is one of the most unpopular presidents to ever occupy the White House. His job approval has been upside-down for the last three years. That might make people think he would be an easy president to beat next November. But that is not the case.

A whopping majority (65%) of registered voters think Trump will be re-elected, while only 35% think he will not. Note the second chart. Only 19% to 27% think one of the leading four Democrats could beat Trump -- and less than half of Democrats think they could win (between 36% and 46%).

What is causing such a disappointing view? Is it the way the first few primaries have gone for Democrats? Whatever it is, Democrats need to change it.

The charts below (from the same poll) represent just the views of 6,498 Democrats, with a 1.7 point margin of error.

Playing His Trump Card

Political Cartoon is by Dave Granlund at davegranlund.com.

Last Month Was The Hottest January On Record

(The graphic image at the right is from 123rf.com.)

Donald Trump continues to deny that global climate change (global warming) exists, and the Republican Party refuses to pass any laws to curb that warming.

But their refusal doesn't change reality. Global climate change continues. In fact, January of 2020 was the hottest January in the 141 years since records have been kept.

Here is part of  how it was reported by Henry Fountain in The New York Times:

It may only be February, but 2020 is already “virtually certain” to be among the 10 warmest years on record, and has nearly a 50 percent chance of being the warmest ever, scientists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Thursday.

The predictions follow a January that was the warmest ever in 141 years of record keeping, Karin Gleason, a climatologist with the National Centers for Environmental Information, said in a conference call. Global average temperatures last month were 2.05 degrees Fahrenheit (1.14 degrees Celsius) above average, slightly higher than in January 2016, the previous record-holder.

In comparing this year with previous years, Ms. Gleason said, one way to look at it is “we completed the first lap in a 12-lap race, and we are in the lead.”

“According to our probability statistics, it’s virtually certain that 2020 will rank among the top 10 years on record,” she said. Their analysis also showed a 49 percent chance of this year being the warmest ever, and a greater than 98 percent likelihood it will rank in the top five.

The forecasts are in keeping with a long-term trend of global warming that is occurring as a result of human-caused emissions of carbon dioxide and other gases that trap heat in the atmosphere. All of the 10 current warmest years on record have occurred since 2004, and the past five years have been the hottest five. Last year was only slightly cooler than 2016, the hottest year ever.

Trump Scouts

Political Cartoon is by Tom Toles in The Washington Post.

No Facts Or Truth

NOT Another Religion

Bernie Sanders Wins Big In Nevada

I was hoping to report the results of the Nevada primary -- the number of delegates each candidate won there. But it looks like Nevada is having as much trouble reporting results as Iowa did. Even though they started the caucuses much earlier in the day than Iowa did, they still don't have a majority of the precincts reporting 10 hours later.

The one thing we do know is that it looks like a big win for Bernie Sanders. It's looking like he will likely wind up with over 40% of the votes.

Hopefully, tomorrow I'll be able to tell you how many delegates went to each candidate. As I write this, Bernie has won 13 delegates and the other 23 have yet to be decided.

Thank goodness that South Carolina and the Super Tuesday states all have primaries -- not caucuses. We should have the results from them in a reasonable amount of time.

Unless You Know Trump

Political Cartoon is by Bruce Plante in Tulsa World.