Sanders cancels U.S. presidential campaign events after heart scare

By John Whitesides

 

FILE PHOTO: Democratic 2020 U.S. presidential candidate and U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) speaks at a campaign rally in Dover, New Hampshire, U.S. September 1, 2019. REUTERS/Brian Snyder

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders was treated for a blocked artery after experiencing chest discomfort and has cancelled campaign events until further notice, an adviser said on Wednesday.

 

Sanders, 78, was in Las Vegas to campaign when he was taken to a hospital on Tuesday night for evaluation.

 

"He was found to have a blockage in one artery, and two stents were successfully inserted," Sanders senior adviser Jeff Weaver said in a statement.

 

"Sen. Sanders is conversing and in good spirits. He will be resting up over the next few days. We are cancelling his events and appearances until further notice, and we will continue to provide appropriate updates," Weaver said.

 

Sanders, the oldest of 19 contenders for the Democratic presidential nomination, had visited a community healing garden in Las Vegas on Tuesday night and had been scheduled to hold a town hall and appear at a gun safety forum on Wednesday.

 

Democratic presidential primary candidate Bernie Sanders canceled campaign events after the 78-year-old Senator underwent surgery for a blocked artery. Zachary Goelman reports.

 

Aides did not offer any guidance on how long Sanders might be off the campaign trail. The first nominating contest is not until Feb. 3 in Iowa, but Sanders is one of 12 candidates scheduled to participate in the fourth Democratic debate in Ohio on Oct. 15.

 

Sanders thanked supporters for offering their well wishes and said on Twitter that he was "feeling good." He then shifted to a plug for his signature Medicare for All healthcare insurance plan.

 

"I'm fortunate to have good health care and great doctors and nurses helping me to recover," Sanders said. "None of us know when a medical emergency might affect us. And no one should fear going bankrupt if it occurs. Medicare for All!"

 

A democratic socialist, Sanders galvanized progressives during a 2016 run for president when he lost the nomination to Hillary Clinton, pushing the party to the left and popularizing ideas such as Medicare for All, a proposal for a government-run healthcare plan based on the system for Americans over the age of 65.

 

The U.S. senator from Vermont has been among the top contenders in the crowded field seeking the 2020 nomination to challenge Republican President Donald Trump.

 

His campaign cancelled at least $136,000 in cable and $600,000 in broadcast television spending following the news, according to Medium Buying, a company that tracks political ad spending.

 

The incident could renew questions about Sanders' age in a Democratic race featuring a generational divide between older candidates such as Sanders and front-runner Joe Biden, 76, and younger contenders such as Pete Buttigieg, 37, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana.

 

COMMON PROCEDURE

In a letter made public during the 2016 campaign, Sanders' doctor said he was in "overall good health" and had no history of cardiovascular disease.

 

The insertion of stents to open blocked heart arteries is a relatively common procedure, with as many as 1 million Americans a year undergoing it. After a balloon-tipped catheter is used to clear the blockage, stents - tiny, wire-mesh tubes - are used to prop open the artery.

 

Former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush both underwent the stent procedure after they left the White House.

 

In general, recovery takes a few days, but how quickly Sanders will bounce back depends on his symptoms before he got the stents, said Dr. Steven Nissen, a cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic.

 

"People recover quickly, and assuming no complications, there is no reason why he could not get back on the campaign trail in a timely fashion," Nissen said.

 

Sanders had been running in second place in the Democratic race behind Biden, the former vice president, until the last month, when a surge by fellow progressive and U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts moved her ahead of Sanders in many opinion polls.

 

The campaign halt comes the day after Sanders reported a big $25.3 million fundraising haul for the third quarter, putting him in the early lead in the closely watched campaign money race.

 

Sanders' Democratic rivals in the presidential race rushed to send him wishes for a speedy recovery.

 

"I hope to see my friend back on the campaign trail very soon," Warren wrote on Twitter.

 

A former mayor of Burlington, Vermont, Sanders won a U.S. House of Representatives seat in 1990, making him the first independent elected to the House in 40 years. In 2006, he won a U.S. Senate seat and in 2018 was voted in for a third six-year term. He remains an independent but caucuses with Democrats in the Senate.

 

(Additional reporting by Ginger Gibson, Simon Lewis and Julie Steenhuysen; Editing by Alistair Bell and Jonathan Oatis)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-10-03

Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking Thailand news and visa info

Troll post and reply removed.  

 

Best wishes Bernie, I hope it’s a false alarm.

Hang in there Bernie a decent and caring man

You're just too old for this.

Do everybody a favor and drop out now.

You come across like an old Marxist knucklehead who never outgrew his boyhood in Brooklyn.

Get well Bernie. I had one of those things put in, I feel great and so will you.

 

 

 

 

1 hour ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Best wishes Bernie, I hope it’s a false alarm.

two stints is not a false alarm.

Bye Bernie. You would have been president now, if only those Dems hadn't backstabbed you in favour of her.

RIP. Only politically speaking.  I hope he recovers I don't wish him any ill will as long as he will never run my country.

Edited October 3, 20196 yr by Cryingdick

Bernie's history.  So is Biden.  Looks like Warren will be the one that loses to Trump.

2 minutes ago, Kelsall said:

Bernie's history.  So is Biden.  Looks like Warren will be the one that loses to Trump.

It is so obvious what will happen when she is attacking the economy house by house. The polls tell another story but if you work at Google or Amazon, who do you vote for?

 

 

She has gotten way too snarly with herSilicon Valley overlords.

2 hours ago, Nyezhov said:

Get well Bernie. I had one of those things put in, I feel great and so will you.

 

 

 

 

 

Good thing he has healthcare provided by people other than the government.

Good time to call it quits and retire.  Try to spend time with the family, Bernie, rather than trying to spend everyone else's money.

1 minute ago, Tippaporn said:

Good time to call it quits and retire.  Try to spend time with the family, Bernie, rather than trying to spend everyone else's money.

That's the completely wrong way to see it.

 

Unfortunately this is a big victory for Warren.

15 minutes ago, Tippaporn said:

Good time to call it quits and retire.  Try to spend time with the family, Bernie, rather than trying to spend everyone else's money.

At 75 I retired 10 years ago and I still keep myself fairly busy.

 

IMHO all politicians worldwide should be retired at 65 to allow younger people whose brains are not calcified to take over.

1 hour ago, billd766 said:

At 75 I retired 10 years ago and I still keep myself fairly busy.

 

IMHO all politicians worldwide should be retired at 65 to allow younger people whose brains are not calcified to take over.

My brain is like a steel trap. It's my .......that doesn't work.

 

Insert what you choose.

 I admire the man for trying. but unfortunately his day came and gone when the democrats screwed him and screwed the country by giving us Hillary and consequently trump. Running for president is not an easy thing, he does not have to do this, he does not have to spend his remaining years fight ting for us, But he does .

I don't care what your politics are, You got to respect the man!!  

Does Bernie Sanders read the ThaiVisa forum? Anyway, we wish him a full recovery. Unfortunately it does bring back the question of longevity when some of the favored candidates are pretty damn old. Big question remains with Dems... Who can they nominate to beat the angry orangutan in November 2020? 

6 hours ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Best wishes Bernie, I hope it’s a false alarm.

Not a false alarm. It was a blocked artery, repaired with a simple procedure. He'll be back on the road in no time.

He can still lead an active life with stents. Cheney had a completely failing heart and still accomplished plenty as VP unfortunately.

   These old dudes--including Trump--are all just too old.  Time to shuffle--and I do mean shuffle--off the stage.

I like Bernie. I don't want him as president. He obviously has good health care coverage that he can afford. Too bad that isn't true at all for most Americans.

Sent from my Lenovo A7020a48 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

1 hour ago, Jingthing said:

I like Bernie. I don't want him as president. He obviously has good health care coverage that he can afford. Too bad that isn't true at all for most Americans.

Sent from my Lenovo A7020a48 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

Had he had "His" government health care do you think he would have had such good care? I'm part of most Americans and I'm satisfied with my Insurance.

5 hours ago, Cryingdick said:

It is so obvious what will happen when she is attacking the economy house by house. The polls tell another story but if you work at Google or Amazon, who do you vote for?

 

 

She has gotten way too snarly with herSilicon Valley overlords.

If you're working in one of Amazon's warehouses, it's clear the answer would be Warren.

42 minutes ago, EVENKEEL said:

Had he had "His" government health care do you think he would have had such good care? I'm part of most Americans and I'm satisfied with my Insurance.

Among potential voters in the general election, the results are less equivocal: The Medicare option draws wide support; the full public plan generates greater opposition. By 48% to 14%, with 38% uncertain, potential general election voters support the option; the full public plan draws 39% in favor, 34% opposed and 26% uncertain.

Support for and opposition to Medicare for all divides deeply along partisan lines, while the Medicare option does not, noted Jill Darling, the survey’s director.

https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2019-09-11/usc-latimes-poll-democrats-ideology-2020-presidential-race

 

Poll: Most Americans want universal healthcare but don't want to abolish private insurance

"Even Republican voters seemed to disagree with certain conservative ideology on health care. The Hill-HarrisX survey found that 26 percent of GOP voters said they wanted the government to stop paying for health care, while a total of 53 percent favored some form of universal government-provided insurance. Twenty-one percent said they want to keep the current health care system in place."

https://thehill.com/hilltv/what-americas-thinking/428958-poll-voters-want-the-government-to-provide-healthcare-for

Term and age limits, please.

6 hours ago, Kelsall said:

Bernie's history.  So is Biden.  Looks like Warren will be the one that loses to Trump.

Been watching the news much?donald is losing control of himself beeing caught out betraying the country in his desperate attempt to smear a better man than himsielf I think joe Biden is still in the running I don’t think Donald will have an unpopular girl to bulley this time around lol get well Bernie you decent caring human

2 hours ago, EVENKEEL said:

Had he had "His" government health care do you think he would have had such good care? I'm part of most Americans and I'm satisfied with my Insurance.

He has great insurance yet he is fighting for those who do not. You have great insurance yet you don't give a Sh#t for those who do not. That my friend is some of the difference between you and him. 

By the way no one is stopping those on medicare from buying supplemental private insurance.

I heard he said "I'm dying to be President."

 

Bernie is 78, too old to confront in the public.