I appreciate the opportunity to clarify my recent comments on the health of Tom Carper. The purpose is to discuss the relevance of the health of Tom Carper. I have heard from some that a candidate’s health is an area of inquiry that is off-limits. Why?
Is it not fair, in the face of mounting evidence, to ask whether or not the man who has served 36 years in elective office has the capacity to continue on to 42 years? The question is not whether health should be an issue, but when it should be an issue. Doctors, lawyers, athletes, machine operators, steel workers - everyone finds a time in their respective professions to step aside. Often the reasons are health related.
When a pro athlete is going to be traded, they inquire about his health. If you apply for a job as a teacher, the state requires a criminal background check as well as a TB test. Even getting health insurance requires the disclosure of this personal information. When you talk to a friend you haven’t seen in awhile, it is often one of the first questions you ask - in only a slightly different form, when you ask that friend how they are doing. You want to know about their mental and physical health.
I am following in the footsteps of a Delaware candidate who questioned the health of his opponent, and even went so far in drawing a contrast between his relatively young age and the opponent's octogenarian status as to adopt the slogan “a Senator for Delaware’s future.” That candidate was Tom Carper when he made Sen. Bill Roth’s health an issue in the 2000 campaign.
Is it OK to ask someone to reveal their faith - a question few have a problem asking, but not their physical or mental health? Candidates for the U.S. Senate are asked all the time to defend their past behavior. We are asked deeply personal questions as to our marital status, the circumstances surrounding our first marriages, even questions as to whether or not we have ever hit our wives.
When I decided to run for office, I had to open myself, my life, my family, my religion, my finances, my past, my education, my career to scrutiny. I embrace this concept of openness, and in this campaign I have been willing to answer every question put to me - including whether or not I use drugs (I do not).
As candidates for office, we fill out detailed financial disclosure forms, as Mr. Carper is well aware from the scores of pages he submits. All I am asking is that we disclose our health information. Neither Mr. Carper nor myself are young men. It is part of the equation for voters - the information they need to make an informed decision, as to whether each have of us has the capability to serve Delawareans in the U.S. Senate. To this end, I have posted my health records on my website www.36YearsIsEnough in order to prove that I am fit, free of any medicines or health issues, ready to serve the entire six years of the office I am elected to.
We ask candidates to take stands on issues that are deeply personal all the time. Where do we stand on abortion, contraception, sex education, the role of religion in government, health care - all these are fair game as questions - why not the very central and critical question of “is this person healthy enough to do a job that lasts six years?”
Alex Pires
candidate, U.S. Senate
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