I haven’t discussed Hillary Clinton’s health before now, because I consider it a non-issue. However, the media frenzy, that has resulted from echoing the ludicrous claims of Rump Dump Trump has reached such an absurd level that they are ignoring significant news stories in the process.
Shortly after receiving a diagnosis of pneumonia on Friday, Hillary Clinton decided to limit the information to her family members and close aides, certain that the illness was not a crucial issue for voters and that it might be twisted and exploited by her opponents, several advisers and allies said on Monday.
To those she did inform, Mrs. Clinton was emphatic: She intended to “press on” with her campaign schedule, she said. Her confidants concluded that she did not want to be challenged over her preference to keep the pneumonia private and continue working.
Mrs. Clinton’s inner circle was mindful of both her guardedness and her expectation of loyalty once her mind is made up. And she was optimistic that she could recover over the weekend, when she had only two brief events on her schedule, said the advisers and allies, who insisted on anonymity to disclose private conversations.
But Mrs. Clinton’s penchant for privacy backfired. On Monday, her campaign scrambled to reassure voters about her health, a day after she grew visibly weak and was filmed being helped into a van: unsettling images that circulated widely and led her aides to disclose the pneumonia diagnosis two days after the fact… [emphasis added]
From <NY Times>
Note that the author is blaming the controversy on Hillary’s "penchant for privacy", when to do so is meritless. Prior to his election to his fourth term, FDR’s doctor told him that, unless he retired and removed the demands on himself, he would die in office. He did not publicize it. He was reelected. As predicted, he did die. But before he did his service to America was beyond reproach. And when he died, Truman took over. As long as Presidential candidates have running mates who are competent to assume the Office, the intimate details of their health are nobody else’s business. The only time it should become an issue is when the candidate has a running mate like Drill Baby Dingbat, who is not competent to pass gas, let alone take over the Presidency.
In his coverage of this story, Lawrence O’Donnell explained what the media failed to cover because of harping on this.
That’s right Rump Dump Trump stated that he was ready to start a war, because Iranians flip the bird at US warships patrolling off the coast of Iran. And the media ignored that, because Hillary had to leave an event early. Are they crazy?
14 Responses to “On Hillary’s Health”
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As I said yesterday, Hillary's pressing on with pneumonia suggests to me strength, dedication, conscience, commitment to public service. Your (and Lawrence's) FDR comparison is apt if a little extreme – walking pneumonia mild enough for the patient to attribute the symptoms to allergies doesn't suggest dying in office. But the very extremeness of the comparison does indeed highlight the extremeness of the idiocy if the media – which reflects the idiocy of the electorate – at least a big part of it. I hope he is right that future historians will highlight this day as the day the media lost its collective mind. I wish I were confident.
She shows stamina, and strength through it all.
Anderson Cooper looked 'upset' while grilling her.
http://www.mediaite.com/tv/anderson-cooper-grills-clinton-over-lack-of-transparency-on-her-health/
Thanks, Tom.
I'm much more interested in Trump's taxes than Hillary's pneumonia!
Really, the way the media has fawned over Trump, he could probably shoot someone and it would somehow be attributed to Hillary. I agree with Carrie, I would love to see his tax returns. He has to be hiding something. Lawrence ODonnell brought that up tonight and how none of the political news media have asked to see the letter he got from the IRS informing him of the audit.
It hardly matters, since the IRs has publicly stated – with regard to Drumpf – that an audit is NO BAR to releasing his returns, So, whether or not there is an audit, he should release them. NOW.
Clinton's wooziness, her leaving the commemoration and subsequent reports of having pneumonia was a big issue here too, both in the newspaper and on the national news. However, her health as such isn't an issue, but the way she deals with it is. Continuing the line of to what's mentioned in this article, the analysts think her her penchant for privacy is what is really ailing her.
There was an overview of her whole career starting as a law student which showed that privacy has been a top priority for Clinton right from the start. Over the years she's become somewhat obsessive with it and is guarding her privacy and that of her family so strongly that it's become unbalanced with the offices she's held in the past and certainly with the one she's now seeking. While this certainly is understandable, her penchant has also become a weakness as many see it as being secretive and it's all too easy for her opponents to spin this aura of secrecy into having something to hide. And Drumpf, the great withholder of relevant information on tax returns or health assessments when it suits him, always knows how to turn his own failures around and makes them stick to his opponents.
As Robert Reich explained earlier, in his opinion there is nothing to hide for Hillary, and that may well be true. But a lifetime of guardedness has made her come across as aloof, cold and secretive, and it's something she'll not be able to turn around in the weeks to come. I hope her advisors can help her find a middle ground between opening up a little more and attacking Drumpf for being the hypocrite he is and demanding he be truthful about his non disclosures and investigations into the scams (his "university", the "donation" towards Bondi's campaign, non-existent donations to charities etc.).
So Trump talks about shooting Iranians, doesn't release his tax returns, pays $20,000 of his "charity's" money for a painting of himself, refuses to admit David Duke is a deplorable, and continues to belittle everyone who isn't him….but let's focus on Hillary's health. Yeah, that makes sense….
What's even scarier is that ~ 40% of Americans AGREE w/ him!
As I think you yourself said on Daily Kos, lots of women/moms don't get paid sick leave (and have to worry about job loss if they take unpaid sick leave) and so have experience with working through illness. That's just what we do. I will be very disappointed if any woman who has ever been there is turned away from Hillary by this incident.
Since Trump is willing to start WW3 over flipping the bird, I suppose he would have no problem with someone shooting me or any one else for flipping him the bird.
I certainly won't volunteer to test your theory.
Thanks, hugs, and amen to all.
I agree with Lona that Hillary's record on privacy makes her seem aloof, cold and secretive. Those are legitimate faults, with which she needs to deal, but as an altogether separate issue. Lona is right that the media are conflating them,
O'Donnell is just sooooooo right! Rump is a VERY loose cannon, not fit to be dog catcher, and the Media are under his spell, or, really their own, as in it'a all ENTERTAINMENT to them! But the last thing Hillary ned to do is to give Rump a real situation on which to focus. Privacy is fine, but, nd here O'Donnell is wrong, the president's health has been a focus since Eisenhower. I recall the obsession about "What the president had for breakfast, today," after he had, as I recall, a heart attack. Privacy is fine, but the media sees itself as paparrazi, sniffing uot anything that will sell. It'slike the media has become a simply, slightly, more sophisticated National Enquirer!
Look at the stories offered on behalf of C2: so much of it is frigging gossip! Is it important, really, in anyone's life, just what Gene Wilder's net worth was, when he died? News? does it really matter what any Kardshian did, said, or when was the last time any one of them farted?