I have repeatedly set aside my reservations about Hillary Clinton to point out that the exaggerated distrust and even hatred with which much of the public views her is mostly irrational, a product of the demonization of her and her husband by the extreme right that began over a quarter century ago.   Unfortunately, a key word in this last sentence is “mostly,” because Clinton too often gives her enemies just enough to lend their claims some plausibility. And so it is with the issue of Clinton’s health, lately the subject of dark but flimsy insinuations by the Trump campaign and its minions.

Anybody can get pneumonia, and it is likely that Clinton’s current affliction can be attributed to the exhausting campaign schedule she has imposed on herself. But we learned only today that her pneumonia was diagnosed on Friday, two days before it marred her participation in the 9/11 memorial ceremonies, two days before she told reporters “I feel great.” What was she thinking? Did she really believe that she would be able to keep her illness a secret? Despite her understandable reluctance to lend credence to the health rumors, the Clinton camp needed immediately to make the diagnosis public. Instead, Clinton has reinforced the meme that she is secretive, unreliable. The Trump campaign naturally pounced, with Donald justifiably tweeting  about Hillary’s lack of transparency.

Aside from sighing heavily, what more is there to say? We can only hope that Clinton recovers quickly enough to minimize the damage to her candidacy. The alternative is too awful to contemplate.

3 comments

  1. Lisa Lipman September 12, 2016 at 11:52 am

    I think that, while this is unfortunate, and further indication of Hillary’s undeniable limitations, and while this latest incident has certainly given Trump reason to crow, the choice between Clinton and Trump is still so stark, that supporters of Clinton, no matter how reluctant, have to double-down, give money, volunteer, and tell the mainstream media they are judging the two candidates by radically different standards, etc., because time is short and the consequences of not doing so are dire. I shudder to imagine waking up on November 9 to a loss.

    • tonygreco September 12, 2016 at 2:03 pm

      Needless to say, I agree completely.

  2. Jeffrey Herrmann September 12, 2016 at 5:49 pm

    Trump is an obese 70 yr old man who eats junk food, doesn’t sleep well and never exercises. He is not magically immune to the consequences of his life style.
    If he releases the details of a recent physical, as he has promised, his health or ill health should be scrutined in the finest detail by all medical professionals who support Hillary, and every possible means of broadcasting his ill health should be employed.
    Turnabout is fair play.

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