Day 2 of the Clinton Death Watch

[chris_gerrib]

As we breathlessly enter Day 2 of the Clinton death watch (careful - don't get any of that sarcasm on your clothes - it doesn't wash out easy) I find that everything I want to say about Mrs. Clinton's health was said here. Money quote:

That said, the Clinton campaign can be faulted for this: if they knew she had pneumonia on Friday, they should probably have admitted that and gotten in front of the story. There is no way for a 68-year-old human being with pneumonia to hide it and power through a packed campaign schedule. As usual with the Clinton camp, it’s not the substance of problems that hurt her, but rather the guarded secrecy with which she and her advisers handle them. It hurts her more than it helps her in the long run, and turns mole hills into mountains.

Regarding arguments, online or otherwise, about the issue:



(Source: http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/duty_calls.png)

Comments

Except...

[(Anonymous)]

Political memoirs are full of stories where a campaign does everything it can to hide the fact that a candidate is sick. Whether from a cold, the flu, bronchitis, and yes, even pneumonia. Why, when Clinton tries to do it, do the rules change and it becomes evidence of dissembling or hyper-secretiveness? (Don't answer that - we all know the reason.)

Granted, it's a lot easier for a 50-year old to hide pneumonia than a 70-year old, but remember, she was only attending the event, not speaking publicly at the event. That she has pneumonia is news, but the fact that they tried to hide it isn't news. If anything, it should be evidence of their confidence in her overall health when she doesn't have this transitory illness.

(Plus, I'm really trying hard not to engage in gender chauvinism by claiming that ignoring your illness and soldiering on is just something woman do all the time. No doubt men do it just as much, but probably for different reasons. I can tell you that there's an element of societal conditioning involved that tells me, as a woman, that if there's work to do, then unless you're lying in a hospital bed, not doing it because of an illness is just unacceptable.)

- from Anne

Re: Except...

[chris-gerrib.livejournal.com]

The issue is I've seen Internet doctors diagnose her with Parkinson's, heart decease and epilepsy based on .gif files.

Which is why ON FRIDAY the campaign should have announced that she had pneumonia and would try to limit her schedule, but planned to attend the 9/11 event. Then when she left early, it would have been a non-event.