Although we’ve been fully informed by Twitter that our curiosity in regards to Hillary Clinton’s overall health and wellness is sexist and demeaning to a female Presidential candidate, Clinton’s Sunday “medical episode” and the campaign’s subsequent mixed messages still leave lingering questions.
Clinton was, apparently, diagnosed with pneumonia late Friday, after several days of feeling under the weather (and several very public coughing episodes). The pneumonia was the result of a “respiratory illness” that reportedly made its way around the Clinton campaign headquarters, eventually infecting everyone from campaign manager Robby Mook to the candidate herself.
But while the Clinton camp might think that explains away the incident, there are a few other concerning issues.
1. Why did the Clinton camp keep her pneumonia a secret? Questions about her health have dogged Hillary Clinton since her days as Secretary of State, but Clinton’s detractors had plenty to work with last week, as she hacked uncontrollably at several campaign events.
The campaign explained it away as “seasonal allergies,” much like they said her fainting spell was “dehydration,” but revealing that the candidate was suffering from a bad cold (which staff knew last week) could have cut the speculation short – so why not be upfront? Hiding the extent of Clinton’s illness implies a level of secrecy that usually surrounds something more sinister than a lung infection.
2. Why’d she ditch the press? Clinton and her aides disappeared for an hour and a half after Clinton stumbled headfirst into the Secret Service van. Bystanders and bloggers reported on her medical emergency, but press were kept across the street as Clinton recovered, and the campaign waited until Clinton was safely in Chappaqua to reveal her illness. While Presidential candidates don’t have full press pools, Presidents do. Will Clinton?
3. Is there something else wrong? Pneumonia can be a complication from another illness—rather than simply an illness on its own. It can be anything from a sign of a weakened immune system, like the kind you might get from a grueling campaign schedule, to a sign of lung cancer. While it’s unlikely Clinton would be able to hide such a dire diagnosis, her track record shows she’d at least try. After three explanations in as many days, it’s not wrong to wonder if there’s more going on.
Plus, pneumonia and drinking don’t mix—so Clinton should be careful.
4. Where does Clinton go from here? Her campaign says she’ll be back to work mid-week, and she hasn’t taken a Wednesday speech in Las Vegas off the table. But if Clinton is still suffering, will we see her in the first debate (just a little over two weeks from now)? And how will she make the case to voters that her health as President—which could have a dramatic impact on everything from foreign policy to Wall Street—shouldn’t be a concern?
5. Did Hillary get Barbra Streisand sick? Pneumonia doesn’t happen out of the blue. It’s a serious illness that takes time to develop. Clinton’s been attending campaign events, pressing the flesh and touching supporters all while battling her respiratory illness. And while not all forms of pneumonia are contagious, does that mean that this child now has to be thoroughly decontaminated?
And what about poor Barbra Streisand, who was hugging and singing for the Democratic candidate last Friday, right after Clinton received her diagnosis?
We are quickly approaching the point at which undecided and tuned-out voters are suddenly paying attention. With the election less than 60 days away, the population is desperately trying to make up its mind. And with nearly 30% of voters saying they’re still undecided, a sign of weakness could actually have an impact on Clinton’s campaign survival.
