An unhealthy debate: Random thoughts

Hillary Clinton has pneumonia. She has to take some time away from the campaign. It happens. It’s not a conspiracy, but it also is not an unimportant occurrence. It raises questions — not just about Clinton, but about Donald Trump, as well. Both candidates are up in years — Trump would be the oldest to assume office in our history, Clinton the second oldest.

Here’s the problem: Neither candidate has been transparent about their health history. Clinton, for instance, withheld information about the pneumonia until several hours after her problems Sunday morning. Had she been forthcoming — whether when she was first diagnosed or at the time of the stumble — this may not have lingered. (Admittedly, the conspiratorial right would have continued to harp on it, but it probably would not have remained a point of discussion by anyone but hyper-partisans.)

Trump, I would argue, has been worse. He released a half-assed letter from a physician who has explained that he dashed it off as Trump waited in his limousine.

The point here is not to downplay the scary nature of what happened to Clinton on Sunday or make light of the Trump campaign. The point is this: We need accurate and up-to-date information about the health of our candidates. They are running to take over the most stressful job in the world — just look at how much Obama has aged over the last nearly eight years, or how much George W. Bush aged in the preceding eight. We have a right to know whether they are healthy enough to handle the strain, especially because they are at or are approaching the age when the body starts to break down — even with the kind of health care that the candidates’ wealth can buy. (Cue debate over the United States’ unequal health care system.)

We also should acknowledge that the constitution accounts for the possibility that the man or woman we elect may not make it to the end of his or her term. The debate over Hillary Clinton’s health should lead us to ask the same about Donald Trump. More importantly, it should point us to the men who would be vice president. Who are they? Are they ready to step in?

It is not an academic question. It has happened nine times in our history, eight times after the death of a president. It has not happened in 43 years, but it can.

Rather than conspiratorial nonsense or reflexive defensiveness, let’s make what happened on Sunday an opportunity to ask legitimate questions.

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Author: hankkalet

Hank Kalet is a poet and freelance journalist. He is the economic needs reporter for NJ Spotlight, teaches journalism at Rutgers University and writing at Middlesex County College and Brookdale Community College. He writes a semi-monthly column for the Progressive Populist. He is a lifelong fan of the New York Mets and New York Knicks, drinks too much coffee and attends as many Bruce Springsteen concerts as his meager finances will allow. He lives in South Brunswick with his wife Annie. View all posts by hankkalet