Clinton Must Heal Herself Quickly

“Antibiotics can take care of pneumonia. What’s the cure for an unhealthy penchant for privacy that repeatedly creates unnecessary problems? ”

This statement was not made by a Republican who wants Hillary Clinton to lose. It is, in fact, a tweet by David Axelrod, one of the architects of Barack Obama’s victory.

Normally, this former political advisor passionately defends Hillary against Donald Trump. But he is, quite rightly, concerned about the Democratic politician’s lack of transparency.

Why on earth did Hillary Clinton keep quiet about her pneumonia, which was diagnosed last Friday?

Her entourage was forced to spill the beans on Sunday morning, when she almost collapsed in New York.

It is true that the media and the American public are almost obsessed about the health of their presidential candidates. This year, however, their concerns are particularly legitimate.

Only one candidate as old as Hillary Clinton (who will turn 69 in October) has ever been elected president. This was the Republican Ronald Reagan in 1980, who was 69 years old at the time of his election.

The American interest in Hillary Clinton’s health is all the more understandable given the fact that she suffered a concussion and deep vein thrombosis in 2012, when she was secretary of state. On her return to work, she was given a football helmet!

Nevertheless, until now, Hillary has shown far more transparency than Donald Trump on this subject. In the summer of 2015, she published a two-page report on her health. Notably, this included details about her blood pressure and her medications.

A few months later, her 70-year-old rival merely published four paragraphs that had been written by his gastroenterologist in an extremely unprofessional tone. This doctor argued, quite seriously, that if Donald Trump wins the election, he would be “the healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency.”

Let’s imagine what would have happened if Hillary had admitted that she was being treated for pneumonia on Friday. Would she have canceled some of the many events that she was expected to take part in? In which case, perhaps she would not have fainted on Sunday?

Of course, this is pure speculation. What is certain is that, if the media and the public had known that she was suffering from pneumonia, they would have been more lenient with her. Had she done this, it would have made her seem more human, something that Hillary desperately needs.

Instead, the confidence that the American people have in her has, once again, been needlessly shaken.

This is far from being the first time that Hillary has not told the whole truth and nothing but the truth. This case reminds us of the recent controversy surrounding her decision to only use a private address for State Department emails, a decision that was made in order to keep them out of the public eye. This questionable choice is still a thorn in Hillary’s side, because she has, for far too long, refused to be transparent on this issue.

Obviously, antibiotics will not cure her of this unfortunate tendency. Nevertheless, Hillary Clinton must, at all costs, find a way of getting rid of it.