There has been some talk, and a lot of speculation about the health of the Democrat presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton. One so-called report speculated she may be suffering from Parkinson’s. So how important is the health of a candidate? And do the voters have a right to full disclosure?
Let us consider the office of the president first. If a candidate has a potentially fatal illness, or one which could render them incapable of fulfilling the duties of their office, don’t the people have a right to know, before they cast their votes for that person? After all, the information makes the choice of vice-president even more important.
Surely no one thought the mad Texan, Lyndon B. Johnson, would inherit the presidency, considering Kennedy’s youth and apparent vigor. But what if a presidential candidate is suffering from an illness, or has a medical history of serious health issues? Would the voters not be likely to weigh the VP a bit more closely?
Of course they would, just look at how Dick Chaney’s health was a constant issue, along with his age, and he was running for VP, not the Presidency. Joe Biden’s history of a brain tumor also was reason to ask, is this a good idea. Now imagine a president with these health issues.
The voters have a right to question whether or not a candidate’s health and age will prevent them form finishing their term in office, or will it restrict their ability to give the citizens the representation they deserve. Can the person put forth a vigorous effort, and are their mental capabilities up to the task at hand.
Too often we have seen politicians stay in office for whatever reasons for far too long. If they were in any other profession, their health and age would have led them to retire and enjoy the golden years they have left. But for some, either the call of the people, or the lure of the power, causes them to seek re-election time and time again, contrary to good judgment.
Strom Thurman served in the United States Senate until the age of 100, he retired in January 2003, he died June 2003. Are we to believe that he was casting votes? Was he in attendance on the floor of the Senate for those long hours of debate? Was he giving any form of representation to the people of South Carolina? One would ask, when did he stop being affective? Age eighty? Ninety? Who really knows, but what we do know, is the people of South Carolina didn’t care, they kept voting him back in. Why? Was it as a reward for all those years when he was a good Senator in their eyes?
Whatever the reason, we also have to remember his family seemed to either have no influence over his decision to seek re-election again and again, that or he was so selfish he didn’t care. And did he even know he was running for re-election the last time? There is no way he was out on the campaign trail in that last election. He had stopped being seen or mentioned, it was simply a waiting game.
We have seen the same thing right here in Delaware. State representative Jack Peterman, recently passed away, but it had been quite some time since he had been able to actually fulfill his duties, due to declining health. He had sought re-election after a bout with cancer. And again, either he refused to listen to concerns of those around him, or no one showed enough concern to talk him out of running.
His health and age made it impossible for him to be an effective legislator, or any kind of Legislator at all. He was not present for the General Assembly votes on many important issues, leaving his district without representation. Was it fair of him to ask the voters to send him back, when he had to know his condition was not good? Was it denial of what he was going through? Was it some warped sense of loyalty to the party? Afraid of losing the seat to the Democrats If Rep. Peterman could not run?
Which brings me to the 2nd District Sussex County Council race, where incumbent Sam Wilson is seeking another four-year term. Mr. Wilson has been an outspoken councilman in his time on Council. It is not a stretch to say he represents well, the views of a large number of people in the district for which he was elected. Many of the people, of the 2nd district, are extremely loyal to Mr. Wilson and will likely be upset that I have brought this topic up.
But again, if a candidate has a medical history, which is also combined with advanced age, then the voters have a right to question whether or not the candidate can fulfill the duties of the office they seek, and to put forth a vigorous effort in the representation of the citizens.
Mr. Wilson has suffered both a heart attack and a severe stroke in recent years. Coupled with his age, one has to wonder, can he stand the rigors of office. Just recently the Sussex County Council held a seven hour session to discuss land use issues. This could not have been easy on the younger member of the Council. How difficult must it have been on a person still recovering from their latest medical crisis? In Mr. Wilson’s current condition, these types of sessions are not just trying, but could be dangerous, if not fatal.
I have heard, members of Mr. Wilson’s family, have attempted to talk him out of running again. One would hope his friends and supporters, such as Sussex Register of Wills, Cindy Green, and GOP 35th District Chairman Jordan Warfel, would put their political ambitions aside, and also attempt to talk Mr. Wilson out of another run.
Humanity demands, people should put aside their political desires for power and control, and to put the health and well-being of Mr. Wilson first. Instead of his loyal supporters talking about how much they need him in office, they should be reaching out to him and encouraging him to retire for his own good.
Of course Mr. Wilson is a politician, which means there is the political question as well. As I asked above about Hillary Clinton, Strom Thurman and Jack Peterman, I have to ask about Sam Wilson. Can he fulfill his duties if re-elected? Following his stroke, the business of the County Council was effectively put on hold awaiting his return. The Overbrook Town Center vote in particular, was delayed until his return, along with who knows how many other issues.
Was this, what was best for the citizens of the county, or the 2nd district? Were the people well served? Of course no one knew Mr. Wilson was going to suffer a stroke. However, this time, the people are aware he has had major health issues compounded by his age, though few may have actually seen the effect they have had upon him. Obviously recovering from a major health blow, like a stroke, is not easy, but Mr. Wilson has not been as visible since his release from a rehabilitation home as he was prior to his stroke.
Just last week he refused to appear at a candidate forum in Bridgeville, stating he didn’t feel the need to defend his record, and later saying the forum was not in his district, though his primary opponent was present. It raises the question. Was he just not up to the challenge of sitting and taking questions?
At some point, everyone must stop putting their own wishes and ambitions first. The voters in the 2nd district must ask, do they want a representative on county council who can be present, who can put forth a vigorous effort to serve the people. Or do they simply want to reward a person they respect and whom they are loyal to, even if it is detrimental to his health?
I remember when Pope John Paul I checked out after little more than a month in office that he should have gotten a prior physical exam.
Of course health is an issue.
Would any employer hire someone who might not finish the job? I don’t think so. That said, the proper choice also depends on who the alternative candidate would be. If that person were “really bad” then having the better person even for a short time and appointing someone to succeed them, would be a better option than putting someone incompetent from the get-go….
In today’s world, the Supreme Court is the most powerful branch of government, and they serve forever. As to Hillary, she is a serial liar, thief and leftist- a perfect Socialist-Democrat. With those “attributes,” who cares about her health?
“Hillary….Hillary…come out, come out, wherever you are…”
(Why is she hiding?)
It’s pretty obvious that both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton have spent the last entire freaking year pursuing a travel and event schedule that would, frankly, wear most people out.
The “health issues” thing is amusing to me, since the physical challenges of actually being out and campaigning for president are far beyond what anyone actually elected as president would face.
Getting up on one side of the White House and spending the day at a desk on the other side of the White House, with in-house medical staff no less, is a lot easier than walking around state fairs shaking hands and eating carnival food, or standing and speaking for multiple appearances per day, etc..
The whole thing seems silly. JFK was a physical wreck and FDR was in a wheelchair, for crying out loud.
Interesting, I know of no blind or totally deaf candidate who was ever elected to Congress or any local office in Delaware or Maryland – that doesn’t mean it hasn’t happened, I’ve just never read about it or remembered it. I have known both blind and deaf people who were honest, ethical, very hard working and would have made excellent representatives despite the physical challenges. It’s not up to the voter to decide if there is a health related reason not to serve it’s up to the Political Party to decide and advise, after all they should know a Candidates limitations. Strom Thurmond, Harry Byrd were propped up literally by the Democrats, I’m sure there are Republican examples. Then there are spouses who can always step in, Lurlene actually did a reasonable job for George and was a popular Governor. If Mr. Wilson’s cohorts in his Party do not believe he can be effective then they should nominate an alternative candidate and if they don’t it proves that political parties act in their own interest and not in the interest of the People. No, say it isn’t so.
Strom Thurmond was propped up by Republicans. He became a Republican in 1964. He was re-elected to the Senate as a Republican in 1966, 1972, 1978, 1984, 1990 and 1996.
New York had a blind governor a while back.
And, of course, it was a remarkable piece of timing that Alzheimer’s – a progressive disease which is only diagnosed by elimination and which starts very slowly – managed to wait until Reagan was out of office.
—
“In all, Reagan said “I don`t recall“ or “I can`t remember“ 88 times in the eight hours of testimony taken Feb. 16-17 in Los Angeles.
At one point, Reagan said he could not identify Gen. John Vessey, who served for more than three years as his chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. At other times, he said he could not identify a picture of contra leader Adolfo Calero, could not recall a shipment of Hawk missiles to Iran in November 1985, had no memory of signing one presidential finding relating to the shipment of weapons to Iran and had only the slightest recollection of signing a second such finding.”
—–
It would have been terrible if he had been suffering from a memory disorder while in office. Thank goodness there were no signs of him having any problems at all with his memory.
I don’t think there was anything wrong with Thurmond or Byrd. Yes, they were old and had been in a long time, but they didn’t seem to have any issues with their jobs.
At the end of the day, the safety valve is the 25th Amendment. If a majority of the cabinet and the VP believe the president has gone around the bend, then the VP can take over until such time as the president declares otherwise. In the event of a dispute between the president and the VP+cabinet, then Congress gets to decide.
Just toss the keys to Al “I’m in charge here” Haig if anything goes wrong.
“I have known both blind and deaf people who were honest…”
Interesting thing about blind people and honesty. If they were born blind, then as children they are not completely aware that their involuntary facial expressions are perfectly clear to other people. Through experience, they find that lying is a poor strategy that almost never works. They can, and some do, learn to control their facial expressions and other non-verbal “tells”, but that requires more effort than being honest.
It can be a real problem, though, since while everyone thinks “Well, I don’t go around lying”, people do say things that aren’t true all of the time, most often for innocuous social reasons that don’t register as “lying”. I had a large and extremely painful boil on a sensitive spot a while back, and people would say, “How are you doing?” as a greeting. What do you say? Do you really tell them, “I’m aggravated as hell by a boil on my ass”? Of course not, you say “fine, you?” like everyone else.
“Did you have a good weekend?” Well, gee, my dog died, my car broke down in the rain and I got mugged walking home… um… I mean, yeah it was fine, you?
Fishbites? Did you ever see Sen. Byrd on C-Span on the floor of the Senate? He went through hundreds of sheets of paper from which he was reading because they were printed in two inch high bold font. Now no wonder considering his age. But his mind wondered, and he would weep at odd moments during his presentations. And did you ever see Storm Thurman, say after 96 or so?
Boehner would weep at odd moments too. Visual impairment doesn’t have much to do with intellectual ability, and politicians going off on digressions is not that unusual. Have you ever read his history of the Senate?
I should also say that Thurmond, while frail, was pretty much the same intractable bastard he always was to the end. Whatever it was, he was against it, so it’s not as if his ability to do the job – the way he did it – was diminished.
Hillary told the FBI that she “couldn’t remember” being instructed as to State Department security protocols, due to a concussion resulting from a fall. Nevertheless, she signed a document stating that she understood security procedures. She was also warned by Colin Powell not to use a Blackberry (portable device).
This woman is a congenital liar. Just like her “husband.”
Rick, could you give an example from Hillary or Bill’s infancy or childhood that would show they are congenital liars?
I’d just be happy to know if Rick can show us, on the doll, where the Clintons touched him.
What is it, Rick, that they’ve done to you? What is it that they are planning to do to you?
They’ve lied all of their lives. Even looking directly at the camera. It’s what they do.
They did get filthy rich, though. What did they produce? What service did they provide?
Influence. Pay to play.
What is emblematic of Clinton’s campaign his her deriding Trump for his wealth, while wearing a $20,000 Channel suit. But Trump earned his money.
And why would Hillary be so afraid to release the transcripts of her Wall Street speeches? I’ll tell you why. Because what she said to her millionaire benefactors in the banking industry is diametrically opposed to what she tells naive dupes like Soni Holt, Fishbites and delacrat. That’s why.
Today’s Socialist-Democrats fall into two categories; socialists who believe in an omnipotent ruling elite, and pathetic waifs who want the “security” of being led around by the nose like a prize steer. Several posters here seem to fall into the latter category. Pitiful.
Rick,
How can someone be a “leftist” when she has “millionaire benefactors in the banking industry” ?
@Rick: “They’ve lied all of their lives.”
I don’t believe we can count that as an example from infancy or early childhood that the Clintons are congenital liars, so I have to figure you’ve come up empty-handed. I suppose you either didn’t know the meaning of “congenital” or you were exaggerating.
I hate when you guys do this, but according to this definition and example, Rick may be proper in using the term congenital.
“2. having by nature a specified character:
a congenital fool.”
And Delacrat I agree with you when you say this, “How can someone be a “leftist” when she has “millionaire benefactors in the banking industry”. It’s why she and Trump are closer to fascist than anything.
All the Clinton’s do is lie. Right at the camera, right to America’s face.
And some idiots still vote for them.
“Donald Trump makes too much money. How do you like my $20k dress?”
@Rick: Clinton has a Giorgio Armani tweed jacket that cost $12,495. Seems you have little regard for facts.
Study results suggest that lying behavior can be seen in children as young as forty-two months. We have all been lying all of our lives. We all lie, including Rick. In fact, most of us lie everyday (we call them white lies).
Who lies the worst? Heck I don’t know. No one does. Maybe it’s Clinton. Maybe it’s Trump. Maybe Rick or perhaps it could be me.
To assert that someone is unfit for any position because they lie is to assert that no one is fit. Of course, the response would be that some lies are worse than others. Or that some lies are ethical and moral and some aren’t. While you can make all the distinctions you wish, the intent of each and every lie is to deceive those to whom the lie is directed.
So Trump has been lying before he was potty trained. That doesn’t make him unfit for office. There are many other reasons for that. What it does make him is human. Just like Clinton. Rick and myself.
Hillary doesn’t tell “white lies.” She lies about her reckless handling of classified information under oath and to the American people. She lied about “not remembering” DOS security protocols. She lied about “running for cover” in Bosnia when she was greeted by young girls bearing flowers. She lied about her piece-of-crap husband. She lied about “donations” leading to a policy accommodation. And so on.
Like I said; congenital.
“It’s why she and Trump are closer to fascist than anything.” – Frank
The Clintons were guests at his wedding.
Different fish, same school.
@Rick: Hillary hardly has a corner on lies.
“I watched when the World Trade Center came tumbling down. And I watched in Jersey City, N.J., where thousands and thousands of people were cheering as that building was coming down. Thousands of people were cheering.”
“I was among the earliest to criticize the rush to war (in Iraq), and yes, even before the war ever started.”
“The Obama administration was actively supporting Al Qaeda in Iraq, the terrorist group that became the Islamic State.”
“Look, we are at war with these people and they don’t wear uniforms. … This is a war against people that are vicious, violent people, that we have no idea who they are, where they come from. We are allowing tens of thousands of them into our country now.”
“We’re the highest taxed nation in the world.”
Ted Cruz’s father “was with Lee Harvey Oswald” before the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
Common Core is “education through Washington D.C.”
The wives of the 9/11 hijackers “knew exactly what was happening” and went back to Saudi Arabia two days before the attacks to watch their husbands on television flying the planes.
“I don’t know anything about David Duke.”
“We (Trump University) have an ‘A’ from the Better Business Bureau.”
The Trump Winery near Charlottesville, Va. is the “largest winery on the East Coast.”
It “is Hillary Clinton’s agenda” to “release the violent criminals from jail. She wants them all released.”
The federal government is sending refugees to states with governors who are “Republicans, not to the Democrats.”
The unemployment rate may be as high as “42 percent.”
Under the Iran deal: “If Israel attacks Iran … we’re supposed to be on Iran’s side.”
Says John McCain “has done nothing to help the vets.”
Says his book, The Art of the Deal, is “the No. 1 selling business book of all time.”
Says South Korea doesn’t pay the United States for U.S. troops that protect their country.
“The Mexican government … they send the bad ones over.”
The number of illegal immigrants in the United States is “30 million, it could be 34 million.”
And on and on ad nauseam.
Anyone but Lewis Briggs wife. Lewis Briggs will be running the County Council. Not!
None of Trump’s lies have anything to do with national security, the lives of a U.S. ambassador and his operatives or using the position of Secretary of State as part of a play-for-pay scheme. There is simply no comparison.
Hillary:
“I….cough, cough…would…cough, cough,cough….like to….wheeze, cough….thank…cough….my…[sips water]….cough, cough….good….cough [takes coughdrop]….good….cough, cough….friends….cough, cough…
What serious illness is she afflicted with? Tuberculosis? Emphysema?
You honestly think Trump has the intellectual capacity to run the nation in a way that is stable?
@Rick: I have no doubt we would have won the Vietnam War if Trump had been drafted. But he lied about having a “bad heel” and got a medical exemption. He could have changed the course of history because he’s a winner. Sad.
I bet if Trump had been a military leader in Vietnam, we could have have won and never had drop gasoline bombs on women and children in Laos and Cambodia
And then there is Trump’s lie about his net worth. No way it’s $10 billion. Forbes, Fortune, Bloomberg, The Economist all say he’s worth $3-4 billion. If they were wrong, then Trump would sue or he would open his books to them and get the figure corrected. But he hasn’t. What a liar. Pathetic.
Barrack, Hillary and Kerry…The Three Stooges of foreign policy:
Russia has assumed hegemony in Syria thanks to BO’s indecisiveness.
China has assumed hegemony in the South China Sea, thanks to BO’s indecisiveness.
A U.S. Ambassador and several operatives were murdered thanks to BO and Hillary’s ineptitude.
Iran has a clear path to nuclear weaponry and has received a few billion dollars- including cash for hostages- thanks to BO’s naive, dangerous and unconstitutional “deal, with a terrorist state.
Our army is smaller than the pre-WWI era, and our navy is in utter disrepair.
Hillary has, by her illegal use of a personal server, jeopardized national security and the identity of our operatives overseas.
Hillary has used her office at State as a pay-for-play personal enrichment scheme.
With the above standards of incompetence and greed, how could Trump do worse?
Trump accused Bush of lying about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. He called Bush a liar several times. And then he denied that he ever called Bush a liar. What a liar Trump is.
http://www.factcheck.org/2016/03/yes-trump-said-bush-lied/
Trump said about Pam Bondi he “never spoke to her at all”.
Aside from hosting her fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago after she decided to drop the Trump U investigation, and aside from campaigning with her just a few weeks ago.
In tonight’s Commander-in-Chief Forum, Matt Lauer asked Trump about the two intelligence briefings he’s had so far. Trump said that Obama did not follow what our experts said to do, what they were recommending.
These briefings are limited to intelligence analysis. They do not contain recommendations. What a pathetic liar Trump is.