Mixing medicine and politics: conspiracy theories

Today is proving a bountiful harvest of erroneous, propaganda-laden opinion pieces about HRC and her medical issues. In the first literary-medical autopsy performed earlier today, Mixing medicine and politics: the gender flap, disclosed many flaws in an opinion piece which basic failing was not to distinguish Hillary Clinton apart from the female gender.

There came to my attention, courtesy of a comment made in response to the article, a search of The New Statesman blog, although it was not the one referred to in the comment. Never mind, it's there in all its magnificent political obfuscation.

Hillary’s health and the age of disinformation

In the 2005 Doctor Who Christmas special, the British prime minister – an older woman called Harriet Jones – reneges on a promise to let a bunch of aliens leave the planet in peace. After she orders their ship to be shot down, David Tennant’s furious Time Lord tells her that he could bring down her government with a word – or, rather, six words. As she stands defiantly in front of him, he goes to her closest aide and whispers: “Don’t you think she looks tired?”

I admit not going to medical school with Dr. Who, and in fact have never watched a single episode. The "aliens" in the above paragraph could well be represented by the deplorable (good word, huh?) corporatists, who do not "come in peace" but are parasitically eating us alive. Now I wish I could someone as powerful as the Time Lord (whomever that might be) to whisper the threat “Don’t you think she looks tired?”, causing Her Heinous to stand down.

For the past few months, the “alt right” – a loose collection of bloggers, websites, internet wing nuts and other Trump-supporting flotsam – has been attempting a similar trick on Hillary Clinton. In 2012, the Democratic presidential nominee hit her head, and since then rumours have swirled about a more serious health problem. With appalling timing, the Clinton campaign finally responded to these rumours last week, only for their visibly sick candidate to need bundling out of a 9/11 memorial event on Sunday into a waiting people carrier.

Amendments to the above paragraph
Many of those with serious concerns about Hillary's health are not just "Trump-supporting flotsam" but also Progressives and Democrats (I do not conflate the two nouns)
In 2012, the candidate did not merely hit her head, she suffered a significant concussion, which even by Slick Willie's admission took her 6 weeks to get through it--if indeed she has ever gotten through it.
The writer conspicuously avoids mention of another potentially life-threatening event occurring after the concussion: dural sinus thrombosis (DST).
The Clinton campaign responded appallingly late responded to the swirling health crisis, not because they wanted to, but because they had to. Clinton does nothing to speak about issues, other than I'm not Trump. Instead she had planned to hide out in her palatial cave until her coronation.
Agreed: the visibly sick candidate left early. Disagreed: she did not go away into a waiting people carrier. She went away in a black ambulance fitted with retractible steps so that less-than-nimble Hillary could mount them.

The initial explanation that Clinton “overheated” later gave away to an admission that she was suffering from pneumonia. But by this time, opinionators had already rushed to fill the space created by years of stealthy narrative-building.

But no, it was heat exhaustion. No, no, it was dehydration. No, no, no, it was "the Flu". No, no, no, no, it was "non-contagious pneumonia"--yes, that's it--we'll go with that one since the rubes voters don't know any better.
The "opinionators" rushed in with stealthy narratives--as if the Clinton machine hasn't been doing this for decades?

Conspiracies R Us:

WikiLeaks posted about a “metal or glass object [falling] from Clinton’s right hand” in a tone that conveyed the impression this was very sinister. It later tweeted, and then deleted, a poll inviting followers to guess whether Clinton was suffering from an allergy problem, Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis or a head injury. Scrolling through Twitter, I chanced upon a lively meme industry devoted to suggesting that a bulge in Clinton’s trouser leg at an earlier event “proved” she wears a catheter.

So, Hiding Hillary has actually admitted she has allergies as does her physician. Not very conspiratorial.
Hillary definitely had a head injury, a serious one--that is not Conspiracy Theory. Could she have Parkinson disease (PD)? I don't know and don't think so, but it might explain many of her medical issues. Lots of us want to know what that snake in Hillary's pant leg really is. At it wasn't just seen at "an" earlier event, implying the snake has only been noticed once.

Unsurprisingly, Bush’s close adviser Karl Rove was one of the early promoters of the “Clinton has brain damage” meme. Of course, he denies using those words; but in May 2014 he said to the New York Post: “Thirty days in the hospital? And when she reappears, she’s wearing glasses that are only for people who have traumatic brain injury?

Citing Karl Rove for authority on anything except political corruption is a non-starter. He shot his mouth off about many things. Most people give him no creedence about his medical opinions. But that's only one messenger. The prism glasses are not just for people with TBI--true--but they also are used for TBI patients.

Now, here is material worthy of yesterday's fish wrap:

if Hillary Clinton is concealing a serious illness, it’s positively presidential: FDR hid being in a wheelchair for years, and JFK had Addison’s disease and back problems so severe they required surgery.

Funny things about her choices. FDR was one of America's finest President--certainly the greatest in the 20th Century. His illness was polio, a disease which does not affect cognition. JFK's Addison's disease, if treated, does not affect cognition. The only time Addison's would affect cognition would be if the individual were semi-comatose. So JFK had back problems and surgery. So what? Most people don't think with their backs, except perhaps hapless Helen Lewis.

Finally a citation with some merit but misapplied:

Throughout all this, the remaining chunk of the US media that hasn’t lost its goddam mind during this election chewed over the biggest dilemma of modern political journalism: how do you report wild speculation without implicitly endorsing it?

The U.S. media surrendered their "goddam mind" to the corporations for whom they toil. What they write is dependent not on newsworthiness but the wishes of the corporate masters. Until recently these toadies have been in the bag for Hillary because the Masters told them to be--or else.

And here is the key answering the plaintive question toward the end of this protect-poor-Hillary-at-any-cost claptrap: how do you report wild speculation without implicitly endorsing it?

How do you do this. Simple. Have Hiding Hillary subject to an examination of her medical records followed by physical examination by the appropriate independent specialists to either refute or affirm "the Conspiracies".

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Pricknick's picture

Have Hiding Hillary subject to an examination of her medical records followed by physical examination by the appropriate independent specialists to either refute or affirm "the Conspiracies".

Over her dead body is when that will happen.

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Regardless of the path in life I chose, I realize it's always forward, never straight.

Centaurea's picture

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"Don't go back to sleep ... Don't go back to sleep ... Don't go back to sleep."
~Rumi

"If you want revolution, be it."
~Caitlin Johnstone

Yeah, if she can't be instantly cremated without an autopsy or multiple doctor's certificates, they'll dump her body in the ocean. You know, the usual unofficially official thing nowadays to supposedly disarm suspicion in - or at least prevent actual investigation of - questionable causes of death/identity issues. Although in this case, I wouldn't see a point in continuing to conceal whatever she had - unless some of her most disastrous decisions could be more easily rectified once cognitive function had been proven to affect her decision-making.

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Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.

A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.

TheOtherMaven's picture

considering how zonked out she looked in that airplane interview. If she has pneumonia (and is ignoring her doctor's advice), she could push herself into a relapse - and relapses can be just as dangerous as the initial round, if not more so.

If she doesn't have pneumonia, but something else chronic and fairly serious, she could push herself into a complete collapse - and then what?

More people ought to read up on the election of 1872 - the only one in which a candidate died before the electoral votes were officially counted. (There were several weird things about that election, but that was the biggest weirdness.)

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There is no justice. There can be no peace.

lunachickie's picture

Over her dead body is when that will happen.

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MsGrin's picture

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'What we are left with is an agency mandated to ensure transparency and disclosure that is actually working to keep the public in the dark' - Ann M. Ravel, former FEC member

ThoughtfulVoter's picture

This is what she said Thursday (this was after her Dr. Bardack letter).

Hillary Clinton says she will put out more medical records “very shortly” and that she’s worked hard to be more transparent than her Republican rival Donald Trump.

“I think I’ve worked very, very hard to be more transparent than not just my opponent, but really in a comparison to anybody’s who’s run,” Mrs. Clinton, the Democratic presidential nominee, said in an interview with “The Tom Joyner Morning Show” that was posted online Thursday on blackamericaweb.com.

“The medical information I put out, and we’re going to put out more, meets and exceeds the standard[s] that other presidential candidates, including President Obama and Mitt Romney, have met,” she said.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/sep/15/hillary-clinton-we-will-...

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lunachickie's picture

She was going to put out those transcripts, too. Such a damned liar.

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Sun, 09/18/2016 - 9:06pm — lunachickie

Oh so now they *need* to put out more information

She was going to put out those transcripts, too. Such a damned liar.

Lol, can I quote from above? Not even after she's dead!

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Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.

A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.

MsGrin's picture

And NONE of the presidential candidates in recent memory have collapsed in public, so people weren't skeptical about their perfect health.

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'What we are left with is an agency mandated to ensure transparency and disclosure that is actually working to keep the public in the dark' - Ann M. Ravel, former FEC member

terriertribe's picture

She's the one example.

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Now interviewing signature candidates. Apply within.

WaterLily's picture

I think I’ve worked very, very hard to be more transparent

The medical information I put out, and we’re going to put out more,

If I didn't know better, I'd think this was from Trump.

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...

I think I’ve worked very, very hard to be more transparent

...

Hey, she's just saying that transparency is just one more thing she's utterly incompetent at! It's OK if a US President is merely totally incompetent at everything except what her biggest donors want, right?

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Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.

A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.

6 months Of hard work to recover from the concussion.

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Alligator Ed's picture

I would certainly never try to minimize serious health problems. You are correct, Leu, Slick Willie did say she had 6 months of recuperation. Even a non-medical person would know that such a long recuperation does not come from a mild head knock.

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My roommate's mother knocked herself out a few days ago, slipping while going upstairs. She has a large scrape on her forehead as well as a small dent nearby that but is driving now and claims to be fine.

And I'm thinking that the concussion or whatever Hillary suffered was much worse and/or complicated by other issues, certain of which have been speculated about here and elsewhere and any of which could have caused the various falls she's had as well as other problems. Not to mention potential side effects from meds she may be on of which we are not yet aware.

Is attending a fundraiser or event daily two days running that much more strenuous than attending necessary meetings/briefings/events (which can't be walked out of/fallen out of) as President? Because these issues are continuing how long after the actual fall it's attributed to? And will she ever improve? (I mean physically, not morally, of course.) Is she planning on being not able to travel to meet with foreign dignitaries/attend UN functions, etc.? Or will Bill/the nearest Monsanto/fossil fuel/Wall St. representative do all of the Presidential stuff? Or will the nuking of multiple countries begin immediately she takes office?

And they keep trying to test the waters for sneaking in un-nominated Biden or some other corporate Dem who hasn't even pretended to run for fake nomination either, to replace her, rather than the candidate who actually won the Dem nomination - and otherwise the anti-woman anti-abortionist she chose as her VP is likelier as President than eventual justice in that area.

The numbers of frauds committed against the American people regarding even just her campaign must be at record levels by now...

No, all of my sympathy goes to people who do not represent a hazard to civilization and life itself. Ones who probably can't afford the very best health care and private nursing because they didn't suck up well over a hundred million bucks in a relatively short period of time by helping predators suck it out of the sort of people who might not be able to afford health care and nursing at all.

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Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.

A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.

WoodsDweller's picture

the last time we see her in person will be the Inauguration (and that might be a body double). She will appear only on camera (not live, heavily edited), zero news conferences, closed door meetings, no public appearances. I wouldn't be surprised if she was bedridden and Bill and others doing the actual governing.

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"The greatest shortcoming of the human race is our inability to understand the exponential function." -- Albert Bartlett
"A species that is hurtling toward extinction has no business promoting slow incremental change." -- Caitlin Johnstone

MsGrin's picture

Citing Karl Rove for authority on anything except political corruption is a non-starter.

For the record, I'm an equal opportunity health skeptic - I did not believe he would live through W's first term. (I was not concerned about McCain, however...)

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'What we are left with is an agency mandated to ensure transparency and disclosure that is actually working to keep the public in the dark' - Ann M. Ravel, former FEC member

Pricknick's picture

(I was not concerned about McCain, however...)

It takes a long time for manure to decompose.
My tomatoes await his eventual demise. Couldn't eat them. But fun to watch rot on the vine.

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Regardless of the path in life I chose, I realize it's always forward, never straight.

Sanders' health records were some kind of BFD? Like it was some sort of conspiracy that Jane had left them on the kitchen table?

And every interview with Sanders featured some variation on "Aren't you too old for this?"

Does Clinton's campaign schedule look ANYTHING like Bernie's last spring? She is, what, making one or two 20 min. appearances a day?

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Mary Bennett

ThoughtfulVoter's picture

Wasn't that his current tax return that Jane hadn't done yet or something?

Bernie ponied up the health letter pretty quickly once it was brought up. Also, seeing Bernie on the campaign trail really showed people his stamina out in the hot California sun everyday, etc. Once those clips of him playing basketball and his campaign stamina came out, I don't remember him being questioned. Hillary on the other hand would go days between events.

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WaterLily's picture

Classic HRC projection. They hammered him hard on this as the race heated up. Gee, I wonder why?

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WindDancer13's picture

I had posted tweets with this a couple of months ago...before the recent health issues even showed up--as I was thinking about the exact Dr. Who episode you mention:

Clinton-tired.jpg

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We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.--Aristotle
If there is no struggle there is no progress.--Frederick Douglass

LapsedLawyer's picture

sonic screwdrivers, allow me to furnish the necessary video:

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GidbEhL0teE]

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"Our society is run by insane people for insane objectives. I think we're being run by maniacs for maniacal ends and I think I'm liable to be put away as insane for expressing that. That's what's insane about it."
-- John Lennon

the PM in this episode reneged on a peace agreement and committed genocide. And all she got was a chance in a later episode to redeem herself.

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On to Biden since 1973

ThoughtfulVoter's picture

Can't remember how I did this before, so can only connect you to the link not actual image:

http://www.politico.com/gallery/2016/09/political-cartoons-matt-wuerker-...

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ThoughtfulVoter's picture

From NY Post 9/22 Daniel Halper writes:

Hillary Clinton won’t be taking a neurocognitive test, and releasing the results to the public — telling a reporter “there’s no need for that,” even after collapsing as she was leaving a 9/11 memorial event last week in Manhattan.

Clinton made the comment, suggesting she will not be releasing any further medical information this presidential campaign, in an interview Wednesday with Florida’s WFTS ABC Action News.

“Some doctors have said, because of your age, as well as your opponent’s age, that you could be at higher risk for dementia or even Alzheimer’s and have suggested that you take some neurocognitive test,” ABC affiliate reporter Sarina Fazina said to Clinton. “Would you be willing to do that?”

“I’m very sorry I got pneumonia,” Clinton replied, letting out a hearty laugh. “I’m very glad that antibiotics took care of it. And that’s behind us now. I’ve met the standard that everybody running for president has met in terms of releasing information about my health.”

She added, “I have to say, my opponent has not met that standard. So I am very happy that we have put out all the information that there is — that reflects on my health. And I am physically, mentally healthy and fit to be president of the United States.”

Asked specifically whether she’d submit to testing, Clinton said no.

“There’s no need for that. The information is very clear. And the information, as I said, meets the standards that every other person running for president has ever had to meet, and I’m happy that we’ve met and even exceeded them in certain ways,” she told the local Florida reporter.

http://nypost.com/2016/09/22/hillary-refuses-to-take-neurocognitive-test/

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TheOtherMaven's picture

Just another day in Hillaryville.

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There is no justice. There can be no peace.

riverlover's picture

This election is a nightmare we will not get through.

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Hey! my dear friends or soon-to-be's, JtC could use the donations to keep this site functioning for those of us who can still see the life preserver or flotsam in the water.

why not put these questions about her neuro status to rest? why not? If she is okay, I am sure with all her money and power she can get a basic neuro-evaluation done in the next hour. Why not? Because "I don't have to"? Well, she may have to, to answer many questions voters have. Never mind.

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riverlover's picture

I have already sent #demshaming along, #disgruntled would work as well. I will never be gruntled again.

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Hey! my dear friends or soon-to-be's, JtC could use the donations to keep this site functioning for those of us who can still see the life preserver or flotsam in the water.

ThoughtfulVoter's picture

IF Hillary would just come clean, so much of this would end. So true.

Her friends try to paint her as just a private person, to make us believe that is why she won't disclose?

However with Hillary's pattern of lies....well, just say that if she once actually did tell the truth, no one would believe her now!

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