Health Week

I never in my life thought an entire week of a Presidential campaign less than two months before an election would be spent talking about the candidates health records. But then again, I guess I never thought a pair of septuagenarians would be running for President. I guess 70 is the new 50. In all fairness, the health record issue was a little forced due to Hillary Clinton’s bought of pneumonia. So the media all week focused their attention on the health of the candidates. Honestly, I don’t really care about their health records. As long as Sarah Palin is not the Vice-Presidential candidate, I am fine with their respective health. I mean it’s not like it would be the first time a President died in office. I don’t agree with any of Mike Pence’s policies but he seems like a sane level headed dude. The same goes for Tim Kaine. The only thing I am concerned with is what medications a candidate might be taking. As long as a candidate is not regularly on some psychotropic medications for the maintenance of an undetected mental illness, I am fine.

If you look at the way the medical records were handled by the two campaigns, however, you get a good sense of what is going on behind the scenes. When the scrutiny on Hillary Clinton’s health became an issue on Monday, her campaign arranged for her physician to release additional medical information. Without any pomp and circumstance, just release the records for the press to evaluate. Donald Trump, on the other hand thought by making a spectacle of the medical records release would somehow endear him to voters. Keep in mind, the only record of Trump’s health so far has been a goofy letter written hastily by Dr. Bornstein who, I am sure, is a competent doctor but just doesn’t look the part. Frankly, he is the kind of doctor I would want but I am not nor ever will be running for President. So the speculation went on for days as to what kind of information Trump would release and would it be from a different doctor? Then Mr. Trump announced that he would be releasing his information on TV to Dr. Oz. Then, the next day his campaign said they thought that releasing the information on a TV talk show was probably not the right forum. But, when the time came, the Donald did not disappoint. With a flourish and a shout, Trump did indeed release a one page summary of a check up he had last week, again by Dr. Bornstein, and a letter from Lennox Hill Hospital in New York attesting to Dr. Bornstein’s association with the hospital.

So, voters, the choice is yours. Who do you want in the White House come next January, a thoughtful, reasonable adult who respects the decorum and the gravity of the office or the 21st century incarnation of P.T. Barnum. The choice is yours.

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