This should be an issue – a big issue – because Hillary Clinton certainly seems to have one or more health issues that are serious enough to impact her ability to do the job of President of the United States. This image was taken a mere four years ago during her time as Secretary of State. She is not only able to walk and climb stairs unassisted, there is no apparent concern about her climbing the gangway using a largely-rope ladder and the clothing she wore was still mostly tailored. It is also interesting to note that her hair seemed to be thinner; either her hair stylist deserves serious props or she’s wearing a wig.

Hillary seems to be in decent health for her age. But that’s the issue: Hillary seems to have a variety of age-related health problems, including a serious lack of energy. My mother in law was in adequate health at 69, but she had already started having memory and balance issues, and she didn’t have a lot of energy. Now in her 80s, her memory issues have become quite severe and she needs a walker. All perfectly normal for her age.

Some people are definitely in better shape at the same age. At the other extreme, my parents were quite literally world travelers who were not only actively maintaining their own home, but were volunteering to do manual labor at their church, maintaining a part time job, and participating in exercise classes at age 69. I have always been impressed that my Mom became a certified aerobics instructor at 60! As they enter their 80s, they have clearly slowed down, but they still do those things but they have had to add a daily nap and cut down on the manual labor.

Hillary is more like my mother in law, and that’s not good for a potential Commander in Chief. She seems to be in great shape to help Chelsea with her grandkids, volunteer in the community, and enjoy some time with friends.

The Issues

The first, and most important, issue is that we don’t actually know the issues. Her complete medical records have never been released, only excerpts and summaries. Of the visible issues, the most obvious is her lack of energy. In the first eight (8) months of 2016, she held no press conferences. There are entire weeks when she has fewer campaign events than Trump has in a day!

The most troubling incident we know of was the well-reported “bump” to her head in 2012 that took six months to heal. Head trauma, especially relatively recent head trauma, is most certainly relevant to the ability to be President and all records of that should be publicly available so the American people can be reassured of any candidates physical fitness. But of course, those complete records are not being released.

The less information her campaign releases despite very clear signs that something is wrong, the more time people will spend looking at increasingly speculative information. For example, this link shows both still and video of Hillary with odd lumps on her back. These look like the lumps we all see when people are wearing mic packs, but those are generally around the lower back and there is only one per  person. Hillary has two rectangular lumps near her shoulder blades.

I welcome any explanations for this, whether it is confirming this website’s speculation (and it is just speculation) that it might be an external defribillator or any other possible explanation. Honestly, while it looks more like the defribillator vest than a mic pack, the lump placement is definitely not the same – but that doesn’t mean it isn’t showing anything of medical significance. (As my fourth grade teacher noted on my FaceBook page, lumps do come with age, but if you have rectangular lumps like these, I strongly encourage you to see your doctor immediately.)

On the other hand, I haven’t seen this image from any other event. It may have simply been an anomaly, or it may have been a diagnostic tool that she only wore for a day or two. She is old. Old people have all kinds of testing done and I, for one, have no issue with that. It’s the secrecy that leaves the question: What is she hiding? Is her penchant for oversized jackets to cover medical equipment?

The one issue that is clear is her that she suffers from balance problems. People are helping her up stairs and she is almost always leaning / bracing herself on chairs or podiums at campaign events. This clearly wasn’t the case when she was First Lady, so it is another concerning sign that she may have a significant health problem.

Sources

Hillary’s health is mainly the subject of speculation by bloggers and click-bait websites because there is so little concrete, factual information available. Hypothetical diagnoses based on what can be clearly seen on camera has led to a virtual cottage industry in diagnosing Hillary. All the medical professionals who chime in on the issue are clear that they can’t provide a diagnosis without an actual exam, but they are all also clear that, based on their training and years of experience, there is clearly something significant medically amiss with the Democratic nominee. If the Clinton Campaign would just come clean with her records, people wouldn’t be speculating nearly as much because we would have facts available.

Side Note: Dr. Drew’s show was cancelled a few days after he voiced concerns about Hillary’s health, but the network cancelled other shows as well as part of a rebranding. This seems to be purely coincidental timing, not some kind of “pay-back” for criticizing Hillary.

I don’t believe everything I see. There is a video of Hillary in a coffee shop that is purportedly a “seizure.” It certainly looks odd, especially for Hillary, but by no means does it look like a seizure to me. But there is a difference between healthy skepticism and blind denial. Only those who are in willful denial can claim that Hillary has demonstrated the physical stamina for the presidency during her campaigning.

And yet, there is no discussion of her exceptionally light schedule, short days, and general low energy (exhaustion, even) by the main stream media. Unfortunately, the sources I see covering these issues are, frankly, on a par with the National Enquirer, but that doesn’t make the images and videos they post fake. At this point, I have seen no evidence that they are. (If you have any, please post it in the comments.) I hate to use these kind of sources, but really, when the main stream media opts out of coverage, there isn’t much choice.

The primary other source we have are emails from her staff, particularly Huma Abedin. Huma clearly cares deeply and personally about her boss. She takes care of her, and we can learn a lot from her messages to Hillary.  Huma’s messages generally portray Hillary as being tired and old. There is nothing wrong with this – unless you are Commander in Chief and have to be able to be awake and alert quickly if there is an emergency, and stay that way for as many hours as it takes.

Huma specifically stated that Hillary is often confused – her words, not mine. She actually sent her messages to take a nap, mid-afternoon, to be prepared for a meeting while Hillary was Secretary of State. When is the last time you, as an adult, need to be reminded to take a nap to be prepared for a business meeting? Other staffers have made similar comments in their emails, so this isn’t simply one person’s perception. Her exhaustion and need for a light schedule is a reality Hillary’s staff is well aware of and routinely works around.

There is also information attributed to leaks from the Secret Service, although anonymous sources are always suspect. These do seem to be supported by recent videos and photos of her. Specifically, they state that Hillary Clinton is physically infirm to the point that she can no longer able to safely enter and exit the standard government-issue SUV. Her vehicle has reportedly been remodeled, at great cost, to allow handicap-accessible entry with a lower threshold due to the severity of her balance issues. A photo of her needing a sturdy step stool to enter a black SUV had begun making the rounds, adding credence to this statement.

Energy

Even if everything else turns out to be perfectly fine with Hillary’s health, she clearly lacks the stamina to take on the job she is running for. She doesn’t even have the energy to campaign for it. In an emergency, the Commander in Chief needs to be awake and able to make good decisions with very little warning and stay that way for potentially long periods of time. Based on the evidence of her current schedule, there is no way she could do that.

In addition, like it or hate it, the POTUS simply must update the press and interact with them on a regular basis. Hillary has gone more than eight months without having a press conference and press access to her has been limited since her campaign started. Why? Is it too mentally or physically taxing for her? Is she hiding something? Is she simply too tired and confused to handle the full press corps and their questions?

Hillary simply doesn’t have what it takes, physically, to do the job. Given what we are seeing, the simple truth is that a vote for Hillary is really a vote for Tim Kaine because she is too old and tired to do the job.