# Why is the health of the president be an issue? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 13, 2016, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-health-of-the-president-be-an-issue/765866 "2016-09-13T16:28:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2016, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-health-of-the-president-be-an-issue/765866/21 "2016-09-14T00:38:57Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Yeah, count me in as another one puzzled by all the brou-ha-ha over this. A hundred years ago pneumonia was much less treatable, but even then people often survived it. Nowadays? Pfft. There are other things I’m much more concerned about. There’s been a big uptick in pneumonia that is antibiotic resistant, it has about a 75% mortality rate, and kills about 14,000 people in the US a year. It killed my mom this year and she was over a decade younger than Clinton. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2016, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-health-of-the-president-be-an-issue/765866/22 "2016-09-14T01:31:32Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > It’s almost as if Trump made a deal with Bill and Hillary to fuck up the Republican party. They are all good friends, as I recall, so it makes sense. The idea of Donald J. Trump going through this much effort and hard work to help out someone not named Donald J. Trump is so far-fetched as to boggle the mind. > [@vtxrider](#): > > If she had come out immediately “Hillary has pneumonia” maybe it would not be such a big deal. Or maybe the Trumpeters of Doom would have seized on it as part of their conspiracy theory that she secretly has epilepsy/Parkinson’s/dementia/etc. and is probably going to die in like 15 or 20 minutes. You know, exactly what they’re doing now and which they were doing for months before the diagnosis. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2016, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-health-of-the-president-be-an-issue/765866/23 "2016-09-14T01:44:14Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > I’m guessing people are afraid of a Harding situation. > > But I personally think the whole thing is a non-issue. Depends. If the person has Stage 4 lung cancer, or Lou Gehrig’s Disease that would be an issue. If she has Diabetes, maybe not so much. It all comes down to: is the health issue manageable, or is it potentially debilitating? ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2016, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-health-of-the-president-be-an-issue/765866/24 "2016-09-14T01:45:47Z")
Trump/Clinton conspiracies and partisan shots at either party are not relevant to this thread’s question. Get off the bickering and partisan shots and address what may or may not be relevant or important regarding the health of presidents or candidates for that office. [/Moderating] ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2016, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-health-of-the-president-be-an-issue/765866/25 "2016-09-14T02:01:53Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Or maybe the Trumpeters of Doom would have seized on it … Some probably would have. But she’d have done herself much less harm - and maybe some good - by being truthful. More than a few of her allies have criticized her for the way this was handled: > [@David Axlerod](#): > > Antibiotics can take care of pneumonia. What’s the cure for an unhealthy penchant for privacy that repeatedly creates unnecessary problems? ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2016, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-health-of-the-president-be-an-issue/765866/26 "2016-09-14T02:05:33Z")
> [@XT](#): > > If it’s NOT just pneumonia then it could be a serious issue, however, since being president even while healthy is a rough job. Have you noticed how it ages the people who get the job? Look at Obama. In what way has it aged Obama? Has he lost his mental acuity? Can’t produce a barn-burner speech anymore? Has to take a lot of naps? The only difference I’ve seen in Obama is that his hair has gone grey. Well, most men go grey when they hit 50, as he has done since taking office. If the presidency really wore down the health of the occupants of the office, you would expect them to have short life spans after they left office. But we’ve got Carter (left office in 1981); Bush I (left office in 1993); Clinton (left office in 2001); and Bush II ( left office in 2009). They all seem in pretty good shape. Reagan is the only President elected since 1976 (40 years ago!) who is no longer with us, and he died from Alzheimers, which is largely hereditary, and he was the oldest ex-president in history to boot. Nor has any President died in office from natural causes since FDR in 1945, 71 years ago. None of that suggests the presidency prematurely ages the presidents. ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2016, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-health-of-the-president-be-an-issue/765866/27 "2016-09-14T02:12:22Z")
> [@FlikTheBlue](#): > > Why is the health of the president be an issue? > > This thread is for a general debate about the health of the POTUS and how it relates to how good a job they do. The simplest answer would be that the newly elected President may die, or become severely disabled, while in office. The voters are selecting the next POTUS. I assume they would like to pick one who can survive for the next four years. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2016, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-health-of-the-president-be-an-issue/765866/28 "2016-09-14T02:18:45Z")
Two-termers age noticeably during their terms, but I’m going to be fifty on my next birthday, and I’m here to tell you that you age over eight years, whether you are president or not. If you are president, you don’t have time to dye your hair, and get eyebrow lifts, the way that celebrities, and other people constantly in the public eye do, you Obama aged more over eight years than, say, George Clooney did in the same eight years, but Clooney, aside from possibly having had actual cosmetic procedures, and time to run Grecian formula through his hair, has a personal trainer, and a skin-care regimen that probably takes an hour a day. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2016, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-health-of-the-president-be-an-issue/765866/29 "2016-09-14T02:27:28Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > If you are president, you don’t have time to dye your hair, and get eyebrow lifts, the way that celebrities, and other people constantly in the public eye do. I’d need to see a cite for that. How on earth could you know? ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2016, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-health-of-the-president-be-an-issue/765866/30 "2016-09-14T02:32:49Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > There’s been a big uptick in pneumonia that is antibiotic resistant, it has about a 75% mortality rate, and kills about 14,000 people in the US a year. It killed my mom this year and she was over a decade younger than Clinton. Ok, granted that is definitely a problem. There are also disease like viral or fungal pneumonia that are a serious problem. However, most pneumonia is still very responsive to treatment. The drug-resistant version does put the patient back to a pre-modern situation. There’s no indication that Clinton had anything other than “walking pneumonia”, which while it should be taken seriously, it’s not normally a seriously debilitating illness. It will, however, knock you off your feet if you don’t get sufficient rest. ---
**Author:** ![vtxrider](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d26b3c/32.png) [@vtxrider](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vtxrider)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2016, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-health-of-the-president-be-an-issue/765866/31 "2016-09-14T13:42:20Z")
The health of the President has always been an issue, but the farther down the path of technology we go, the more that becomes quickly apparent and not as easy to hide. FDR did not want to be seen in his wheelchair, sure those close to him knew what was going on, but the public was largely unaware. Kennedy hid his health issues. Reagan hid his health issues, but it was becoming more difficult to hide in the 80s. How many times were statements made to the effect of Reagan having dementia or other problems and speculations as to who was running the country. It was all a giant conspiracy back then. Lots of questions arose when McCain was running as to whether he would be able to complete even one full term. Now that we have video cameras everywhere with the proliferation of cell phones, no one famous can escape the public eye. There will be video of every incident and it will be scrutinized mercilessly. I can guarantee you that if Trump (or any candidate running for the office of President) had fainted and hit his head and had a concussion and a blood clot a few years ago, and had fallen and broken his elbow a few years ago, and had been diagnosed with DVT and then was recorded in such a manner there would be just as many questions about their health (and rightly so). ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2016, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-health-of-the-president-be-an-issue/765866/32 "2016-09-14T13:45:36Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > …There’s no indication that Clinton had anything other than “walking pneumonia”, which while it should be taken seriously, it’s not normally a seriously debilitating illness. It will, however, knock you off your feet if you don’t get sufficient rest. (post shortened) Is “walking pneumonia” now considered the official explanation of why tired, old, Hillary collapsed on the street, or is that political spin? Does that information come from an official medical report, or from internet pundits? Hillary was diagnosed on Friday. Team Hillary’s first response was to lie about her illness. And they kept lying about Hillary’s health until after a video surfaced of Hillary collapsing on Sunday. If ol’ Hillary had been diagnosed on FRIDAY, her doctor(s) would have pumped her up with whatever medications/vitamins would be required for treating bacterial/viral pneumonia. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2016, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-health-of-the-president-be-an-issue/765866/33 "2016-09-14T13:51:42Z")
FDR beat the Depression and the Nazis while in a wheelchair. JFK was a lot less healthy than Hillary is now. Lincoln battled depression. Somehow they managed to do pretty good. Suppose Hillary gets elected and dies in 2018. We get President Kaine, who will do pretty much the same as Hillary did. That’s why we have a vice president in the first place. I don’t care if Hillary has pneumonia or arthritis and don’t think phlegmgazi is any kind of scandal. I don’t care if Trump could win the Iron Man Triathlon, he’s a fascist who shouldn’t even be allowed to tour the White House. ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2016, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-health-of-the-president-be-an-issue/765866/34 "2016-09-14T13:51:45Z")
Question I’ve seen raised on Drudge and not addressed elsewhere is why Clinton had some physical interaction with some kid at her campaign rally if she already knew she had been diagnosed with pneumonia. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2016, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-health-of-the-president-be-an-issue/765866/35 "2016-09-14T14:18:56Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > FDR beat the Depression and the Nazis while in a wheelchair. JFK was a lot less healthy than Hillary is now. Lincoln battled depression. Somehow they managed to do pretty good. Suppose Hillary gets elected and dies in 2018. We get President Kaine, who will do pretty much the same as Hillary did. That’s why we have a vice president in the first place. I don’t care if Hillary has pneumonia or arthritis and don’t think phlegmgazi is any kind of scandal. I don’t care if Trump could win the Iron Man Triathlon, he’s a fascist who shouldn’t even be allowed to tour the White House. Apologies for the last sentence, just read the mod note. ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2016, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-health-of-the-president-be-an-issue/765866/36 "2016-09-14T14:53:54Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > Question I’ve seen raised on Drudge and not addressed elsewhere is why Clinton had some physical interaction with some kid at her campaign rally if she already knew she had been diagnosed with pneumonia. Maybe ol’ Hillary doesn’t have pneumonia? Maybe the pneumonia story is another lie/cover up? Then again, maybe ol’ Hillary doesn’t like children? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2016, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-health-of-the-president-be-an-issue/765866/37 "2016-09-14T15:08:44Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > Question I’ve seen raised on Drudge and not addressed elsewhere is why Clinton had some physical interaction with some kid at her campaign rally if she already knew she had been diagnosed with pneumonia. [From here.](http://www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/1069.aspx?CategoryID=69) > [@](#): > > Catching pneumonia > > The germs that can cause pneumonia are usually breathed in. People often have small amounts of germs in their nose and throat that can be passed on through: > > ``` > coughs and sneezes – these launch tiny droplets of fluid containing germs into the air, which someone else can breathe in > touching an object and transferring germs onto it – someone else can touch this object, and then touch their own mouth or nose > > ``` > > **Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria, which causes most cases of pneumonia, is far less contagious than a cold or flu.** This is because most people’s immune systems can kill the bacteria before they have the opportunity to cause an infection. > > In rare cases, pneumonia can develop from an infection somewhere else in the body, when the germs enter the lungs through the bloodstream. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2016, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-health-of-the-president-be-an-issue/765866/38 "2016-09-14T15:13:40Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > I’m guessing people are afraid of a Harding situation. John Wesley Harding Was a friend to the poor He traveled with a gun in every hand All along this countryside He opened a many a door But he was never known To hurt an honest man. ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2016, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-health-of-the-president-be-an-issue/765866/39 "2016-09-14T15:15:45Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > FDR beat the Depression and the Nazis while in a wheelchair. JFK was a lot less healthy than Hillary is now. Lincoln battled depression. Somehow they managed to do pretty good. Suppose Hillary gets elected and dies in 2018. We get President Kaine, who will do pretty much the same as Hillary did. I agree with this wholeheartedly. I’m not really a big believer in the presidency aging people quickly. Reagan and Ford died in their 90s, Nixon in his 80s. All the other recent former presidents are still alive. You have to go back to LBJ to find presidents that died young, and that was likely due to smoking being common in those days. Apologies for the grammar error in the title of the OP, I was editing the title and missed it. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2016, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-health-of-the-president-be-an-issue/765866/40 "2016-09-14T15:32:58Z")
Yes, and on FDR I think he could have done better with Stalin if his health had not been so bad. A president might be called upon for day long high level negotiations where lives are on the line (ex. Bay of Pigs) and they need to be sharp and focused at all times when they are staring down an adversary. Putin is no lightweight [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-health-of-the-president-be-an-issue/765866.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-health-of-the-president-be-an-issue/765866.md?page=3)