A leading candidate for President of the United States has a documented history of serious health issues, including a blood clot on her head. She has had at least two fainting episodes, including one in which she fell and broke an elbow bone. During this campaign season, she has been plagued by numerous coughing fits including two just this past weekend.
The candidate, of course, is Hillary Clinton. Yet Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski were very reluctant even to raise the issue on today’s Morning Joe. When Scarborough announced they were about to show a clip of one of Hillary’s coughing fits, Mika declared “I don’t want to show it!” Scarborough apologetically said “I thought you wanted to! I wasn’t even going to bring it up.” But not to worry. As to Hillary possibly having a health issue, Mike declared: “No, she doesn’t. That’s just BS.” And Scarborough was right there to second her: “she doesn’t have one,” later explaining “we all cough.”
Note: Mika’s tactic was to change the subject from Hillary’s health problem to criticism of running mate Tim Kaine for failing to step up and help Hillary during her coughing fit. But can you blame Kaine? If he had taken the mic from Hillary as Mika suggested, the headlines would have been “Hillary Unable to Continue, Kaine has to Rescue Her and Take Over.” And speaking of health issues, Kaine might have had a serious one of his own thanks to a Clinton campaign staff furious at him for making Hillary look helpless.
Note Segundo: Viewers would have thought Hillary only had one coughing fit this weekend. The only one mentioned or shown occurred at a campaign event as Hillary was recognizing Rep. Marcia Fudge. But there was a second coughing fit, as Hillary was speaking to the press corps that was—finally—permitted aboard Hillary’s campaign plane.
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: I’m just going to start with what Trump is leading with trying to make it look like Hillary Clinton is sick or something because she coughed. Just want to know where Tim Kaine was when he was clapping behind her for two minutes like this. If I had a coughing fit on the air, what would you do? You’d probably take over and help out. Tim Kaine, come on. What are you doing?JOE SCARBOROUGH: He probably could have stepped to the microphone,MIKA: What are you doing?! Step up! Take the mic! Get a drink of water.JOE: Because you do that: somebody’s coughing or whatever.MARK HALPERIN: He’s a little awkward.MIKA: What?JOE: We have all the conspiracy theories. Somebody was asking–does this prove that she has something wrong with her?MIKA: You help out!JOE: It’s a tough schedule. It’s a really rough schedule. And sometimes, you know, you cough and do stuff like that. There’s no great conspiracy here.STEVE RATTNER: Look, if she had a health issue, do you think she would have been on the road 360 days a year for the last two years?MIKA: No, she doesn’t. That’s just BS.JOE: She doesn’t have one.MIKA: She doesn’t. It’s silly.JOE: Okay, here’s a little bit of the coughing.MIKA: I don’t want to show it.JOE: I thought you wanted to! I wasn’t even going to bring it up.Cut to clip of Hillary coughing fit at a campaign event.JOE: All right. All right. This goes on for two minutes. And Tim Kaine –MIKA: And he just sits there!JOE: — look at him. He’s just sitting back there.MIKA: Grab the mic!JOE: I was playing parcheesi last night with my kids.MIKA: Yeah.JOE: Let’s just get off of that.MIKA: Get off. She’s awesome. Not sick!JOE: We all cough.
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