What If Hillary Really Is Sick?
Donald J. Trump has made a pitch for the Black vote and turned the Black community upside down. Now that Clinton is sick it may be time for national Black leaders to bargain with him.
Photo Credits: NBC News
What if Hillary Rodham Clinton really is sick? What then? Is there a plan B?
Normally, a person diagnosed with pneumonia is still feeling the weaken effects of the disease six days after the diagnosis. Yet six days after she was diagnosed and four days after she stumbled during the 9-1-1 Observance on Sunday in New York City, Clinton was back on the campaign trail. She had a full day of activities Thursday, September 15, 2016.
According to WebMD, “In healthy people, pneumonia can be a mild illness that is hardly noticed and clears up in 2 to 3 weeks. In older adults and in people with other health problems, recovery may take 6 to 8 weeks or longer.”
The Democratic Party leadership has placed all of its eggs in one basket. But what if, God forbid, that Secretary Clinton could not complete the race, becomes ill after winning the office, or becomes incapacitated shortly after sworn into office?
I have more questions than answers. I admit that I have no clue if Clinton is as sick as her rival Donald Trump contends. Neither am I clued into whether her claim of beating pneumonia in six days is true. Maybe there have been other cases where a 68 year old woman has recovered in six days. I simply do not trust either of the mainstream candidates to tell me the truth about any issue, health related or any other important issue, that would benefit the American people in the next four years.
I have not had this level of mistrust in public policy leaders since the years during and following the Vietnam War. The Nixon years in the White House did little to restore my trust in government. Reagan, held as the best thing since sliced bread, left me feeling left out of the American melting pot. Then Barrack Obama caused me to believe in the good that government could do for Americans and the world.
Eight years ago, Obama caused me to hope again in the goodness that America could become. His presidency, although checkered, much like other past administrations, seemed to point towards the best that America should be. Whether she had the will to become better has always been the question.
So, what if Hillary Rodham Clinton really is sick?
Perhaps it is time to explore conversations with the other three major party nominees in the race. I am just saying. Just in case, why not explore our options?
Is it too far-fetched to consider dialogue between Donald Trump, Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Boyce Watkins, Charles Steele and Black Lives Matter activists?
A conversation with Libertarian Party candidate Gary Johnson may be helpful. According to recent polling data, Johnson is cutting into Clinton’s lead among progressives and independents. This segment of the electorate may perceive Clinton as unhealthy to discharge the duties of the presidency. They may select Johnson instead. Perhaps it would be wise for Black leaders to consult with Johnson. In this scenario, where Johnson stands on issues concerning the Black community is very important.
Green Party candidate Dr. Jill Stein has been all over the country advocating for a foreign policy of peace, a single payer health care system, police accountability in shooting deaths of Black people and reparation for the sins of enslavement. Should Stein be the go to candidate in th event there is actually an issue with Clinton’s health?
What if Trump becomes president without any of our national Black leaders sitting down at the table negotiating on behalf of the Black community? Would the Black community’s worst fears of a Trump presidency come true? The sure money says those fears are likely to manifest without any input from recognized leaders of color in the Trump campaign.
Who, then, will deliver political patronage to the communities of color? Should that task be left to political neophytes over in the prosperity gospel tent?
Gird up your loins, buckle your seat belt, there is turbulence ahead. If Clinton can not pull this one off, there are no national leaders from communities of color at the bargaining table with Donald Trump or Gary Johnson. Thankfully, without a plethora of national Black leaders in the Stein camp, she is on the right side of history as relate to communities of color at home and abroad.
Harold Michael Harvey is an American novelist and essayist, the author of Paper puzzle and Justice in the Round; and the host of Beyond the Law with Harold Michael Harvey. He can be contacted at haroldmichaelharvey.com.
SOURCES:
http://www.webmd.com/lung/tc/pneumonia-what-happens
2 Comments
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Very well put Harold Michael Harvey! However, I do not particularly care for what counts as traditional “Black leadership.” Part of the problem and part of the reason our communities and all of these dialogues are stymied is due to the fact that while individuals like Sharpton and Jackson have, at one time, helped the Black community, they no longer have much in common with the Black people they allegedly served. The Black women who started the Black Lives Matter movement have also had to fight for any kind of respect. You cannot have a creative and productive dialogue without talking to and including over half of one’s community. Whoever sits down at the table for a discussion with and about any of these candidates and the policies they promote needs to represent us (You already read my previous blog, so you know what I mean.) I am sorry, but I am not a Jesse Jackson fan and he has zero credibility amongst most of the young Black people with whom I come into contact. One of the problems with Black leadership is that it is (and has remained) overwhelmingly male, overwhelmingly clergy and/or politician, and overwhelmingly unwilling to share its leadership positions and cultivate younger leaders with fresh ideas. If we don’t curb their addiction to the privileges and perks of public leadership, it’s not going to matter too much who we’re having a dialogue with. We will keep getting more of the same. Peace. A really great piece.
I heard you loud and clear. I only offered up some establishment names. The idea is that those leaders have closed off any thought of communication to the other candidates and it is time that those I named and others think beyond a sense of blind loyalty to a known brand. Peace, my Sister.