Clinton, Trump get chances to come clean
Perhaps the Hillary Clinton for president campaign can turn a corner this week after the belated admission that she was diagnosed with pneumonia Friday. The campaign did not publicly acknowledge the illness until Sunday when Clinton wobbled while being whisked away from a hot and stuffy Sept. 11 memorial event.
The early reports from her campaign — that she was dehydrated — followed the trajectory of past Clinton evasions. Silence, some disclosure, hedging and then a new story.
Now there are indications her campaign staffers fell ill in August, and that the candidate succumbed only later.
This isn’t quite what we envision when we think of government transparency. But Clinton’s pledged to release more medical records, and her doctor released a letter Wednesday detailing her current illness and other maladies that have befallen her on the campaign trail, a welcome step from a campaign and candidate with a checkered record for coming clean the first time.
It is unfortunate but true that some positions in public life — and none more than the U.S. presidency — tear away at the veneer of personal privacy. On an issue as key as an illness that made her stumble publicly, the 68-year-old Clinton perhaps had no choice but fuller disclosure.
We can’t say that Republican nominee Donald Trump, 70, is any better. In many ways he’s worse about truth and transparency. He habitually lies, refuses to admit error even when confronted with clear facts, and until this week — on the health front — only disclosed a brief statement from his gastroenterologist that he would be the healthiest person ever elected president.
That’s silly and absurd. Trump didn’t disclose any real medical records. He has also been hiding tax returns that might show unsavory business alliances, debt, or wealth that’s far short of what he’s claimed.
Trump did make a few indirect disclosures about his health based on his latest check-up last week. For an interview taped Wednesday with Republican television personality Mehmet Oz, Trump provided the host with a one page summary of his health status, which according to news reports says Trump uses statin drugs for cholesterol and is overweight.
The Oz interview is to be aired Thursday (Sept. 15). Oz had said beforehand that he would not ask questions about things Trump didn’t want to discuss.
Overall, both candidates could and should do better to be transparent, and that goes well beyond health issues. Recent polling by ABC and The Washington Post showed a third or less of voters thought either candidate was honest and trustworthy, though Clinton had a slight edge over Trump. Some Democrats worry about Clinton’s lack of transparency hurting her campaign.
No doubt, the 2016 presidential race has lowered the bar in ways that once were unimaginable.
Our sense that the 2016 campaign is an overly long and tiresome reality TV show just keeps growing.
This story was originally published September 14, 2016 at 9:34 PM with the headline "Clinton, Trump get chances to come clean."