Tweet from David Axelrod 9/12/16, 5:20 AM
Antibiotics can take care of pneumonia. What’s the cure for an unhealthy penchant for privacy that repeatedly creates unnecessary problems?
That, from David Axelrod, says it all. Nothing more needs to be said about the current news cycle dwelling on Hillary Clinton’s bout with pneumonia. Mr. Axelrod was one of the principal architects who launched the successful run of candidate Barack Obama over the “presumptive nominee” Hillary Clinton in the Presidential campaign of 2008. If there’s anyone who can pinpoint Mrs. Clinton’s weaknesses as a candidate, it would be him.
In all but three of the nine factors that predict which political candidate is winning a Presidential race, Time Magazine reports that Hillary Clinton shows the most likelihood of winning office over Donald Trump.
These nine factors are: polling; Electoral College lead; campaign surrogates; get-out-the-vote efforts; advertising; fundraising; earned media; debate preparation and enthusiasm. Between the two it’s a toss-up when it comes to earned media because Trump manages to hog the news through his Twitter account, and surprisingly it’s also a toss-up when it comes to debate prep. But then again, the latter is due to expectations for Trump’s debate performance being very very low.
It’s the last one — enthusiasm — that we’re here to talk about today.
Of the many things we expect and need from a presidential candidate — a sense of the candidate’s trustworthiness and openness as well as a campaign’s competence — are the understated factors in a campaign that can’t be underestimated. These factors bubble underneath subconsciously in the mind of the voter, undermining or supporting voter confidence and enthusiasm in a candidate.
This is something Mr. Axelrod understood when Obama was attacked during the primaries by the Clinton campaign and the Republicans for his association with Reverend Wright, prompting what would be one of Obama’s many groundbreaking speeches that will be talked about in historical textbooks in years to come.
Obama’s penchant for successfully tackling gaffes and blindsiding attacks was one of the many ways we understood how much of a well-oiled, well-informed and open (at least for a political campaign), operation he was leading. He then could drive the attention of the voters back to the issues at hand. For a candidate new to the political scene, and for any candidate, that skill was and continues to be essential. It spoke well of Obama the Candidate’s character and the campaign’s effectiveness. It set up expectations in the electorate of what is now famously known as “No Drama Obama.” This is a character trait that even David Brooks, a conservative Beltway pundit, stated openly he will come to miss in this next Presidential go-around.
Yet, this week’s news of Mrs. Clinton’s bout with pneumonia, or whatever her illness is, and the cancellation of her California campaign stop raises specters — old and new — of the issues that keep cropping up and haunting all things Hillary. It is not as though her campaign hasn’t been effective. It has. But voter enthusiasm about her has always been hit-or-miss for her supporters, some of whom are supporting her because the alternative is tantamount to having the country, democracy, and the stability of the planet driven off a steep cliff.
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Right now, the actions of her staff to keep her illness under wraps these last few weeks, coupled with Clinton’s inherent Scorpionic secrecy, raises legitimate concerns. It is ripe fodder for the alt-right white supremacists, who are Trump’s base, looking to take her down any way they can. It’s all about trust. This is not something we should be discussing two months out from Nov. 8, election day.
I am not certain she has Parkinson’s disease as some in the news and the tabloids speculate. But having had a bad bout of walking pneumonia for two months in my late forties, I know a little about what that is. Your body is constantly fighting to keep the infection at bay, and thus you are weakened emotionally and physically.
There were points in my illness where all I could do was lie down and hope to die because I was tired of living under the stress of being sick and having too much to do. That was before I stopped believing that it was nothing more than a bad cold and bronchitis, and that a few over-the-counter medications would help. It finally took a bout of antibiotics to clear things up. By the way, please don’t ask me what I think of Claritin, Mucinex or other anti-histamines. They don’t work. Not with pneumonia.
Now imagine this disease in the body of a woman in her late sixties under the pressure of political campaign. The grueling schedule of having to appear with energy and, yes, enthusiasm — added to constant flights in airplanes which aren’t exactly shrines to sterility — can take their toll. My knees would buckle too.
But now and in the long run, the Clinton campaign needs to take the note from Mr. Axelrod, which is a deep and biting slam and a message to the Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee on how they are doing and what they need to do with the mystery of Hillary’s pneumonia. Given the character of the candidate, this amounts to hurdling over a deep character flaw, which her touted historical experience and political effectiveness barely overcomes.
Cancelling her campaign stop in California is not as big a deal as many would like to speculate. California is an ultraviolet blue state and is basically the ATM for the Democratic Party. All of her campaign contributors here will understand, because California is a safe state and an easy electoral college win.
But, candidate Clinton needs to “get over herself,” as Eric has said in his analysis of her chart, and as Mr. Axelrod implied in his tweet. She needs to open up and get past at least this. Far far too much is at stake, and not just for this election.
Well put, thank you. I felt kind of sad and embarrassed for Hillary when she left Chelsea’s apartment after the incident and said with forced energy for the cameras, “it’s a great day in New York!” She’s tough to love, that’s for sure, even when you want to.
Cheryl:
Thanks for your comment.
Whereas Obama was a rock star who basked in the attention, Hillary has a hard time being personable with crowds.
Its a hard comparison to make between the two because it seems quite unfair to her, but then again, she had an “old guard” lining up on either side of her which had no solid footing in how to connect on the scale Obama could.
Not saying she’s unlovable, but she’s closed off in some critical areas that could really evolve her if she was to open up. Its the control thing and that weighs against her in terms of trust. Its a heavy liability that she clings to because it seems to make her feel safe. At least that’s my esoteric “read” on her.
I agree Fe, and I think she’s been in hiding most of her adult life. Hiding her power, her sexuality, her anger (well, not always so good at hiding the anger). During her acceptance speech at the convention she seemed to break through all that and simply feel the love coming toward her. She seemed to melt into the kind of evolution to which you refer.
Fe, I’ve come to the conclusion that Hillary’s planetary “spread” has a lot to do with her reticence. If you notice, 9 of the major 10 planets in her chart are near the ascendant in the 1st house and up through her 12th and back into her 8th house. Only the Moon is in the “bottom” half of her birth chart if she was born at 8:02 AM. This means that she has the Moon and only the Moon to tie the two halves of her “self” together, her inner self and her outer, mostly public self.
She handles that well because the natal Pisces Moon aspects her Mercury on the ascendant of the chart, her Saturn – the closest planet to her MC, and her Uranus in the 8th house. Now that her natal Moon is enveloped in the Chiron energy, it is suppressing those connections to the outer or public side of her being. I think this could be a plan between transiting Chiron and transiting Pluto.
Transiting Pluto in her 2nd house for now is quincunx her natal Pluto-Mars conjunction and that means an adjustment of some kind is being called for. Add to that pressure the transit of centaur Pholus who is opposing her natal Uranus and we get the “small cause, big effect” of Pholus with a big flurry of shock, excitement and a little of the unexpected from natal Uranus.
To me it appears that Hillary (for reasons easily understood) is resisting that “adjustment” that transiting Pluto is demanding from her. Something had to give, and with Chiron conjunct the natal (and isolated) Moon, while square transiting Pholus who opposes Hillary’s natal Uranus, she winds up in bed with an acute T-square that possibly can be “cleared up” with the help of the U.S. Neptune that opposes her natal Moon.
T-square energy is difficult to extrapolate. It is often said that the 4th or empty leg of a T-square (which, if not empty, would produce a grand cross) when filled, would equalize the pressure exerted by the T-square, in this case natal Moon (unconscious perhaps or maybe just habits) square transiting Pholus (small cause, big effect) opposite natal Uranus (unexpected and just plain shocking). The U.S. Neptune (also opposite transiting Chiron and square transiting Pholus just might (now don’t fight me on this idea yet) be throwing up a smoke screen.
Yes, all this brouhaha (thank you Pholus) brought about by pictures (U.S. Neptune) of Hillary in compromising situations (falling, etc.) might just prove to be a blessing in disguise. Hillary needs time to sort out just what adjustments transiting Pluto is demanding from her natal Pluto-Mars in Leo. The U.S. Neptune can provide this time out of the spotlight (Neptune rules Pisces which symbolizes hospitals, retreats, confinement, etc.) and while her supporters anxiously await further news, big things could be going on behind closed doors.
If we look at the larger picture through the eyes of the cycle of Saturn and Neptune (now in its final quarter as symbolized by the present-day squares between transiting Saturn and Neptune) we notice that the Moon in that 1st conjunction (of 3 that took place in 1989) was conjunct the team of Saturn and Neptune in Capricorn. Saturn and Neptune at 11+ degrees and the Moon at 14+ degrees. That’s where transiting Pluto is right now, 14+ Capricorn. There are no coincidences in astrology.
From that position, transiting Pluto also squares the U.S. Saturn in Libra while still in opposition to the U.S. Sun in Cancer. I’m thinking/feeling that Hillary’s “bad health” problem is a ruse for something concerning the U.S. itself; something that could go back at least to 1989.
I say that because in the Neptune-Saturn cycle’s 1st conjunction chart the Sun was at 12+ Pisces and that’s where transiting Neptune stationed retrograde in June. It is also where the transiting South Node (release portal) is and has been for weeks and weeks, and it (and the transiting North Node) also squares the U.S. Sibly ascendant (where transiting Saturn is) in Sagittarius,
Who knows, Hillary just might be providing a service to her country (or at least the present administration) by backing off the campaign trail for a couple of weeks. Call me a conspiracy theorist but I believe there is more to this than meets the eye. Or it might be nothing more than the dayam email server in her basement, but it could have something to do with foreign relations or even the Clinton Foundation too. This all hit the fan just as transiting Jupiter entered Libra.
With the full moon lunar eclipse on Thursday transiting Mars will conjunct transiting Pholus as they square the Full eclipsed Moon + Chiron on one end of the spectrum and the transiting Sun (and U.S. Neptune) on the other end, and something else will be revealed. It might be about Hillary, yes, but it might be about Bill Clinton as his natal Jupiter in Libra is opposite transiting Uranus and Eris in Aries (which transiting Mars trines). Maybe Hillary is just needed at home.
be
The gossip about a double for Hillary made me realize that I never saw her face in the video of that stumble and partial collapse. It was all shot from the backs of those getting into the car. Maybe someone else has seen it from the front but it could have been a double for Hillary if that story is true. She’s had a phone-in interview since that incident and sounded quite strong.
In Friday’s lunar eclipse chart retrograde Ceres will be at 4+ Taurus and looking rather benign. However on the 25th and 26th there is an interplay between transiting Jupiter, transiting Ceres and transiting Venus just before the 1st debate between Hillary and the Donald on the 26th.
At that time retro Ceres opposes Venus in Scorpio, and Jupiter in Libra is quincunx Ceres, as he semisextiles Venus during those hours. Transiting Ceres will sextile the U.S. Venus in Cancer too, while transiting Venus will trine the U.S. Venus and transiting Jupiter will square the U.S. Venus. It all seems to emphasize the “pleasingly” feminine qualities; balancing the nurturer (mother) with the pleasure providing qualities associated with the gracious feminine mystique.
The degree Ceres (the nurturer) is in at that time will be carrying the vibes of Chiron and Uranus. 3+ Taurus was where Chiron was discovered and where Chiron was when Uranus was discovered. Transiting Venus at 3+ Scorpio is only 1 degree from Hillary’s Sun but by the time of the debate trans. she will be conjunct Hillary’s Sun. Transiting Jupiter will be 2 degrees from Trump’s natal Jupiter.
I figure Trump will we more loquacious than ever in this 1st debate, perhaps even more knowledgeable. With the stealth of a cat, Hillary will charm while also balancing that charm with healing, even unexpected initiatives intended to encourage financially strapped voters.
Hillary has the difficult square between her natal Saturn in Leo and her Mercury in Scorpio as we know. Today however, the transiting Sun square transiting Mars has the unique quality of lending support to Hillary’s Saturn/restrictive-Mercury/speaking challenge. Sun will sextile Hillary’s Mercury while Mars will trine her Saturn. I’m thinking she’s being coached for that debate even as I type these words.
Perhaps Hillary’s illness (if I’m wrong) was well-timed to get her off the relentless marathon speaking tour (so Scorpio!) but if it really is a Neptunian guise, where’s the harm? The Donald is good at running his mouth, the Hil, not so good at that. However, there’s no doubt she’s smarter by far than he, and if having her rested and prepared to the hilt to fight the dragon. . . .
well I say all’s fair in love and war.
be
That debate will be something to see. Investing in popcorn!
I think that at this point in history, all factors included — along with that strange Moon, Neptune, Sun, Mercury square pattern in Hillary’s progressed chart, and what we know from Hillary being on the world stage for 25 years — really need to make us question whether that press release was not just a press release.
We need a real analysis of what might happen should it become known that she has something more serious than pneumonia. That would be the set of motives for a wider coverup of a deeper, more persistent problem.
I am just wondering: why do we accept a doctor’s letter as proven fact?
One of our Facebook readers suggested that it’s not usual for the media to enquire into a presidential candidate’s health in that much detail; and that before the internet there were presidents elected who had varying degrees of sickness.
It seems to me that it’s probably good journalism to try and reach the facts (although diagnosis by web is not necessarily a good idea) – but in the context of Trump’s doctor’s letter, I can’t help feeling we’re focusing on the wrong issue here. How on earth Trump can get away with that crap beats me. He has never really received the level of scrutiny his words and actions merit.
Amy:
There’s room for another 9-11 column on that alone, but it’s so vast it’s an interesting dilemma to deal with how to approach it. The candidate? The supporters? Or the press? My hunch is a rather bleak and disgusting amalgam of all three. I’ll need a protective suit with a HEPA filter to write it.