Republican chairman: Clinton's age, health 'fair game'

[Omaha Steve]

Source: Reuters

(Reuters) - Hillary Clinton's age and health are valid campaign issues if the 66-year-old Democrat makes another run for president in 2016, the Republican Party leader said on Sunday.

Reince Priebus, the Republican National Committee chairman, was asked on NBC's "Meet the Press" about Republican strategist Karl Rove's reported comments that Clinton might have suffered brain damage from a 2012 blood clot. Priebus refused to distance himself from Rove's remarks or say he should apologize.

"I think that health and age is fair game," Priebus said. "It was fair game for Ronald Reagan. It was fair game for John McCain."

Reagan took office in 1981 at age 69; McCain, the Republican candidate in 2008, was 72 on Election Day that year.

FULL story at link.


Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/18/us-usa-politics-clinton-idUSBREA4H06520140518

[marble falls]

1. Reince Priebus is turdblossom, jr.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

33. No one worried about Dick's heart

for VP

[marble falls]

35. Dick proved his heart was unneccessary and nothing to worry about.

[Gman]

2. Go ahead.

Make her a political martyr. Pick on a woman. Get real ugly. That's the winning strategy.

Sadly they think it really is.

[canuckledragger]

3. But in the case of Reagan...

he really WAS suffering from Alzheimer's...and McCain has been showing erratic behavior for years.

There's something real to go on in both those cases. Hillary, not so much.

Just another turdblossom smear campaign.

[Orrex]

5. For real.

Even now, mentioning Reagan's less-than-stellar mental capacity is akin to blasphemy, even though he was clearly misfiring while still in office.

If Repubs are targeting Clinton's health this early in the game, it means that they're desperate and terrified.

[canuckledragger]

10. And knowing that the Benghazi bullshit is going nowhere...

Turdblossom's trying another old tactic: keep throwing shit out there and see what sticks.

We already knows what depths they'll go to in President Obama's case, so at least she should be prepared for it.

[Thor_MN]

26. There were times while he was in office that he did not know where he was.

I forget the details, but an aide said at one point after delivering his prepared lines, he asked the aide for a little help as he wasn't sure where or why he was there. He should have been removed from office, but try tell that to his devotees.

[Orrex]

27. Even back in the day, when I was about 12...

He struck me less as a "great communicator" than a decrepit old great-uncle that everyone took care of at the family reunion.

But, as you note, his devotees would never be persuaded.

And here we are, still laboring under his insane policies 30+ years later...

[Leme]

4. age and health are valid campaign issues

Age and health are valid campaign issues, I happen to agree. I do not know who is or will be the vice presidential candidate.
-
I might vote for any age candidate...if I knew the VP.
-
Healthy at 69 is probably ok...just much older raises questions for me.
-
a lot would depend on alternatives

[jwirr]

11. Exactly that is what a vp is for. A backup. Her age is not as much a problem if she has a vp that we

like, younger and healthy.

[Leme]

13. unfortunately, we don't vote for a ticket in the primary

the VP is an afterthought of the candidate...we never vote for VP in the primary.

[7962]

12. I think McCains VP pick did scare the hell out of a lot of undecided voters

"If he should die, SHE'S President? Oh hell no"

[davidpdx]

36. Good point

McCain had the chance to go with someone who wasn't as nutty as Palin, but chose her anyway.

The VP pick and his reaction to the financial crisis pretty much sunk his battleship.

[homegirl]

14. Time for Democrats to stop

thinking of two term presidencies. My dream for the next the presidential choices:

2016 - Hillary Clinton/Alan Grayson
2020 - Alan Grayson/Elizabeth Warren
2024 - Elizabeth Warren/a young fresh candidate

GOTV 2014!

[former9thward]

16. Warren would be 75 in 2024.

A total non-starter.

[Beacool]

25. Warren is only a bit less than 2 years younger than Hillary.

[McCamy Taylor]

23. Julian Castro!

[Evergreen Emerald]

30. They are not asking legitimate questions

they are just starting early with the smear campaign. And, it is working. The lemming-media follows Rove and buddies and keeps alive the innuendos, and distortions.

I wish they had vetted George Bush for intelligence before running him.

[Iliyah]

6. GOPers are running scared

Looking like 2014 Senate will remain in Dem's hands and gains for the House of Representatives and Governorships along with legislative. GOPers ain't got nada that's why they are attacking age and health and B E N G H A Z I.

[karynnj]

9. Not to mention, if we keep the Senate this year, 2016 is the re-election of those who won in 2010

A huge Republican year. Just as 2012 and 2014 were/are likely bad Democratic years because 2006 and 2008 were huge Democratic years, we will be favored to gain seats in 2016.

[Ishoutandscream2]

7. Rinse Penis, your name is fair game

[nolabear]

8. Facts about health and age are. Stupid, ageist gossip-mongering isn't.

Age isn't per se a problem and Hillary isn't old for a healthy, experienced, vital woman. Many far younger presidents were in far, far worse physical condition and accomplished great good. Kennedy and Roosevelt both had serious problems.

But the crazy train of GOP politics is trying to define reality and we have to push back against that imo.

[Jack Rabbit]

15. Racist voter ID laws are fair game, too, Preebee

. . . and so are pointless wars, the war on science, civil liberties, the destruction of the middle class, who takes money from the Koch brothers, who takes money from the NRA and who appointed Scalia, Thomas, Roberts and Alito to the Supreme Court. As for Karl Rove, how about who outed Valerie Plame?

I really hope the Democrats find somebody other than Hilary Clinton, but her age and health rank very low on my list of reasons for feeling that way. On the other hand, my reasons for not voting for Republicans are issue oriented.

[DJ13]

17. This from the guy who's party ran McCain in 08?

[Bernardo de La Paz]

18. Let's find quotes where Priebus & others deflected criticism of McCain's age & others. nt

[libdem4life]

19. Not Hillary's biggest fan, but I have noticed that she is looking younger these days, it seems.

And becoming a grandmother can lift spirits and elevate hope like few other events. Bill has aged more than Hillary, IMO. I also love Grayson and Warren. They should have top cabinet positions, but think Castro is up for VP.

[Android3.14]

20. One of the reasons the Dems are struggling is because of the age of their leadership

The Rs are way too old to lead the country. Their ideas are old, their attitudes are old, and their understanding of science is pre-'60s. But get this, the Dems are something like seven years older than the Republicans on average.
We have far too many lifers in Congress, and they need to make room for some new blood.
We need to replace Nancy P. and Ms. Clinton with people born after the invention of the first computer (ENIAC - 1946).
Remember how we ridiculed and attacked McCain based on his age? Clinton will be five years shy of McCain's age when he ran in '08.
This is one of the reasons Clinton will struggle to win, and we can expect this to be a constant jab during this election.
We are a strong Democratic household, with Mrs. 'Droid and my live-in mother-in-law both being librarians, me a journalist, and umpteen members of our family being school teachers. yet the only person in our house who thinks Hillary can win is my 75-year-old mother-in-law.
Personally, I am unable to think of a good reason to vote for Ms. Clinton beyond the scare tactic of the alternative of a Republican President. I'll mark the ballot for her, and I'm sure many aging feminists will too, but the young people will, for the most part, sit this one out.

[McCamy Taylor]

22. Young people in the 80s adored Ray-gun. If Hillary comes out looking like "Mom for President"

the Mom everyone wishes they had not the mom they got---she will snatch up the youth vote. They have never had a chance to vote for "Mom for President." She will be something new and exciting.

[Thinkingabout]

29. Well, Hillary meets your requirement on age.

[McCamy Taylor]

21. 66 is nothing---and women live longer than men. Once she does a few interviews

everyone will know she is smarter on a bad day than Turd Blossom will over hope to be on his best day. W. is not even in the same ball park.

[narnian60]

28. Thank you.

[abakan]

24. Her age would not be a problem...

if she were male...Since she isn't and she's past the age of objectification, she must have lost her mind and is falling apart. I think the thought of her running and winning has caused republicans to lose what little minds they had left. It's only going to get worse and more laughable if she does run.

[quadrature]

31. any medical professionals here?

HRC does not look the same
as only a few years ago.
Is there more than we are being told?

................... what we know...
blood clots / (stroke?)
history of falls
left arm weakness
does not have a drivers license
vision issues
puffy face (taking steroids?)
long/slow recovery

.... real problem is ? ......
osteoporosis
MS
something else

[blkmusclmachine]

32. For the "Republican Party of No Ideas," nothing is "out of bounds" for a persoanl attack, because

IOKIYAR !!!

[Rosa Luxemburg]

34. Prienus has already suffered brain damage

[davidpdx]

37. I'd rather oppose her wholly on her stances than age.

That is my reason for not supporting her. The Republicans are playing partisan politics as they do so well.

[warrant46]

38. An old face with new Lipstick

For the Banksters and the 1%

We will see this November where the country is going

[Nitram]

39. Of course they are fair game.

But making up rumors that she has brain damage, and lying about how long she was in the hospital and that her glasses prove she has brain damage are not. Rove should henceforth be known as "Bush's Brain Damage".