So here’s the headline from PR Newswire, as touted on Drudge:
Whoa! Sounds like probable cause for more public scrutiny, don’t you think?
But then you get into the actual copy:
TUCSON, Ariz., Sept. 8, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Concerns about Hillary Clinton’s health are “serious—could be disqualifying for the position of President of the U.S.,” say nearly 71% of 250 physicians responding to an informal internet survey by the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS). About 20% said concerns were “likely overblown, but should be addressed as by full release of medical records.” Only 2.7% responded that they were “just a political attack; I have confidence in the letter from her physician and see no cause for concern.”
While more than 81% were aware of her history of a concussion, only 59% were aware of the cerebral sinus thrombosis, and 52% of the history of deep venous thrombosis.
Right away you see the problem here: 250 physicians is not exactly a robust sample, and an “informal” survey? Which means the respondents are self-selected? I like the AAPS—they’ve done some excellent advocacy work in the past on health policy issues. But this finding is no more meaningful than a “poll” which simply asks registered voters to chime in online if they feel like it—like the after-debate polls Drudge used showing Trump was always the massive winner of each debate.
On the other hand, perhaps this is exactly what the media and Democrats deserve. Older readers and people who’ve read their history will call to mind the infamous Fact magazine “poll” of psychiatrists in 1964 in which over 1,000 concluded that Barry Goldwater was psychologically unfit to be president, which was actually well below 50 percent of the total respondents, unlike the current AAPS poll about Hillary. What the media breathlessly reported is was the finding that “over 1,000 psychiatrists think Barry is nuts.”
The American Psychiatric Association, to its credit, was not amused, and afterward issued professional guidelines against ever doing such a stunt again, which became known as the “Goldwater Rule.”
“On occasion psychiatrists are asked for an opinion about an individual who is in the light of public attention or who has disclosed information about himself/herself through public media. In such circumstances, a psychiatrist may share with the public his or her expertise about psychiatric issues in general. However, it is unethical for a psychiatrist to offer a professional opinion unless he or she has conducted an examination and has been granted proper authorization for such a statement.”
Well guess what? There’s been a lot of chafing against the APA rule this year when it comes to Donald Trump. Because, you know, he’s obviously even nuttier than Goldwater:
Democratic Representative Karen Bass went so far as to start a petition claiming that Trump might have Narcissistic Personality Disorder, and that Republicans should make Trump get a psychological evaluation “to determine his mental fitness for the job.”
So it seems that the AAPS is only playing by the rules the liberals started. I think Hillary ought to go to the Mayo Clinic for three or four days for a full workup, and with the results disclosed to the public.
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