According to Hillary Clinton herself, life has not been fair to her the past several years. For the second time in her life, several years were devoted to campaigning and losing the presidency.
Now as 2017 ends, two new factors have entered her life; bad health and even worse poll numbers. First the health news:
Hillary’s past 18 months have been filled with stress and anger. Not only was she a heavy favorite to win the Democratic nomination in 2008, only to lose to underdog Barack Obama, but the 2016 presidential election was lost to an even more distant opponent, Donald Trump.
Since last fall she has been out on the stump trying to win back favor with her book, “What Happened.” The predicted sales have been disappointing as it seems the country has tired of her finger-pointing she has made so public.
During that tour last October in Britain she was late to several interviews after falling down some stairs and breaking a toe. Two months later she was still wearing a boot on the affected foot.
Hillary was in Vancouver last week for the last stop on her worldwide book tour. She was clearly wearing the boot after three months. Toe fractures generally take four to six weeks to heal. It is now three months.
The former secretary of state has been largely silent about the injury. Her version is she fell while running downstairs in high heels. But the prolonged injury has many wondering if it isn’t something more serious.
Ms. Clinton has a history of taking bad falls. She nearly fainted following a 9/11 memorial visit just prior to the 2016 election. In 2013 she reportedly fell in her home the night prior to scheduled testimony before the House Benghazi Committee. She was then seen wearing special prism lenses to help double vision.
Rumors about more serious health problems abound. That includes whispers of possible early Parkinson’s disease to several mini strokes.
Now Hillary faces her latest poling results. A recent Gallup Poll indicates her favorable rating has hit a new low falling to 36 percent. That is a far cry from her peak in 1999 of 67 percent and 66 percent in 2011.
It would appear Hillary’s run at national office is over. Whether she continues to blame her 2016 defeat on a variety of factors other than herself remains to be seen.