Bill Clinton: Blame Me For Health Care Failure

[ariesgem]

GLENWOOD, Iowa — Former President Clinton said Thursday that he is to blame for his administration's failed health care plan, not his wife, who spearheaded the effort.

>>>>>>>>> snip

"She has taken the rap for some of the problems we had with health care the last time that were far more my fault than hers," the former president said.

He said part of the problem was a lack of money to finance the health care expansion. Money could be available this time to pay for expanded health care, such as the universal health care plan Hillary Clinton has proposed.

Clinton added that his wife's plan faced opposition in Congress, in part, because they had an attitude of "just say no to Bill Clinton."

When asked by a reporter about the former president's comments, Sen. Barack Obama, a rival for the presidential nomination, said Hillary Clinton shouldn't tout her experience and then not take responsibility for the failures.

"If part of your basis for experience is the work you did on health care, then presumably when it didn't work out, that's part of the experience as well," Obama said during a brief stop outside a convenience store and gas station in Albia.

"We're focused on trying to deliver a message of the kind of president I would be and why I think I would be the best nominee for the Democratic Party," Obama said. "My understanding is that President Clinton is not on the ballot."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20071108/bill-clinton-health-care/

[durrrty libby]

1. He is sweet , protective and brilliant. The world is lucky to have him

[IndianaGreen]

3. It's like watching two drug addicts enable each other's addiction

Pathetic!

[durrrty libby]

6. Aww sad for you making a comparison that marginalizes truly

ill people

Lousy dem indeed

[IndianaGreen]

2. Bullshit! Hillary was in charge, she is responsible for her failure.

Bill's is responsible for putting her in charge.

Two for the price of one, indeed!

[durrrty libby]

7. Stop hating yourself and It will get better

[Imagevision]

4. Obama: “My understanding is President Clinton’s not on the ballot.” >

Obama; “All I know is that part of the record she’s running on is having worked on health care,” he said, “so it’s kind of hard to gauge if one of her claims is to have experience in this issue to then suggest that somehow she doesn’t have anything to do with the fact that it didn’t work.”

Obama; “If you are saying that part of your basis for experience is the work you did on health care,” he said, “then presumably when it didn’t work, that’s part of the experience as well.”

Bill; " don't blame Hillary blame me, but you're not running for president Bill!?!

[cuke]

5. Sen Byrd killed UHC in 1993

Byrd prevented UHC from becoming part of the budget, which meant it would need a filibuster-proof 60 votes to pass instead of the 50 it would need if it were part of the budget, which cant be filibustered

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reconciliation_(Senate)

The Congressional Budget Act of 1974 created reconciliation. (See Pub.L. 93-344, § 310; 88 Stat. 297; 2 U.S.C. § 641.) But Congress came to use it in the 1980s. Congress used reconciliation to enact President Bill Clinton's 1993 (fiscal year 1994) budget. (See Pub.L. 103-66, 107 Stat. 312.) President Clinton wanted to use reconciliation to pass his health care plan, but Senator Robert Byrd insisted that the health care plan was out of bounds for a process that is theoretically about budgets