GLENWOOD, Iowa, Nov. 9, 2007
Bill Clinton: Blame Me For Health Care
Former President Says He, Not Hillary, Is To Blame For Failed Effort
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Former President Bill Clinton speaks to supporters, while campaigning for his wife Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., in Glenwood, Iowa, Thursday, Nov. 8, 2007. (AP)
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Photo Essay Hillary Clinton A look at a life and career full of firsts.
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Photo Essay Clinton's 8 Years The former president's travels abroad, and triumphs and troubles at home.
Clinton was asked about the plan during a campaign event, where he spoke to about 600 people crowded into a YMCA gymnasium. The health care effort was led by then-first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, now a New York senator and candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination.
"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.
"This time, when you let the tax cuts for upper-income people expire, it'll create a pool of money that wasn't there last time," Bill Clinton said. "We told her she had to get to universal coverage and there would be no new money. She had to figure out how to do it."
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."
© MMVII The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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See all 92 CommentsDr. Ron Paul., an OB/GYN physician, has been the national leader in preserving our Health Freedom. He feels that Americans are justifiably concerned over the government''s escalating intervention into their freedom to choose what they eat and how they take care of their health. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), in order to comply with standards dictated by supra-national organizations such as the UN''s World Food Code (CODEX), NAFTA, and CAFTA, has been assuming greater control over nutrients, vitamins and natural health care providers to restrict your right to choose the manner in which you manage your health and nutritional needs. He introduced the Health Freedom Protection Act, HR 2117, to ensure Americans can receive truthful health information about supplements and natural remedies. He supports the Access to Medical Treatment Act, H.R. 2717, which expands the ability of Americans to use alternative medicine and new treatments. He opposes legislation that increases the FDA''s legal powers. The FDA has consistently failed to protect the public from dangerous drugs, genetically modified foods, dangerous pesticides and other chemicals in the food supply. Meanwhile, they waste public funds attacking safe, healthy foods and dietary supplements. He also opposed the Homeland Security Bill, which, in section 304, authorizes the forced vaccination of American citizens. The government should never have that kind of power. Vote YES for Dr. No.
People have gotten wise to the fact that vaccines are contaminated with DNA fragments, viruses, fungus, mercury, and a cocktail of other poisonous toxins. Fleets of reputable studies have been published globally detailing the wide swaths of destruction caused by vaccines, including autism. So, now the establishment is on the offensive, attempting to bully us into submission. Big Pharma is one of the biggest businesses in the world. It is among the top three purchasers of advertisement in print, TV and radio. Thay have major pull. President Bush recently vetoed a Bill which would have forced Big Pharma to remove mercury from vaccines. If that''s not bad enough, parts of the so-called Patriot Act contains provisions that essentialy removes the spectre of civil liability against Big Pharma with respect to vaccines. This was done under the quise of protecting Big Pharma in case they had to quickly develop a vaccine to combat some form of biological terrorism. No other candidate understands health issues as well as Ron Paul does. He not only supported the Bill which would have removed mercury from our vaccines, he voted against the Patriot Act as well. Dr. Paul., an OB/GYN physician, who has delivered over 4,000 babies, has been the national leader in preserving our Health Freedom. He feels that Americans are justifiably concerned over the government''s escalating intervention into our freedom to choose what we eat and how we take care of our health.
Yes, he was president, but he didn''t deem himself as king. And he needed support to go get him from home and abroad. And he didn''t get it from the CIA and FBI, nor the republican congress. So he had no basis to go to the UN and seek support.
And you can argue till the cows come home, but it won''t change the fact of where this country''s been taken under republican leadership. All the stones you want to throw at the Clintons won''t change that one whit. Not one thing in the last 15 years can you lay at anybody elses door.
Makes a lot of sense to me. Uh huh!
Who was blocking him he was the president? Also if you remember their were several large attacks in his administration including an attempt to blow up the twin towers.
I would agree that we need enough people to audit tax returns and and feel hiring more would actually help raise revenues, but once again what you are blaming republicans for was done with bill''s approval so you can tar them both with that critique
I am very good at numbers. His popularity ratings were in the low 40''s during his first two yesrs in office. He got through a tax increase with the help of a local congresswomen. She was newly elected. She was defeated in the 1994. He was felt to be lacking in strength and many were disenchanted by his failure to pass a health care bill.
While I am patting the republicans on the back, Clinton you remember the president we were talking about had to approve them.
This included a welfare reform bill that restricted the length of time a person could be on public assistance unless unemployable and also restricted eligibility of legally admitted permanent resident aliens for public assistance which brought squeals of anger from the liberals but which actually prevented people from bringing their aged parents into the USA and get them on the dole immediately.
Unpopular to whom? And I''ll check out your story about lost seats...I''m not at all confident in your statistics.
Also, read up...Mr. Clinton had a plan to get Osama and Al Queda...somebody kept blocking his attempts to get the CIA and FBI to act so he could justify getting landing privileges to send a team in to get him. And, sir, he fought to get it until the end of his term. And he handed over the information to Mr. Bush who sat on it for 9 months and let it happen!
So, if your republican led congress presented so many wonderful plans while they were in office, then give me some excuses why we''re in the shape we''re in right now? And yes the budget was balanced and we''d lost all ability to regulate big business in the process. They cut programs down to bare bones. Hell, the IRS didn''t even have enuff people to audit their *** business taxes, we lost control of our borders so business can hire illegals instead of citizens, we lost control of what''s being imported, we''ve lost jobs to outsourcing.
So just tell me, sir, what did the wonderful republicans do for the people of this country except give themselves the ability to steal from us?
No, I didn''t exempt or excuse what he did. I was very expressly stating my objection to it. The fact that I stepped on a few tender male toes while I did it, and said a few home truths offended you. Get over it!
Posted by RowdyTexan2 at 04:31 PM : Nov 11, 2007
You used sexist stereotypes to justify behavior by him and excuse it. truth be he was a mediocre president who failed to nip in the bud the beginnings of terorism by al quaeda. He had no major accomplishments. He was lucky enough to be president during the dot.com bubble that brought huge revenues into the govt. He also was so unpopular at the beginning of his term in office that when the 2004 election came along the republicans used his face in their attack ads resulting in the takeover of congress by the republicans. they won 46 seats in the house that were previously held by democrats. It was Newt gingrich''s hubris that helped lead to his re-election as well as an exceptional good economy. And it was a combination of republican attempt to control spending, increased taxes and the strong economy that led to a balanced budget.
I see CBS was real quick to jump on the planted question by Hillary.
And, just why shouldn''t Hillary get the blame, bill ?
She''s the one that said she was going to do the job!
Dr. Ron Paul., an OB/GYN physician, has been the national leader in preserving our Health Freedom. He feels that Americans are justifiably concerned over the government''s escalating intervention into their freedom to choose what they eat and how they take care of their health. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), in order to comply with standards dictated by supra-national organizations such as the UN''s World Food Code (CODEX), NAFTA, and CAFTA, has been assuming greater control over nutrients, vitamins and natural health care providers to restrict your right to choose the manner in which you manage your health and nutritional needs. He introduced the Health Freedom Protection Act, HR 2117, to ensure Americans can receive truthful health information about supplements and natural remedies. He supports the Access to Medical Treatment Act, H.R. 2717, which expands the ability of Americans to use alternative medicine and new treatments. He opposes legislation that increases the FDA''s legal powers. The FDA has consistently failed to protect the public from dangerous drugs, genetically modified foods, dangerous pesticides and other chemicals in the food supply. Meanwhile, they waste public funds attacking safe, healthy foods and dietary supplements. He also opposed the Homeland Security Bill, which, in section 304, authorizes the forced vaccination of American citizens. The government should never have that kind of power. Vote YES for Dr. No.
People have gotten wise to the fact that vaccines are contaminated with DNA fragments, viruses, fungus, mercury, and a cocktail of other poisonous toxins. Fleets of reputable studies have been published globally detailing the wide swaths of destruction caused by vaccines, including autism. So, now the establishment is on the offensive, attempting to bully us into submission. Big Pharma is one of the biggest businesses in the world. It is among the top three purchasers of advertisement in print, TV and radio. Thay have major pull. President Bush recently vetoed a Bill which would have forced Big Pharma to remove mercury from vaccines. If that''s not bad enough, parts of the so-called Patriot Act contains provisions that essentialy removes the spectre of civil liability against Big Pharma with respect to vaccines. This was done under the quise of protecting Big Pharma in case they had to quickly develop a vaccine to combat some form of biological terrorism. No other candidate understands health issues as well as Ron Paul does. He not only supported the Bill which would have removed mercury from our vaccines, he voted against the Patriot Act as well. Dr. Paul., an OB/GYN physician, who has delivered over 4,000 babies, has been the national leader in preserving our Health Freedom. He feels that Americans are justifiably concerned over the government''s escalating intervention into our freedom to choose what we eat and how we take care of our health.
And this is what extreme you will go to to simply opine. You will repeat this over and over like some mantra that excuses everything else about the situation. When you look at something open your mind to the whole picture! There was a whole lot more going on there than just that one fact, that I already said I don''t hold with.
You choose to pick out what I say and take personal offense. If you are not guilty of any of these things, then you know I''m not talking to you!
And you will accuse me of being sexist when you''ve read about ''thunder thighs'' and all the other postings here? It''s a human failing that we tend to mirror what we see, and hear. Again, if nothing I say applies to you, then be secure in that I''m talking to those that it certainly applies to.
This is an extremely demeaning and sexist remark. By this you show what extremes one goes to to defend his behavior. Again it was his lying in a court of law and his willingness to crucify his opponents to hang onto his job is what horrified me
I did not condemn him for simply lying but for lying in a court of law. I have been under oath several times as a witness and made sure as best I could to tell the truth. He was a lawyer and he swore to uphold the law. He chose not to because it benefitted him. If he had simply lied or if he had admitted that he had the affair no problem but by lying in a court of law and then spend 2 years crucifying anyone that dared tell the truth was what I found profoundly disturbing and hateful.
as it is often said the covering up is the problem not admitting to one''s own faults. Nixon found this out the very hard way.
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke appeared before the Congressional Joint Economic Committee Member, Congressman Ron Paul on November 8th, and had to face some tough criticism from Paul concerning the fact that the Fed has been increasing the money supply while at the same time refusing to raise the Prime Interest Rate in order to curb deflation. Paul accused the Federal Reserve of "robbery," telling Bernanke, "There''s a dollar crisis out there and people''s money is being stolen," Paul said. "People who have saved, they''re being robbed. I mean, if you have a devaluation of the dollar at 10 percent, people have been robbed of 10 percent." Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke attempted to dispel that notion by explaining, "If somebody has their wealth in dollars and they''re going to buy consumer goods in dollars, then the only effect it has on their buying power is that it makes imported goods more expensive." Paul disagreed, reminding Bernanke, "Yeah, but not if you''re elderly and you have your wealth in CDs. Their cost of living is going-up no matter what your CPI says," adding finally, "Their cost of living is going up, and they''re hurting. And that''s why the people of this country are very upset."
Congressman, Paul never votes for any Bill which he feels is not authorized by The Constitution, regardless of what it might be named. He feels most Laws should be made at the local or State level: the way our Founders intended. We are a Republic, and we have plenty of State lawmakers who are more than willing to make Laws which best serve their constituents. "Ron Paul is one of the easiest people in Congress to work with, because he bases his positions on the merits of issues," says Barney Frank, who has worked with Paul on efforts to ease the regulation of gambling and medical marijuana. "He is independent, but not ornery." Paul has made a habit of objecting to things that no one else objects to. In 2001, he was one of only three House Republicans to vote against the USA Patriot Act. He was the sole House member of either party to vote against the Financial Antiterrorism Act. In 1999, he was the only naysayer in a vote in favor of casting a medal to honor Rosa Parks. Nothing against Rosa Parks. Paul also voted against similar medals for Reagan and Pope John Paul II. He did, however, offer $100 of his own money to help pay for Reagan''s medal, and invited others in Congress to match his offer, but not one Member took him-up on it. Instead, Congress spent YOUR money. He not only routinely opposes resolutions that are unconstitutional, he votes against Bills which presume to advise foreign governments how to run their affairs.
I think you forget that the congress at the time was republican, and that they wanted to smear the democratic party to set up the next election. And they to all those trashy women that made themselves available to him. Lying is wrong! And he was impeached for it. But look at who impeached him!
My beef is with the hypocracy of it all. To condemn one man for lying and sexual affairs you need to condemn them ALL! And those that cry loudest will sit in the chair and ogle every teenage set of bobbies and butt on the internet they can get their eyes on, like they''re pure of heart! There are few men who wouldn''t drop old mama trade her in for a new model if they wouldn''t have to lose half of all they''ve got!
Men seem to think that being pro-choice means you support abortion. Read up! Pro-choice is about a woman''s right to choose. The ban on partial birth abortion was the first step to legislating the case that gave women the right to choose. Hillary knew what she was doing.
Those that cry about big government have allowed the de-regulationists to steal your money out of your pocket. We''ve now lost the ability to hold big business to standards. Price gouging, profiteering, total profit margins, safety regulations, collective bargaining by employees. Sometime read up on de-reglation of your government. And find out what a crock of *** they sold you.
The main thing Ron Paul''s campaign has done thus far is to serve as a clearinghouse for voters like me who feel unrepresented by the Fascisct (globalist Republicans) and their Socialist comrades in crime (globalist Democrats). They''re actually one and the same. It''s all a phony, poorly staged left-right paradigm. Most people, though, are too distracted, dumbed-down, or outright brainwashed by mainstream media, which endlessly regurgitates scientifically-crafted streams of information aimed at keeping their eyes closed to the realities of the world around them, that they fail to recognize this. Those currently in power, and those being groomed to take [major] political power, are preselected by the "global elite," and whomever is eventually elected, will ultimately, serve their will, and not ours. People on the right and those on the left have many differences. Maybe irreconcilable ones. But they have a lot of common beliefs too, and their numbers and anger are of a considerable magnitude. No matter what happens in 2008, I personally believe Ron Paul will influence the national conversation about what the role of the federal government is, how much power the government should have over our lives and how much liberty we should give up for security. These are issues that, frankly, no one else is talking about as seriously and sincerely as Ron Paul. What''s for sure is that his growing army of supporters like me will be a force to be reckoned with in 2008.
Please explain how being here first means anything. the arabs were not the first settlers of what is now Israel; nor were the Israelis. In fact we don''t know who was first. I might remind you that the Aztecs who who the last overlords of Mexico were hated by their felllow mexicans and were one of the cruelest empires. I''m not certain that this gives them a special right.
Your other comments sound like pie in the sky. We will put down all weapons. Who is we. all people on earth. If you believe this is even remotely feasible I have a bridge to sell you.
If you mean americans unilateral disarmament, that would the end of america
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