Obama: Hillary "didn't have enough confidence in the American people," stresses judgment, character

[jefferson_dem]

From NBC/NJ’s Aswini Anburajan
OBAMA WEEKEND CAMPAIGN NOTEBOOK

DUNLAP, IA -- At an event here today, Obama said that Hillary Clinton "didn't have enough confidence in the American people" when she was trying to pass health care in 1993.

Obama frequently criticizes Clinton for trying to pass health care behind closed doors in 1993. To demonstrate a contrast with her, he often says he'll put the entire process on C-SPAN. This is the first time, though, he has used the word "confidence" to describe Clinton's effort in 1993. He also placed as much blame on Clinton for failure in passing health care reform as he did the health industry.

In Council Bluffs, Obama joked about Thanksgiving in his opening remarks. "Happy Thanksgiving!” he said. “I ate too much!"

Obama appeared in high spirits talking to a crowd of a few hundred at Thomas Jefferson High School. His campaign had the podium labeled with a placard that read: "Affordable Health Care for All," but little was said that was new or deviated from Obama's stump speech. He stressed the importance of Iowa, saying that they had more of an opportunity than anyone else “on this planet” to choose the leader of the free world.

<SNIP>

"This election is about the judgment and the character of the next president," Obama told the crowd, adding, "We have a bunch of folks like that in Washington, who don't tell the America people what they really believe.”

Obama also switched a word from his stump speech. "I will initiate a new era of "presidential" diplomacy," Obama said. He usually uses the world "personal." The shift might appear small, but it could be argued that it provides more gravitas to his view that the president of the U.S. should speak directly with foreign dictators. This is one of the Obama's favorite issues on the stump and a topic on which he is unabashed in openly voicing his disagreements with Clinton.

Obama also took questions on Israel, the economy and lowering the cost of prescription drugs. He made fun of drug company commercials, saying, "people are running through the fields and you're saying what are these drugs for?" He added, smiling. “There is one drug you know what it does… You know the side effects, it gives you diarrhea."

And in a distinctly PG moment, he added, "You do know what one drug is for... Middle class couples all smiling at each other, looking happy."

Obama also said jokingly as he took questions, "These questions have not been pre-screened or pre-recorded.”

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/11/24/479460.aspx

[journalist3072]

1. What the hell is he talking about? Sounds like he's just talking out of his a@s again

She didn't have enough confidence in the American people? WTF?

How about the right-wing paid boatloads of money to defeat the Clinton health care plan.

Obama, you might want to refer back to those awful Harry & Louise ads created by the right-wing.

Geez.

[durrrty libby]

2. He has a lot to learn

BTW:yourock:

[jefferson_dem]

3. I guess you're not a fan of transparency in policy-making...

which kind of sucks given your chosen moniker of "journalist."

Try googling "Task Force on National Health Care Reform" and "secrecy" and educate yourself.

Here's a good NYT piece to start with --

Let's All Be Health Care Insiders

One day after a judge ruled that the President's Task Force on Health Care Reform must open some but not all of its meetings to the public, Hillary Rodham Clinton, who heads the task force, said she was pleased. "The judge really gave a stamp of approval to the work that's already gone on and is planned to go on," she said.

The First Lady, who is a lawyer, knows that courts don't really bless what they uphold. And you don't have to be a lawyer to know that declaring something legal doesn't make it wise. Health care reform will fail unless it wins the support of consumers and the confidence of medical professionals. Confidence and support do not thrive behind closed doors.

The task force needs to open its processes beyond the strict requirements of law. It also needs to live the Administration's boast of an accessible government, especially since President Clinton is asking Americans to trust their welfare to the unelected hands of the First Lady.

Judge Royce Lamberth of Washington's Federal court was explicit. He found that the Federal Advisory Committee Act required public notice for all the task force's meetings and public access to meetings for gathering facts on health care. He also found that Congress could not constitutionally force open the doors of meetings where specific proposals are formulated for the President.

<SNIP>

The Clintons ran as outsiders who proclaimed that letting the public in was the best way to govern. They need to take their pledges of openness beyond the letter of the law.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CE4D91538F930A25750C0A965958260&n=Top/Reference/Times%20Topics/People/C/Clinton,%20Hillary%20Rodham

[Tellurian]

16. Well, well well...Trying to have it both ways doesn't fly.

Obama is campaigning that he has more experience on issues than the former First Lady. Back in 1993' Hillary was taking on Big business, Neocons and Insurance companies. Here is an excerpt you conveniently forgot to post:

"In real life, of course, the First Lady is a quintessential insider. The lawsuit's plaintiffs included a group hostile to her White House influence as well as people who may oppose the Clinton health care program. These critics may not have the best interests of the public at heart, but that doesn't mean they are not right on the issue of openness."

Do you honestly think the plaintiffs are the Public at large? We know the loudest opposition would be coming from the Insurance companies, their lobbyists and REPUBLICAN mouthpieces foaming at the thought Hillary would cut off their campaign funding and leveling the playing field with Insurance companies for affordable Health Care Plans..

"Tout suite". But thanks for posting an article demonstrating another one of Obama's desperate talking points taken almost verbatim from the Republican playbook.

I see you got your latest propaganda memo yesterday!

[BenDavid]

5. I agree Journalist. Obama believes now that since he

he ahead in 1 poll out of 12 he can now start talking out his ass cause his mouth knows better.

This is what HRC did during all this. HRC launched a scathing attack against the insurance industry to counter the highly damaging "Harry and Louise" ads. She accused the industry of greed and deliberately lying about the reform plan in order to protect its profits. HRC specifically denounced the ads' claim that the Clinton plan "limits choice." HRC as we all know was First Lady and rarely, if ever, has a First Lady publicly attacked any American industry or industry group -- and certainly never in such strong language and in such a furious manner. HRC assault maked front-page newspaper stories, network TV news shows, and calls more attention to HIAA's role and message.

Oh but I guess OBAMA was too involved with something else at the time. Plus, I suspect if Obama had been either in the House or the Senate during all this he too like so many other fickle democrats would not have supported this health care plan. The repubs were all against this plan and would not support it in any form, but when the sacless dems decided to bolt then health care died.

Ben David

[BeyondGeography]

7. It was all over but the shoutin' by the time Harry & Louise showed up

the Clinton Health Plan was fatally flawed from the start. It was a typical too-triangulated by half piece of nonsense that had few defenders at the the end of the day. It combined employer mandates (which pissed off employers and energized health care professionals) with cost controls (which pissed off health care professionals and appealed to employers).

Everyone with a stake in the outcome found something to utterly hate about the plan, not least because of the way the process was managed by the Clinton Administration. This comes from, "Dead on Arrival: The Politics of Health Care in 20th Century America," by Colin Gordon:

"The Clinton Health Plan collapsed not because it threatened private health but because it tried so desperately to make them all happy. The task was to 'keep the health industry divided, sector to sector and within sectors,' the task force's interest group liaison put it. 'We need to both keep the different major sectors--doctors, hospitals, insurers, pharmaceuticals--shooting at each other, and we need to make sure that some players in each sector are with us.' The results were disastrous. Winning the cooperation of some only magnified the opposition of others, and cost the administration support among its natural allies. Reform and the political compromises necessary to make reform possible seemed increasingly incompatible..."

[creeksneakers2]

11. Everybody had to give up something

to make the plan work. That reality hasn't changed.

[wyldwolf]

15. nevermind the right-wing shills, what about the left wing ones?

Many Democrats, instead of uniting behind the President's original proposal, offered a number of competing plans of their own. Some criticized the plan from the left, preferring a Canadian-style single payer system.

So you had right wingnuts calling is socialism and left wingnuts implying it wasn't socialist enough. Just goes to show the two extremes are cut from the same cloth.

[cuke]

20. Obama is getting incoherent

and the idea that the 1993 health care task force was "secret" is another repuke lie Obama is happy to repeat

[Skip Intro]

4. Well this part is just pure bullshit:

"The shift might appear small, but it could be argued that it provides more gravitas to his view that the president of the U.S. should speak directly with foreign dictators. This is one of the Obama's favorite issues on the stump and a topic on which he is unabashed in openly voicing his disagreements with Clinton."

:wtf:

Obama said in a debate he'd meet, without precondition, the leaders of our major adversaries. Hillary said diplomatic groundwork must first occur. Obama changed his position to match that of Hillary's, and that is where it stands today. The audacity of him to twist what really happened as he talks about a new kind of honest politics, a politics of hope. And MSNBC just repeats it like it's fact.

Obama is no political messiah.

[lvx35]

6. It could be a powerful critique of her if it were more broadly applied.

Hillary is likeable, and I think she's using it by running a campaign that feels really friendly, personal. But this leaves the sense that she may think the American people can't handle the nuts and bolts of her plans. Obama could score some points by being more open and expressing confidence in the American people by sharing more "high level" details of what he intends to execute as president.

[aquart]

8. Someone who's friendly and personal disrespects us?

Because that is what you're saying when you say "that leaves the sense that she may (I take note of the "MAY") think the American people can't handle the nuts and bolts of her plans." You might wanna connect those dots with something resembling logical cohesive reason.

[lvx35]

9. What are you having trouble with???

What I'm saying is that there is a sense that the personal and friendly is substituting for substantial plans. Does that not "resemble" logical cohesive reasoning enough for you?

[babylonsister]

10. Judging by the responses, I'd say you hit a nerve with this article!

:toast:

[Tellurian]

12. Judging from the responses, Obama is blaming the people for a legislative problem..ha!

Not surprising though, his lack of experience shows up more and more like a bad penny landing in the pocket of a presidential wannabe.

[Imagevision]

18. blaming the people for a legislative problem? - the people got what they voted for?!!

[Tellurian]

22. Ha! Blaming the People is Soooo, Obama!

when it isn't his staff.

[wyldwolf]

14. in other words, calling someone on their BS is hitting a nerve

:eyes:

[wyldwolf]

13. Obama has become the master of distortion

[Tellurian]

17. Some circles are calling this dynamic an Oboma-nation!

[AtomicKitten]

19. Obama leaves the field behind on issues of trust and integrity.

:thumbsup:

[cuke]

21. Sen Brd killed UHC in 1993

when he ruled that the managed care plan could not be inculded in the budget (which only needed 50 votes to pass) and must be voted on seperately, which meant it needed a filibuster proof 60 votes to pass

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

23. Naive megalomania

The problem was clearly having too much "confidence in the American people," not too little. The American people credulously accepted a well-financed pack of lies from the health industry.