Hillary was a "one woman army" fighting for Children's health insurance.

[pnwmom]

http://www.politicususa.com/2016/06/25/hillary-clinton-one-woman-army-fighting-childrens-health-insurance.html

It seems only right that a country this wealthy and powerful should take care of its children. But just like the battle for Obamacare, the battle Clinton and Kennedy and others fought for universal healthcare was an uphill battle against Republicans. That battle was lost, but the warriors for healthcare didn’t give up.

Nexon wrote of Kennedy’s fight, “… but Senator Kennedy didn’t wage this fight alone; he had a key ally inside the Clinton administration. Hillary Clinton was there when it counted. As Senator Kennedy said, ‘The children’s health program wouldn’t be in existence today if we didn’t have Hillary pushing for it from the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue.'”

SNIP

There is a reason Republicans have been trying so hard to malign Hillary Clinton’s person; it’s because they can’t fight her on the issues. If Republicans came out and said, “Hey, we don’t think your kids should be entitled to food and healthcare, it costs too much money and that is money we want to give to Big Oil and the Big Banks and Mitt Romney types as tax breaks and bailouts, so sorry not sorry” it would be very hard to get votes.

So they don’t say what they are doing. Instead they attack the person. They have been doing this to Clinton for decades in an attempt to whittle away her power and standing. This has been the real goal of the relentless and fruitless Benghazi investigations, which keep showing that no deliberate wrong doing or cover up exited. It was a horrible tragedy, yes. But not a scandal for Obama or Clinton.

SNIP

[Hortensis]

1. A whole generation of low-income children

have now grown up benefiting from that healthcare program, with many more coming along.

[AzDar]

2. Hillary (and now the Dem Party platform, apparently) on Healthcare today:

My, how people CHANGE.

[pnwmom]

3. This is an anti-Hillary video from the primaries. Why are you posting it now? nt

[AzDar]

4. Hillary's OWN WORDS are "Anti-Hillary"?

[pnwmom]

6. Slicing and dicing words out of context are anti-anyone. n/t

[scscholar]

76. If they're taken out of context, then...

yes they are anti-.

[George II]

79. Cherry picking various quotes from years apart is "anti-Hillary".

[yellerpup]

5. This is a Hillary speech last spring covered by CNN.

It isn't anti-Hillary video now unless she's changed her position on single payer.

[pnwmom]

8. It's 3 snippets from 3 different speeches from 2007-16, misleading and out of context.

Among other things, it leaves out where she explains why Sanders particular single plan won't work and it includes a snippet of a speech in 2007 when she was running against Barack Obama.

[AzDar]

10. She is saying, literally, that Single-Payer Healthcare will NEVER, EVER come to pass...

sorry if that fact is inconvenient for you...

[pnwmom]

13. No, she's absolutely not saying that. n/t

[AzDar]

14. ...

Okey-Dokey!

[synergie]

88. I'm sorry that paying attention to what she was saying literally, in context is inconvenient for

you, but it's dishonest to snip words out of context which support an untruth you happen to wish to believe.

Here is the full quote:

"I want you to understand why I am fighting so hard for the Affordable Care Act," she said at Grand View University after hearing from a woman who spoke about her daughter receiving cancer treatment thanks to the health care law. "I don't want it repealed, I don't want us to be thrown back into a terrible, terrible national debate. I don't want us to end up in gridlock. People can't wait!"

She added, "People who have health emergencies can't wait for us to have a theoretical debate about some better idea that will never, ever come to pass."

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/hillary-clinton-single-payer-health-care-will-never-ever-happen/


Apparently, it's inconvenient to even quote the full sentence, which doesn't support your assertion at all.

Stating that something is not feasible by pointing out facts and reality from someone who actually attempted it, and didn't just talk about in vaguely is not what you're characterizing it as. When you don't conveniently ignore the words you don't like in a quote, the words she literally said take on a meaning that's inconvenient for the argument you're trying to make.

[LanternWaste]

104. More or less inconvenient than editing three splices of tape together filmed six years?

More or less inconvenient than editing three splices of tape together filmed six years to make merely one statement?

[840high]

29. .+1

[George II]

80. It's more than just that, it's an excerpt from a speech more than 8 years ago, too.

[bigtree]

7. k&r

[ThePhilosopher04]

9. If she were really serious about children she would advocate single-payer ...

period.

[pnwmom]

11. Single payer isn't the only way to cover all children. The ACA could have

if R governors in many states hadn't refused Medicaid expansion.

Switzerland and Canada, among other countries, have proven that it is possible to cover all children through a combination of public and private insurance.

[ThePhilosopher04]

21. It's the best way. If you're not prepared to fight for the best way, then you're not really fighting

IMHO.

[pnwmom]

25. If you let the perfect be the enemy of the good, you're fighting for the wrong team IMHO.

[ThePhilosopher04]

72. Works the other way around as well.

Single payer can be attained if we elect people with the political balls to fight for it. If you don't have it in you to fight for it, I don't have it in me to support you.

[pnwmom]

74. True. But they need to be elected before they'll vote for a bill

that any President can sign.

Any candidate who pretends that he or she can bend R's to his or her will is selling promises that can't be kept.

[LuvLoogie]

77. You mean like withdrawing your single-payer amendment when you had a chance

to have it read into the record for debate? Those kind of political balls?

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/72569-sanders-withdraws-single-payer-amendment-

They read for three hours; then he withdrew. Why start reading at all, if you aren't going to finish it?

Instead Bernie voted for the ACA. Why didn't he have "the political balls" to push his amendment? Why didn't he hold out to be the 60th vote? Why is it okay for him to compromise his principles, and not okay for all the Democrats who worked on and voted for the ACA?

[democrattotheend]

108. I agree with you - and I'm a Bernie supporter

My primary rationale for supporting him was my belief that if you start out where he is, maybe the "middle" you end up in will be closer to a real middle instead of giving the Republicans 95% of what they want and letting them keep move the spectrum further right.

[George II]

82. So, you wanted the "best" way, which would never get passed, to get in the way of what we now have?

[dflprincess]

86. Even in states that took the Medicaid expansion

all children are not covered under it. A child does not qualify for Medicaid coverage unless their parents' income is low enough and the parent doesn't have access to insurance through an employer (assuming the parent's share of the insurance premium doesn't exceed a percentage of their income).

Even kids whose parents have health insurance aren't going to get medical care if the parent can't afford the deductibles.

[LeFleur1]

36. What She Said

was that it wouldn't pass the House and Senate...which is a prerequiste in our government before such a thing becomes a law. THAT'S what she said, and she knows that because she fought mightily for health care for everyone when she was First Lady. She was shot down and insulted. That's how she knows it will never pass. She said she didn't want to start over after we have won at least some health care improvements. She wants to build on what has been passed. There is pie in the sky rhetoric and there are actions that bring results. She knows the difference.

[Lucinda]

38. Exactly!

[ThePhilosopher04]

73. She's never once fought for single payer. EVER.

[George II]

78. Does anyone think that "single payer" would have actually passed?

[sheshe2]

12. K&R

Thanks so much for posting this, pnwmom. Hillary truly cares about the children, as our late Senator Kennedy points out.

[Alfresco]

15. Sen. Warren was right when she said "She's a Fighter — a Fighter With Guts".

[loyalsister]

16. People are primed to believe republicans

when they say Dems are lying because their kids may have healthcare, but they don't. Are we really to believe that kids having access to health insurance always gives them the benefit of access to healthcare?

It doesn't matter whose fault it is. As long as people keep hearing about how great the 90s and Obamacare have been for people without seeing the benefits, they readily believe Democrats are lying to them. Republicans obviously know that and exploit it.
But, we Democrats would do well to stop bragging while ignoring how badly many women and children are still suffering.

[pnwmom]

17. I don't know any real live people with Obamacare who haven't seen the benefits,

but I know several people in my life who have -- including people on private insurance and Medicaid.

[loyalsister]

18. I know a lot of people whose budget would suffer more from buying it than from paying the fine

There are real people who are working more than 1 job and can barely afford rent. We have 3% unemployment and 24% poverty in my area, and MO did not expand Medicaid. For parents to qualify, the max income for a family of 3 is $3,000 or less ANNUALLY (there is no room in their budget for an Obamacare policy).
It is republicans who didn't expand medicaid. But, so many people who are living it (many of whom I have desperately tried to get to vote) believe that Democrats are either lying about how great things are or they just don't give a damn that they are suffering.

There was nothing in CHIP to prevent the republicans from doing that. And 90s "glory" made it impossible for even the most liberal state government to continue to ensure that some of the poorest families are at least able to buy food.

Again republicans fault, but Dems have been complicit and even brag about how we got here. It is just not helpful in convincing them that they matter as voters, or otherwise.

[pnwmom]

19. CHIP applied to apply 50 states and the R's didn't stop it. And it is NOT helpful

for progressives to disparage the accomplishments of D's like Hillary, against great opposition by the R's.

[loyalsister]

31. CHIP only covers children

If parents who are not eligible get sick, the kids are just out of luck if they need help with homework, a ride to school, dinner...
Bill and Hillary both worked and accomplished some things in the 90s. Unfortunately, some of what they labelled success has either not gone far enough or has even done a lot of damage. I am not so blindly loyal that I won't point out that I hope wish for them to put people who have been left out of the agenda on it.

[pnwmom]

42. And the OP is about CHIP. Instead of acknowledging what she did accomplish,

you prefer to focus on what she couldn't. I don't know what else you think she could have accomplished related to health care as a single Senator and as Secretary of State.

[loyalsister]

47. It's about acknowledging and caring about what didn't get done

rather than simply claiming success as a fighter for women and children as people continue to suffer. It's about being honest and and setting goals to make it right. I really wish she would because there are voters who might see some hope if a path forward were presented rather than suggesting that people should be grateful despite living in poverty and having no hope that their children's lives will be better. At the very least strive to put policies into effect that would give them some relief.
For example, maybe a look at strengthening and expanding the safety net for the many families who have been left out and left behind. Women and children have been hit hardest. I would love to hear something along the lines of we, (the 2 for 1) broke it in the 90s, and I know how to fix it.

[Hortensis]

55. "setting goals to make it right. I really wish she would"

Hillary HAS set goals.
Various paths forward have been presented.
She has strived and will continue to strive to advance wellbeing.
She would, she did before, and she promises that she will.

Which would you prefer? For the beliefs you profess above to be right or to have the lives of 100 million advanced? WHY do you dismiss the enormous good her CHIPS program has done for so many?

[loyalsister]

64. I want her to fix what she helped break

Yes she has done some good. I just happen to know care a great deal about people in my community who were left behind. Claiming success over and over again without acknowledging where those policies failed dismisses the very real daily suffering of a lot of people. They know it and talk about how little politicians care. I can't credibly challenge that argument when there has been no apology or even real recognition of where the "success" failed.
A little effort towards taking the damage done seriously would go a long way in helping me to present a case to disaffected voters why they should vote for HRC. Pretending the people who have been hurt don't exist doesn't make them go away.

[Hortensis]

69. And it's her fault. I have no idea why you imagine

anyone has the right to demand anything at all of this one person, but I don't believe she owes others a thing that everyone else in America does not also. We're all citizens and every single one of us has the same duty she does. Including you, btw.

What has each of us done to fix what we helped break in the past? That's what we should all be asking ourselves. Relatively few citizens made an earnest and successful effort to educate themselves to vote responsibly -- and did so. For most of us, our cumulative personal negligence and irresponsibility allowed the mess you blame her for to develop.

Btw, just curious. You don't have to answer, of course, but how many more children have you saved from death through your contributions to the wellbeing of this nation than Hillary has? Or do the more significant and enduring contributions that entitle you to demand Hillary Clinton rise to your standard lie in another area?

Perhaps something to think about? I don't buy into the victimized orientation so prevalent here. I know I have responsibilities too.

[loyalsister]

71. It would be refreshing if more of us would make some serious demands

One thing that I like to see in candidates is for them to just truly give a damn about people who may not be doners, attendees at town halls or other exclusive events. The people who are working and living in poverty thanks to welfare reform deserve better from the people who are supposed to represent all of us.

I do plenty. I am also not trying to get elected to take on a role of president. Every candidate should be able to inspire confidence that they have all voters interestswell being at heart if they expect those citizens to vote for them.

[Hortensis]

75. Some do, some don't, but it hardly

encourages more good people to step forward when millions of people who sit on their butts doing nothing blame them all for being bad. The least they could do is research and identify good people and bad people.

What is your carefully researched evaluation of all the people who've been on your ballot over the years? Any worth keeping? Did you vote anyway? How do they all send emails, btw? Are any of them exposed to sensitive information?

Given your interest in the performance of politicians, I'm guessing you have this information all ready at the drop of a hat. How have the ones you've voted for since you started voting stacked up? Since we're talking about Hillary and CHIPS, how have each of those you voted for voted on healthcare issues? If you skipped voting in any of the elections, how did those elected while you sat out vote?

[loyalsister]

87. The politicians I know personally have led me to have high standards

People who share my feelings because they are on the ground doing real outreach and listening to the experiences of ordinary people. They don't keep going back and try to get credit for what they did 20 + yrs ago even after seeing what went wrong with it, and they admit it when they make mistakes.

They are also tough enough to listen to criticism without being defensive.

[Hortensis]

93. Really.

[pnwmom]

92. And I would like Democrats to stop bashing our presumptive nominee.

What did she do to "help break" the health care system? Why should she apologize?

She pushed for CHIP during her husband's administration, and she campaigned for a public option in 2008.

In between, as Senator, she

Voted YES on overriding veto on expansion of Medicare.

Voted NO on means-testing to determine Medicare Part D premium.

Voted YES on requiring negotiated Rx prices for Medicare part D.

Voted NO on limiting medical liability lawsuits to $250,000.

Voted YES on expanding enrollment period for Medicare Part D.

Voted YES on increasing Medicaid rebate for producing generics.

Voted YES on negotiating bulk purchases for Medicare prescription drug.

Voted NO on $40 billion per year for limited Medicare prescription drug benefit.

Voted YES on allowing reimportation of Rx drugs from Canada.

Voted YES on allowing patients to sue HMOs & collect punitive damages.

Voted NO on funding GOP version of Medicare prescription drug benefit.

She also sponsored bills for

Mental health service for older Americans.


Improve services for people with autism & their families.

Establish a national childhood cancer database.

Preserve access to Medicaid & SCHIP during economic downturn.

http://www.ontheissues.org/2016/Hillary_Clinton_Health_Care.htm

And after being Senator she was Secretary of State -- not a health related job.


You know people who have been left behind, and Hillary's record shows she cares about them. But she could only do so much as a single Senator, and President Obama could only do so much with a Republican Congress. After Ted Kennedy died, the ACA was the best we could get through Congress -- without a single R vote.

It's past time for Dems to start putting the blame where it belongs -- and that's not on people like Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.

[pnwmom]

91. Hillary has acknowledged and cares about what didn't get done

and that's why she has proposed plans for fixing the ACA -- and for expanding the social safety net.

Why don't you try reading her actual proposals? Apparently it's just easier to bash her.

www.hillaryclinton.com

[loyalsister]

106. Expanding social security is not going to help young health single parents

who are working at walmart during the day, McDonalds at night, and does odd jobs on their days off unless there is a reinstatement of the social safety net broken during the 90s.

[pnwmom]

107. Raising the minimum wage from the current $7+ will help all those people.

You're obviously not reading her proposals.

www.hillaryclinton.com

[riversedge]

53. Well said.

[840high]

30. Good post.

[mcar]

20. K&R

[karynnj]

22. "one woman army" implies that she fought this alone -- when in fact, Ted Kennedy was the key person

on this and had many people on his staff and many colleagues - especially Hatch, Kerry and Dodd, the co sponsors of the legislation.

The precursor bill was written by Kennedy and Kerry, Kennedy worked with Hatch to change it enough - biggest change was to have all states create their own version while the precursor was one national program. The original bill was based on a Massachusetts bill. Hillary did not create the idea and did not write the legislation. This is a major legislative accomplishment of Ted Kennedy -- and he was angered enough in 2008 to dispute claims that began to morph from the reality of her having been a very important supporter to giving her credit for initiating or writing the legislation.

I have no problem with saying that she was a strong advocate, but saying she was a one woman army that made it happen is overblown. Not to mention, part of what she did that Kennedy is referring to is that she pushed bill to include the needed money in the budget for it.

[pnwmom]

26. CHIP "wouldn't be in existence today" without Hillary's advocacy -- according to Ted Kennedy,

‘The children’s health program wouldn’t be in existence today if we didn’t have Hillary pushing for it from the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue.'”

She was the one-woman army in the Executive branch.

[karynnj]

28. Nor would it have existed without Ted Kennedy or Orin Hatch

The reason they needed HRC is that the Democratic President was rumored to be considering NOT funding the bill. That was her main contribution.

In addition, if you read ANY of the thank yous on things much should not be taken literally. Not to mention, I was not saying she was unimportant - she wasn't -- but if only one person can be given credit for something -- on this it was Ted Kennedy, who was a co author to the original bill, had actually lobbied for the prototype MA bill, and who worked with Hatch to get a bill that passed the Senate.

HRC had no role in writing the legislation or in getting the bill through the Senate or House. She did get bill to include funding in the budget.

[DLCWIdem]

32. Since he was the one who worked on it I think I'll take Kennedy's own words rather than

Someone else's words who didn't work on it.

[karynnj]

33. Read the book by Littlefied, who was the chief aide who worked on it

https://www.amazon.com/Lion-Senate-Kennedy-Democrats-Congress-ebook/dp/B00V3L92D6 This is a great book - especially if you are interested in how the Senate works and it deals with exactly the time period when Kennedy worked on this.

This was an effort by Ted Kennedy -- and what you quote is the type of praise that happens regularly when something is achieved. In saying what he did, Kennedy was praising the First Lady -- not giving her 100% of the credit.

Here is the Boston Globe from 2008:

WASHINGTON - Hillary Clinton, who has frequently described herself on the campaign trail as playing a pivotal role in forging a children's health insurance plan, had little to do with crafting the landmark legislation or ushering it through Congress , according to several lawmakers, staffers, and healthcare advocates involved in the issue.

In campaign speeches, Clinton describes the State Children's Health Insurance Program, or SCHIP, as an initiative "I helped to start." Addressing Iowa voters in November, Clinton said, "in 1997, I joined forces with members of Congress and we passed the State Children's Health Insurance Program." Clinton regularly cites the number of children in each state who are covered by the program, and mothers of sick children have appeared at Clinton campaign rallies to thank her.

But the Clinton White House, while supportive of the idea of expanding children's health, fought the first SCHIP effort, spearheaded by Senators Edward M. Kennedy, Democrat of Massachusetts, and Orrin G. Hatch, Republican of Utah, because of fears that it would derail a bigger budget bill. And several current and former lawmakers and staff said Hillary Clinton had no role in helping to write the congressional legislation, which grew out of a similar program approved in Massachusetts in 1996.

"The White House wasn't for it. We really roughed them up" in trying to get it approved over the Clinton administration's objections, Hatch said in an interview. "She may have done some advocacy [privately] over at the White House, but I'm not aware of it."

http://archive.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/03/14/clinton_role_in_health_program_disputed/

There are later quotes by Kennedy in the article.

What is clear is Clinton DID play a role, an important one at that, but the article in the op overstates it -- as HRC did in 2008. Clinton has a great resume. It is better to give her the credit she is due because overstating something just begs for someone to contradict it and that person might not take the time to explain what her role actually was.

[DLCWIdem]

37. sorry I was responding to these statements of your post

It was rumored that the president wasn't going to vote for it......"that was the main reason they needed HRC" and the statement that she had nothing to do with the bill (last sentence) in the post. While I know she wasn't the lawmaker or in the senate at the time but she was clearly a driving force behind the bill. While I don't credit her with doing it all she clearly did her part. Nothing gets done alone in D.C. So while you may have thought Kennedy's quote gave her too much credit, I thought that your quote gave her too little credit.

Pax, I may have been too sensitive to the tone.

[karynnj]

51. THE driving force?

I would use that if she pushed Kennedy to work on it or if she was the person who thought of using the tobacco decisions or tax to pay for it.

The driving force was Kennedy and the model was a MA law. I agree she was an important ally who used her position as First Lady AND as wife of the President to aid this program happening.

[pnwmom]

44. The OP said that Kennedy considered her a key ally and that it wouldn't

have happened without her. For some strange reason you feel compelled to diminish her accomplishment even though the OP didn't say that she accomplish this alone,or that she was involved in writing the legislation. She was involved in fighting for the cause.

She was the warrior in the White House; Kennedy was in the Senate. And they had to come together to make it happen.

Nexon wrote of Kennedy’s fight, “… but Senator Kennedy didn’t wage this fight alone; he had a key ally inside the Clinton administration. Hillary Clinton was there when it counted. As Senator Kennedy said, ‘The children’s health program wouldn’t be in existence today if we didn’t have Hillary pushing for it from the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue.'

”

[pnwmom]

46. This is what Littlefield had to say in an interview:

While Kennedy is widely viewed as the driving force behind the program, by all accounts the former first lady's pressure was crucial.

"She wasn't a legislator, she didn't write the law, and she wasn't the president, so she didn't make the decisions," says Nick Littlefield, then a senior health adviser to Kennedy. "But we relied on her, worked with her and she was pivotal in encouraging the White House to do it."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/05/AR2007100501343_pf.html

[karynnj]

50. Littlefield was working with Clinton at that time

And what he says there is not a contradiction of what I said. I read his book on the entire process written AFTER that and, while she was helpful, it was in pushing her husband to accept the program.

[pnwmom]

70. And nothing you said contradicts anything in the OP. But for some reason you just

can't stand to see Hillary Clinton praised by Ted Kennedy, without seeking to diminish her somehow.

[karynnj]

81. Fine - she walks on water if you say so

I have no problem with Ted Kennedy praising anyone. I do have a problem with people taking things a step forward and saying Clinton was THE driving force on this. She wasn't, Ted Kennedy was.

In a way, all the people who exaggerate her role on things are implicitly insulting her -- saying the truth is not enough. In fact, the basic truth is a very solid resume and I certainly hope that in her years as President, she accomplishes great things that will be her legacy.

[jillan]

41. You are right. This was Kennedy's baby but at first the Clinton Administration did not support it.

But the Clinton White House, while supportive of the idea of expanding children's health, fought the first SCHIP effort, spearheaded by Senators Edward M. Kennedy, Democrat of Massachusetts, and Orrin G. Hatch, Republican of Utah, because of fears that it would derail a bigger budget bill. And several current and former lawmakers and staff said Hillary Clinton had no role in helping to write the congressional legislation, which grew out of a similar program approved in Massachusetts in 1996.

http://archive.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/03/14/clinton_role_in_health_program_disputed/

She did later help get it funded but she did not write the legislation.

[pnwmom]

43. Kennedy considered her a key ally. That is what it says in the OP.

Nexon wrote of Kennedy’s fight, “… but Senator Kennedy didn’t wage this fight alone; he had a key ally inside the Clinton administration. Hillary Clinton was there when it counted. As Senator Kennedy said, ‘The children’s health program wouldn’t be in existence today if we didn’t have Hillary pushing for it from the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue.'”

[pnwmom]

45. So what? The point of the OP is that Kennedy considered her a key ally. (See paragraph 2)

She was the chief ally within the Executive branch. Why is it so important to you to minimize her support for CHIP?

Starting with her work with Marian Edelman, she's always been dedicated to working for children.

[karynnj]

49. I am not minimizing her support

I am cautioning against exaggerating because I think it dangerous. In 2008, exaggerating became a negative.

[DLCWIdem]

57. If there is exaggeration it comes --not from HRC--but from Kennedy himself

Its funny that your relying entirely on Littlefields book to downplay HRC involvement in CHIP. It might occur to you to wonder if Littlefield is tooting his own horn. Again if her involvement is exaggerated it is by Kennedy himself. The OP is using his own words not HRC's words.

[karynnj]

58. I agree that Kennedy's praise was hyperbole -- as such praise always is

However, the OP takes it further by extending even the credit Kennedy gave. Littlefield was not exaggerating his role - nor was he diminishing Clinton's. He actually advised Clinton in 2007/2008.

Here is a detailed NYT article from 1997 when the bill passed. http://www.nytimes.com/1997/08/11/us/through-senate-alchemy-tobacco-is-turned-into-gold-for-children-s-health.html It is written at a point where no one was spinning their role in it. The NYT was definitely very pro Hillary Clinton throughout the 1990s. Here is an earlier article that has more detail and does include HRC - http://www.nytimes.com/1997/02/28/us/expanding-children-s-health-care.html

Any victory has a million fathers (and mothers) -- and this was no exception. What is annoying is the tendency for Clinton - more than anyone I ever saw in politics - to claim the lead, most important role in anything she had any role in. The height of this may be that people allied with her credited her - over even Obama (!) - on opening Cuba.

[DLCWIdem]

59. your mis-characterizing what I posted

I didn't post that it was hyperbole. I posted that Kennedy patted her on the back she wasn't patting herself on the back. Again I will take " Kennedy's own words "on how much help she was rather than someone else's. I mean if he was "the driving force" shouldn't be up to him how much he felt she helped. She is not claiming; Kennedy is claiming. I am sorry that you are annoyed when other people praise her. Perhaps they see something that you don't.

[pnwmom]

68. You're claiming that Kennedy was engaging in hyperbole, and he's not alive to defend himself.

It doesn't seem fair.

[karynnj]

83. He said as much when confronted with the same issue in 2008.

HE contested her claim that she led on this.

[pnwmom]

67. I think it is much more dangerous, in this general election, to disparage and minimize

her contributions.

You don't see Donald Trump holding back on his "accomplishments."

[karynnj]

84. What an atrocious comparison

NO ONE in this thread is "disparaging" or "minimizing" her accomplishments.

[leftofcool]

52. Because the men say........................

Because the men write the books and they say..............................

[Warren DeMontague]

23. Kick and Rec

[oasis]

24. Hillary has record of child advocacy spanning many decades.

Another reason ImWithHer.

[DemonGoddess]

27. K&R!

Child health, education, and many other things are things she has fought for her entire adult life.

[Hiraeth]

34. oh my god YES. She is is my hero. K&R

[Cha]

35. Thank you, Hillary!

Mahalo, pnwmom~

[DesertRat]

39. k&r

[Night Watchman]

48. Amen to That!

Secretary Clinton doesn't get anywhere near the credit she deserves on this issue.

[karynnj]

63. Yeah those egotists Kennedy and Hatch had the nerve to put their names on it

The fact is that in both 2008 and this year, Clinton's team have claimed everything from "creating" to "writing" to "being the driving force" on this bill. NO ONE ever said that she did nothing. Everyone credits her with being a key person lobbying for its inclusion in the budget. Everyone credits her with using the voice she had as First Lady to argue for it.

However, this is an effort that STARTED IN THE SENATE. It was NOT HRC calling up Kennedy and proposing he work on this. It started with Kennedy and Kerry introducing a bill modelled on the MA program to get the idea on the table.

MANY MANY people are involved in every big accomplishment. This was one of the biggest things that Ted Kennedy did. It is true that HRC helped -- as did Hatch, Dodd, Kerry ... staffers who worked out the details and who wrote the final complicated language. No one is diminishing Clinton in saying that she really was NOT the key person on this -- or on the opening to Cuba, the Iran deal or the Paris climate accord. (The key person in those three is Obama who enabled Kerry and others, including HRC on the Iran sanctions, to do the hard diplomatic work.)

Nor does she have to have been the person who lead on all those those things (or any of them). She is a very accomplished, intelligent person with a resume that shows her work in almost all major things a President will face. In any race, that would make her a strong candidate -- and this year she faces a man with a terrible personality, no governing experience and not just little knowledge, but no interest in working hard to get any.

[leftofcool]

94. sigh

[My Good Babushka]

54. The driving force for CHIP was the economy

that had become so bad, jobs so poor and low quality, that millions of children were not able to get insurance benefits through their parents' work anymore. I do not celebrate an economy so poorly run, and all for the benefit of the owners, that the government has to step in an provide essential medical care for millions of children of the laborers.

[Thinkingabout]

56. A longtime advocate for children, she will continue to fight for issues around children.

[vintx]

60. Nice to see a couple of people talking sense (karynnj and loyalsister)

sad to see they're outnumbered.

[karynnj]

85. Thanks for the compliment

I do not get why some people feel the need to push claims beyond what is reasonable when they have a candidate with the resume that Clinton has. It is actually a bit insulting to her -- implying the truth is not good enough. This when she faces a man of very little accomplishment and very great character flaws.

[pnwmom]

90. You can keep bashing Kennedy but you can't change what he said. n/t

[leftofcool]

95. You can't argue with people who don't understand certain things.

[karynnj]

97. True

It is impossible for some to realise that not every accomplish was not mostly HRC's. This was led by Kennedy.

[pnwmom]

98. Kennedy said what he said. CHIP wouldn't have been possible without her

involvement in the Executive Branch.

That doesn't mean Kennedy didn't lead the effort overall. You're created a straw man, and you're busy fighting him.

[JoePhilly]

100. Its amazning to watch folks attack Kennedy's praise of Clinton.

Kennedy praised Clinton, and the folks who hate her come out of the wood work to argue against what he said.

The perpetually disgruntled complain just to hear themselves complain.

[pnwmom]

101. Exactly. I don't know what they think they're accomplishing, but it isn't

supportive of our presumptive nominee.

[JoePhilly]

103. I think they ...

... have other goals entirely.

[karynnj]

96. I have never bashed Kennedy

It is beyond comprehension that you think so.

[pnwmom]

102. You've been accusing him of not meaning what he clearly said. That's bashing. n/t

[ismnotwasm]

61. K&R

[Hekate]

65. KICK

[William769]

66. kick & recommended.

[LuvLoogie]

89. K&R

[Orsino]

99. This is the kind of shit that gives me hope.

Clinton was doing health insurance reform before it was cool.

[pnwmom]

105. Me, too. It has been a major goal of hers since she worked for the Children's Defense fund. n/t