Giving credit where credit is due (Re: SCHIP) and a question...

[Bread and Circus]

First off, I'm a doctor. I wholeheartedly support SINGLE PAYER NATIONAL HEALTH CARE. I also support the concept of the SCHIP plan, which had was put in place to aid 6 million children.

Hillary Clinton's support was helpful in having that pass in 1997 (While she was first lady). Her support helped Bill Clinton put oomph behind the deal that helped get the legislation passed.

Here is a "fact check" article on SCHIP:

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/10/06/clinton_claims_credit_for_child_program/

end of article

"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," Kennedy told The Associated Press.

President Clinton signed the bill in August 1997.

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."



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Please read the article, it is very flattering of Hillary's role in that accomplishment.

However, please be advised of a few things.

1.) This is not part of Hillary Clinton's legislative career.
2.) She did not take a "leadership" role in the bills crafting. However, she did use her power to help it gain the political oomph it needed to pass.
3.) But overall, she should definitely get points for this (and reminds of how much Gore helped make the internet what it is today as he also helped encourage legislation to help it come into being. It's too bad he got wrongfully accused of saying he invented the internet. Interestingly, the internet is actually a military invention, it was originally devised for the army, called the arpanet).

And here's my question, what did Clinton actually "DO" with her legislative career, because despite her high popularity in NY and bringing home a lot of pork for the WTC rebuild (which is still underground), it doesn't seem like she did anything worth making a big deal about.

Due to my ignorance, and the the machinations of the Clinton campaign, I was beginning to think that the internet was her signature legislative project. That was, until I actually read about it.

So anyway, is their any substance to Clinton's legislative career?