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Bill Defends Hillary on Healthcare Fliers

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February 25, 2008 1:38 PM

ABC News' Sarah Amos Reports: While the Obama and Clinton camps go back and forth over the issues, old photos and everything in between, former President Bill Clinton has surprisingly managed to stay out of the fray...until today.

Speaking to a crowd at Shawnee State University in Portsmouth, Ohio,  Clinton defended his wife's healthcare plan and referenced recent fliers circulated the Obama campaign

"Regardless, you will never be asked to pay more than a certain low percentage fo your income.  So it is not true, it is not true -- notwithstanding that mailer that Hillary's opponent sent to tens of thousands of people all across Ohio.  It is not true that Hillary forces anybody to buy insurance that they cannot afford.  Nobody will have to pay more than a certain fixed percent of their income because you are eligible for refundable tax-credits to keep your cost down.  But everybody does have to be covered or you will never get control of the cost,"  Clinton told the crowd. 

Later Clinton went back to the fliers referring to them as "pure garbage." 

Clinton is in the middle of his second day on the ground in Ohio, hitting the southern towns like Chillicothe and Porthsmouth.  In the past, when the campaign got heated, the former president was the  first one to leap to his wife's defense.  Lately, however, crowds and the press have seen a subduded husband and campaign surrogate.  Even today, while his defense was pointed, it was not the frustrated Clinton we have seen in the past. 

In Chillicothe this morning Clinton was relaxed as he explained how his wife differed from her opponent, telling the crowd, "One person for president voted against the Bush-Cheney bill and all its subsidies, one voted for it.  One wants universal coverage, one doesn't.  You gotta decide whether you think this matters.  You gotta decide whether you want the feeling of change, or the fact change.  But if you really believe in America I think you want the facts."

Clinton instead spends a good portion of his time simply connecting with the voters, much like he has been doing in Texas.

"Ohio is a place where I always felt kind of at home, because I thought I was around people who had both big hearts and idealistic dreams and a lot of common sense," Clinton told one crowd - with the hope that their "common sense" translates into votes for Hillary come March 4.

February 25, 2008 in Bush, George W. | Permalink | User Comments (38)

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I appreciate Bill defending Hillary, but there is really no defense needed. She said it like it is. Obama is acting as a politician-as-usual as opposed to this hokey, cerebral spirtual guy that he's sold to the more gullible folks. Go Hillary!

Posted by: WestCoastMessenger | Feb 25, 2008 2:01:51 PM

Gullible? If you think for one second that having Clinton(s) plural back in the White House is going to be a cake-walk and that she isn't acting like a politician in every sense of the word then you are not only gullible but naive. The worst thing to ever happen to this Clinton campaign was putting Bill out front and center. His popularity will only go so far before people start having flashbacks.

Posted by: Debra | Feb 25, 2008 2:08:11 PM

Bill's right about Ohioans: they have enough "common sense" to know that somebody who "failed" to muster support for healthcare legislation in the past is likely to blow it again. They're also smart enough to know that NAFTA is robbing them BLIND, and that Bill and now Hillary are responsible for hoodwinking America into falling for it.

GObama!

Posted by: Craig | Feb 25, 2008 2:14:33 PM

"Nobody will have to pay more than a certain fixed percent of their income because you are eligible for refundable tax-credits to keep your cost down" -says the Clintons. Yeah, and if you have children to support or student loans or other high fixed expenses are they going to take that into account when calculating your health insurance premiums? No. Trying to force everyone to buy private health insurance (with wage garnishment or fines for failing to sign up) will never pass Congress.

Posted by: D | Feb 25, 2008 2:22:19 PM

a Clinton talking about garbage from a fellow democrat? This is not funny any more. The Clintons are proving they will do and say anything, at any cost, to get back in the WH, disregarding the primary math, as well as the damage they are doing to the party's chances in November. Sen. Clinton's negatives have been around 50% for over a year, and she has very limited appeal to independents. The scorched-earth campaign will only raise these negative and maybe hurt the very issues they claim to care about. Let Sen. Clinton prove that "her" (Bill's and Edwards") words: It's not about me but about the Am. people are for real or "empty rhetoric"!!!

Posted by: Carthage | Feb 25, 2008 2:35:24 PM

Obama fans must secretly be dissapointed that their 'grand savior' is going around talking about 'universal healthcare' when his plan is simply a 'potentially cheaper' version of what we have now. Its just a way to con folks and smooth out Clintons advantage by claiming 'universal healthcare' . He is doing nothing but prove he is nowhere near above lying and playing mind games.

Posted by: tomdavie | Feb 25, 2008 2:42:17 PM

We Democrats need to chill out before November. There isn't any reason for this rancor. Each group believes their candidate is the best one. Great. But this infighting has to stop. Our goal is the same: replace the Republicans.


Posted by: rwilliams1961 | Feb 25, 2008 2:43:50 PM

"Nobody will have to pay more than a certain fixed percent of their income"

Umm... isn't this a euphemism for having to BUY something. I mean, I have to pay a certain fixed percentage of my income for my car. I have to pay a certain fixed percentage of my income for my house. Heck, I even have to pay a certain fixed percentage of my income for a Snickers bar. Seems like double-speak to me.

Posted by: Connell83 | Feb 25, 2008 3:06:47 PM

Once again Hill has to get her husband to come to her rescue. Bill should continue chasing skirts and let Hillary fight her own battles. She needs to answer for that slime picture she had posted on the Drudge report.

Posted by: Reece | Feb 25, 2008 3:33:27 PM

There he goes again, trying to use those "words" to inspire people:

"Ohio is a place where I always felt kind of at home, because I thought I was around people who had both big hearts and idealistic dreams and a lot of common sense."

Oh, wait, this isn't Obama. It's Bill Clinton. Hmm, but if it's okay for a Clinton to talk in warm, uplifting ways meant to inspire voters, how come it's not okay for Obama to do the same?

Dummy, I forgot - It's always OK when the Clintons do it but not when anyone else, ever, anywhere, does it!

After 16 years of Clintons on the national political scene, how could I have forgotten this?

Stooopid me. I'll just do whatever Bill says.

Posted by: Joel | Feb 25, 2008 3:42:04 PM

I think that's a really good idea: let Hillary rise and fall on her own merits, entirely. Let's see if she's the feminist she says she is (I think the feminist "cult" around Hillary is more delusional than the "cult" around Obama). Let's be able to judge her on just her own, accountable record. That would mean releasing her papers from the Clinton Library, of course, that cover the health care debacle in 1993. Let's have some transparency. Let's have Bill show the ultimate confidence in his wife's abilities to lead the free world -- and let her do it alone.

Posted by: 57andFemale | Feb 25, 2008 3:47:58 PM

Hillary's remark that Obama's fliers are right of the Karl Rove Playbook was slightly off. The entire Obama candidacy is a creation of Karl Rove. Back in 2004, Rove knew Clinton was coming down the pike in 2008, so he and the Illinois G.O.P. forced their candidate to drop out of the senate race there, then ran an unknown against Obama so he'd win big. Obama is the Clinton spoiler for the neoconservatives, who know they can beat him easy with their as-yet unannouced "independent" ticket in November.

Obama's speechwriter Ben Rhodes is the brother of Fox News VP David Rhodes. According to an article in Time, Republicans have been organized to crossover and vote for Obama in the primaries. With Hillary out of the way, Rove will bring out the 12-year relationship between Obama and Chicago slumlord Tony Rezko, plus the Exelon radiation leaks scandal in order to discredit him in the eyes of voters.

Posted by: Factcheck | Feb 25, 2008 3:52:26 PM

These mailers were out BEFORE super Tuesday....The Queen of Mean just needed something....anything to show she's "tough" for her suporters. Not only is she NOT tough...she's unstable, and scary. Did you see Gov. Strickland standing behind her....the look on his face was hilarious!
If and that's a BIG IF Hillary wants to unite the party she will step aside..and the sooner the better. As for Bills "Trash" comment....takes one to know one.

Posted by: Tami | Feb 25, 2008 3:53:56 PM

Ever notice how Bill's nose gets longer the more he talks????

When did Bill ever become the voice of truth or morality???PUHLEEZE!!!!

Go Obama..this 65 year old woman has seen enough bad politics to realize we have a winner and a bright and decent man, in you....

Suzanne

Posted by: Sue43 | Feb 25, 2008 4:01:30 PM

"It is not true that Hillary forces anybody to buy insurance that they cannot afford."

This is a straw man argument. Obama's flier simply says that Hillary's health care plan requires everyone to buy health insurance. That *is* what her plan requires. Obama is just stating a fact.

Besides, Bill doesn't know with certainty what people can or can't afford. Families all across America right now are robbing Peter to pay Paul.

Whether or not Obama's plan is better, it might be more viable in the general election. Republicans won't be able to say he'd force everyone to buy health insurance, like they'd be able to with Hillary.

Posted by: Andy | Feb 25, 2008 4:02:28 PM

So does this mean if Hilliary gets in that every time she has a state of the union or a press conference, Bill gets an additional one to "clarify" whatever Hilliary actually said herself. I'm tired of eight years with the "co-president" experiment with Bush and Cheney. This time I'd like the President ALONE to make the final call on something. If Hilliary's not capable of that then I guess were better off with Obama perhaps. But either one is better than "Insane McCain."

Posted by: cba | Feb 25, 2008 4:05:36 PM

Also I respect and actually like Senator McCain but if at 72 years old,if we elect him ,we will be the laughing stock of the World ,not just because of his age--my mother is 79 and going very strong,she helps to manage my brothers's business- but because of his ideas and utterances,such as being in Iraq for another "100 years if need be my friends",or "The jobs are never coming back " or "I dont understand economics " .McCain will be a continuation of present policy,so please vote wisely,we have been tortured for the last 7 years. Look at what is at stake. Dont listen to the fearmongers. Senator Obama as President will meet with the joint chiefs right away, will listen to them and do whats in the best interest of the United States. He is what we need ,an energetic ,strong ,smart ,multi-cultural man.

Posted by: fagan | Feb 25, 2008 4:15:20 PM

One minute Hillary protests Obama actually supports a single payer Canadian style system then the next Obama is against universal healthcare altogether.

The Clinton's, just like Karl Rove, count on ignorance among the electorate to get over. I think (certainly hope) the jig is up on Clinton/Rove style politics.

Posted by: Robin | Feb 25, 2008 4:27:57 PM

who cares what Bill thinks?

What a clown. His cred is totally shot.

Posted by: Eric | Feb 25, 2008 5:09:51 PM

Wow! Shame, shame on you? What does she think the electorate is a bunch of pre-schoolers! And, good luck garnering the support of Obamaians in November should she be the nominee. As a 50 year old, college educated, working mother, I really resent being called a mental zombie.

Posted by: Mrs.G | Feb 25, 2008 5:12:40 PM

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