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Bill Angrily Defends Hillary's Healthcare History

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May 08, 2008 5:51 PM

ABC News' Sarah Amos reports: While speaking at Fayetteville High School in Fayetteville, West Virginia, former President Bill Clinton was interrupted by a woman who said he and Hillary Clinton promised to fix healthcare when he was president and then did nothing.

Clinton got angry during the exchange, clearly upset by the woman's claim.

Watch the VIDEO HERE.

"And do you know why it was defeated? Clinton asked, "I can't believe you are saying this. There are, there are millions of pages of documents that we have released. Showing the exhausting work that was done, the tens of thousands of people who were consulted, the rallies and movements we had all over the country."

The former president then added: "This is, one of the problems, one of the problems of this whole presidential campaign is how many things that people have said that are flat untrue."

Bill Clinton angrily defended his wife, telling the woman Hillary's first universal healthcare plan failed because of Republican opposition. 

"She worked her, she worked her fingers to the bone, I worked my fingers to the bone," He said. "We got beat because [Former Senate Majority Leader] Robert Dole, who promised to work with me on it, got a memo which said, you will never be elected president and the Republicans can't win a majority unless you keep them from adopting anything and they filibustered my healthcare bill. That's what happened."

The former president said his wife also continued to work on healthcare issues once elected to the Senate.

"After we lost, Hillary went back, and worked on the children's health insurance program, which gave six million kids healthcare, the biggest increase since Medicare. You might be interested to know that because we because we held cost down and did other things we had the first reduction of people without health insurance in a dozen years when I was president, because of what we did on healthcare. There is nobody in America who has more credibility and for you or any other person to claim she didn't work on it, is the craziest thing I ever heard. "

May 8, 2008 in Bush, George W., Tancredo, Tom | Permalink | User Comments (73)

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People are STUPID!

Posted by: CD | May 8, 2008 6:05:50 PM

There's nobody on this planet that is full of themselves and believe their own hype as Hillary and Bill. Nobody.

Posted by: Deep Release | May 8, 2008 6:11:16 PM

Excuse me what healthcare plan did Obama get passed how many american kids did he help in the IL.senate or now.Or was it one of the 86 things he voted present on. Maybe one of the 6 things he mistakingly voted for in Chicago.I wonder how many mistakes he'll make as president.

Posted by: tamika | May 8, 2008 6:22:03 PM

If Hillary doesn't win the nomination, it will be a terrible, sad day. I will not vote for Obama. He cares about himself and being popular and that's about it. No substance!

Posted by: janetNC | May 8, 2008 6:26:36 PM

She took $800.000 from Insurance companies to drop the plans too.You forgot to tell the people that .

Posted by: older wh lady | May 8, 2008 6:38:27 PM

These exchanges are only going to get more heated. Clinton is unaccustomed to being sand-bagged by anyone since the media gave them a free ride for all eight years of his sorry service (by interns). He's never been challenged like this before. He's not used to being the odd man out. This is high comedy.

Posted by: Frustrated Voter | May 8, 2008 6:40:04 PM

If lies are said 1000 times, it sounds like truth. She, the woman who asked the question, perhaps went to too many Obama rallies and heard too much what she asked.

Posted by: fat cat | May 8, 2008 7:02:13 PM

I think Bill is tired and he loves his wife. Its hard to be part of the most contested nomination in a generation and come out on the wrong end.

The fact is some folks never found out why healthcare failed. The GUV or some republican just told them 'he did nothing' .


Posted by: tomdavie | May 8, 2008 7:13:46 PM

I agree with Tom, people just repeat what they have heard and don't bother to get the facts. It's too easy to be a Clinton basher when you are on the Obama bandwagon. My sister is fighting cancer for the fourth time and has been denied an important test because she doesn't "have the right kind of cancer." She is one of those who has health insurance, but it's not good enough to cover such tests. She is one of those Hillary is fighting for. So say what you want about the Clinton's, I believe them when they say universal health care is important to them and worth fighting for. Furthermore, I don't care if Bill is a former President, he doesn't have to put up with stupid people and their stupid questions anymore than you or I would now, at least if he doesn't want to. He's already been badmouthed enough through this campaign, so what does he have to lose by standing up for his wife at this stage of the game.

Posted by: dwc | May 8, 2008 7:21:55 PM

“He had this gimpy knee where he’d busted his knee, this arm had been fractured in a couple places, he’d been bayoneted in the leg, this arm was out at the shoulder and, in fact, during that time it was out at the shoulder so long it wore a hole in this bone,” [describing McCain, his cellmate in Hanoi Hilton] Day said.

When this is played side by side with BO in Wright's church, jumping up and down, following his preaching rants, is he really going to have a chance in November?

Posted by: lazy | May 8, 2008 7:26:25 PM

Personally, I think a McCain/Clinton ticket would be unbeatable. Why do we have to have these stupid party divisions? If Obama disses Clinton for the VP spot, McCain should snap her up.

Posted by: unhappy w/economy | May 8, 2008 7:28:56 PM

The Clinton health care plan mainly failed because it was put together in secret behind closed doors, something Sen. Obama has emphasized cannot lead to success. They may have worked their "fingers to the bone" but they were not inclusive and this continues to show in Hillary's campaign. She is a person who alienates, while Obama welcomes different points of view.

Posted by: Andrew | May 8, 2008 7:32:14 PM

BILL AND HILLARY HAVE DONE MORE FOR THEIR COUNTRY AND FOR PEOPLE OF ALL COLOR ,AGE, AND GENDER,THAN ANY OTHER PRESIDENT IN HISTORY,WITH A 70% APPROVAL RATING NO ONE CAN OVERTAKE HIM EXCEPT FOR HILLARY, GO HILLARY DONT STOP OUR COUNTRY NEEDS A TOUGH, SMART AND PASSIONATE PRESIDENT.

Posted by: SHIRLEY ROYBAL | May 8, 2008 7:35:20 PM

Why should this lady be humiliated, it was a fair question? Bill keeps doing that to people... so out of touch... their time is past.

Posted by: origood | May 8, 2008 7:38:40 PM

so Bill called her and many votors crazy

Posted by: crazy | May 8, 2008 7:43:09 PM

Obama certainly does welcome more points of view, perhaps a few that are too far at the fringes for most voters to stomach. Personally, a few of the Rev Wright's sermons would make me toss my cookies. I understand his brother and perhaps other family members are Muslim (no problem there) & anti-USA. That's ok. No one can help who they're related to. His acquaintances do include a large number of diverse characters, a few whom we know. I'm concerned about the many we do not know about YET. It should all come out by November, not to worry. A general election does bring out a lot more information than the party nomination process.

Posted by: Deepgoozle | May 8, 2008 7:45:00 PM

Any one who had to pay for health care knows the price has gone up like 500% since he left office. and since it is now Obama hiring Bots to put in crowds because he can't go himself. and heckel just like the republicans do.The nintys were good

Posted by: Bishop | May 8, 2008 7:45:42 PM

And the last time they said he was angry it was bs

Posted by: Bishop | May 8, 2008 7:48:18 PM

Amerians should put their country first not their political Party....

American people should vote for the one who is the best to lead the country but not the one who can win the most number by rule...

Vote by your heart not by the number!!

Posted by: True Truth | May 8, 2008 8:06:09 PM

lazy, I think you probably have described the kind of ad that could absolutely demolish him. Do you think McCain's surrogates will use that one?

Posted by: georgia | May 8, 2008 8:07:07 PM

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