[size=-1]Clinton Sharply Defends Her Stance on Health Care

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After years of being criticized for the failed universal health-care plan she crafted during her husband's first term in office, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) apparently has had enough.
During a forum at the National Association of Black Journalists convention in Las Vegas, Clinton was asked why as a candidate for president she is "still insisting" on bringing "socialized medicine" to the United States, when people are "pulling away" from similar systems in Canada and Great Britain. Worse, the questioner said, such systems hurt rather than help poor people.
"That was a string of misrepresentations about me and about the systems in other countries," Clinton started. "Number one, I have never advocated socialized medicine, and I hope all the journalists here heard that loudly and clearly because that has been a right-wing attack on me for 15 years."
Clinton's plan, which died in Congress in 1994, would have required employers to provide health-care coverage to employees through health-maintenance organizations. Insurance firms opposed the proposal, as did political conservatives who thought it removed health care -- a huge portion of the nation's economy -- from the competitive marketplace.
"Do you think Medicare is socialized medicine?" Clinton asked her inquisitor, who did not identify himself.
To a degree," he responded.
"Well, then you are in a small minority in America," Clinton said to applause, before explaining that Medicare allows patients to choose their doctors even though the federal government foots the bill with money deducted from workers' paychecks.


At the National Association of Black Journalists convention in Las Vegas, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton defended her health-care views.
(By Jae C. Hong -- Associated Press)



Clinton then asserted that "on balance," countries with uniform national systems of health care, including Japan, Australia and Canada, offer better health care than the United States. The answer left her questioner shaking his head in disagreement.
"I can give you the statistics, and you can shake your head," Clinton said sharply. "You come and introduce yourself to the staff. And we'll try to give you some information if you're interested in being educated instead of being rhetorical."

-- Michael A. Fletcher

I too, am disturbed by everyone, especially Rush, Hannity, and other Talk Radio Hosts, being AFRAID to call a spade a spade, and use the word COMMUNIST.

I think that meybe they feel they would be laughed at, or that it sounds too jingoistic, or like some out-dated criticism from the 1950's.

Most Democrats, and ALL "Progressives" are flat out Communists.

Rush occasionally calls them Marxists or Stalinists.   I don't think it helps to call them Stalinists (even tho I believe Hillary IS a Stalinist), because it implies that they're not just Communists but also Genocidal Mass-Murderers.

Question:  What is the difference between Hillary Rodham Clinton and a Communist?

Answer:  One election...

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PaleoCon -- He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire. (http://www.myspace.com/paleocon)