Wow. John Kerry was 100% right about why health care reform did not pass in the '90s

[beachmom]

Remember when JK appeared at that health care forum, and explained that he and other Democratic Senators told Hillary in '93/'94 that if she didn't change her health care bill, it would die in the Congress? And Hillary wouldn't listen to him or Kennedy or anyone else, so she failed. Well, that was how it was in the House, too. But honestly, I had NO IDEA how awful she was to dissenting Dems:

http://www.memphisdailynews.com/editorial/Article.aspx?id=37041

Cooper, the state chairman of Obama's campaign in Tennessee, said his speech at the Holiday Inn-University of Memphis would focus on the 2008 presidential contest in general terms. But a look at his dealings with the first lady in the 1990s helps put his current political stance into context.

The year was 1993, and the focus was on comprehensive health care reform. The Clinton administration was mounting a full-court press in persuading congressional leaders to sign on to a health care bill championed by the White House.

Cooper had a health care bill of his own.

"They turned up their nose at my bill, and that's fine. But then they constructed this secret 500-person task force to draft a whole new bill - and I knew it would go nowhere," Cooper said. "So I went privately to the White House to warn (Hillary Clinton). No publicity. No nothing.

"She brought in a camera to record the meeting. And she has not released the memos on this meeting. She immediately declared war on me. I warned her we didn't even have the votes (for her bill) in our subcommittee. She said, 'We're going to (politically) cut your legs off.' I've never gotten such a cold reception as I got from her."

Cooper said the first lady set up a war room to undercut Cooper, who was gearing up for a run at the U.S. Senate in 1994. And a former television news reporter from Nashville was tasked with leading that war room, he said.

"Bill Clinton couldn't have been nicer to me during this period," said Cooper, who still keeps an old photograph of himself that was taken during a visit to the first lady's West Wing office in the White House during the 1990s. "I went running with him. I played golf with him. I was asked to hang out in the White House with him.

"I respect Hillary supporters because they haven't had the chance to get to know her like I have. She does not have the political skills of her husband. Or Barack. You need somebody who can bring people together. She criticized my health care bill because it wouldn't achieve universal coverage until 1998. Well, today we'd be celebrating the 10th anniversary of having every American with insurance."

I am quite speechless by this admission.

Edit: being discussed here:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/5/11/183443/678/744/513868

Somebody points out that we could have had a SENATOR Cooper (D) from Tennessee instead of Fred Thompson if Hillary wasn't so vindictive. A story like this puts everything into focus.

[ladym55]

1. This doesn't really surprise me any

We've had eight long years of this kind of vindictive behavior. As a nation, we can't afford it any longer. We have serious problems that need grown-ups who can come together and work on resolutions.

I've read elsewhere about the big risks that people like JK took by supporting Obama. Had HRC won this, JK and the others would have paid big time.

[beachmom]

2. Just so everyone knows, Cooper is a more conservative Democrat,

so I am not suggesting that he is "pure", but this incident shows that she is no leader. She could have worked out a deal with him, or given him some type of concession, done something. Instead she threatened him, and sought out to destroy him. AND, we didn't get health care reform. Kerry said her current health care plan is DOA in the Senate, so NOTHING has changed. We really dodged a bullet here.

[ladym55]

3. I understand

But a conservative Dem is better in the big picture than a Republican.

It is very important to have someone in leadership who can work toward a solution rather than go forward with the attitude MY WAY OR THE HIGHWAY. And health care in our country is a mess. It didn't have to be this way.

[karynnj]

4. I agree - especially as in 1996 - there were 55 Republicans to 45 Democrats

Though it does not seem that different, 54 to 46 is better especially as there were more moderate Republicans then. That was one reason I found Bill Clinton's thoughts on Weld/Kerry odd in that he even had them. (That he didn't have the grace to keep the fact that there was any thought at all on who to support when one was the man already the de facto nominee, whose people were not happy about the selfish timing as it was is stunning. Could anyone imagine Kerry putting out a book on the 2004 race or Contra drug running in July 2008 if HRC was the nominee? Even then he wouldn't get the press that Bill did.

As to that article, I had seen a David Brooks editorial on it that showed the same side. HRC people blasted him and - following the example of their leader - assassinated his character. But in the Senate the people were people like Bradley, whose liberal credentials are firmer than HRC's. I had been surprised at Kerry's comment because he had not endorsed at that point and he goes out of his way to never to gratuitously insult anyone. (Here's a link to Beachmom's thread with link - it was Oct 2007, which shows the HRC people were crazy to think that he would stay neutral. Those comments are the opposite of the reason he gave for Obama. She could not get people together. http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=273&topic_id=140483 The link to the conference has wiped out the 2007 conference, but the wonderful Kerryvision.net still has it! http://www.kerryvision.net/2007/10/cerner_health_conference_2007.html#comments)