The One About The Clintons Don’t Really Care All That Much About Health Care Reform!

February 15, 2010 by Toriach

Unless you have been hiding in a cave looking for Osama, you are no doubt well aware that last week former President Bill Clinton experienced some discomfort which led to him contacting his doctor, they checked him out, determined that he needed a couple of stents put in to supplement the bypass surgery he had a few years ago. He was in and out, and quickly on the road to recovery. At one point I was listening to a pod cast of the NBC Nightly news and some well meaning doctor is talking about how people should contact their doctor if they feel they are having a problem, even if it's just a mild discomfort, especially if they've had a major procedure in the past. As I was walking to check the mail listening to this, I snorted and rolled my eyes thinking to myself, it must be nice to be a Clinton, and be able to just get seen whenever you perceive a need.

Then a couple of days later something that had been niggling in the back of my brain came to the forefront. I can't say I'm surprised that people haven't spotted it. It is a particular challenge to spot the absence of something, and I'm the first to admit that even I don't always catch these things. But suddenly there it was staring me in the face big as life.

Bill and Hillary Clinton, really don’t care very much at all about Health Care Reform.

You see here's the thing, both of the Clintons are, I think it is safe to say savvy and experienced politicians. And one of the hallmarks of such people is their ability to tie anything into current politics, When It Suits Their Purpose. To be sure the Right do it. They've taken Clinton's procedure and turned it into an opening to start the ZGOP "Boogety Boogety Boo" about how if there was Health Care Reform, then people would be denied simple potentially life saving procedures etc. But have those usually savvy operators the Clintons said one word? Nope. And wouldn't this be the perfect time to talk about how lucky they were that they were able to detect and correct this problem early? And about how there are millions of Americans who because they do not have health care insurance, nor qualify for programs designed for low income Americans, would not have access to such simple preventative solutions.

They could have used this situation to have drawn a clear picture of how real Health Care Reform could benefit vast numbers. But they didn't. Why? Because frankly it's not in their best interests to. There are all kinds of specific reasons why they’ve kept mum. Maybe Hillary is planning on challenging Obama in the Democratic primary to try and get the 2012 nomination. Or perhaps since neither of them are directly involved in domestic policy making, they don’t think it’s worth bothering because if health care reform does happen, there’s no real glory to be had, and if it fails there is much stigma to be attached to their names for supporting it, and they still bear the mark of failing so spectacularly during the nineties.

So the Clintons are probably doing what most people in Washington do these days. Putting their own political well being ahead of any thought of the well being of the American people. I mean hey why not, it's not like they'll ever have to choose between keeping the heat on and going to the doctor. It's not as if they'll have to decide between putting food on the table or buying medicine. As I’ve said before, it must be nice to be a Clinton.

Keep The Faith My Brothers And Sisters!

(This article originally appeared at The One About...)