So I guess Clinton's secretive health plan wasn't the problem.

[edhopper]

The lesson to Clinton losing on reforming health care was not that they formed the plan behind closed doors and that Obama opening it up to Congress would solve the problem.
The problem is that the Republicans and corporatist, with the aid of the Media will do everything they can to stop health care reform no matter how it is tried.
And they have a very good record of succeeding.

[MrsBrady]

1. both Clintons have warned of that n/t

[UTUSN]

2. K&R #4 for, funny how it took 15 or so yrs for truth to tell in a free & open society!1 n/t

[Captain Hilts]

3. Amazin', ain't it? nt

[JohnnyLib2]

6. + 1

[xultar]

4. Here come all the DUers who blame the Clintons aka Clinton haters yelling

They failed.
Down with monarchy
Hillary sucks
It wasn't the repubs they couldn't manage or lead

[Bonobo]

5. It is beginning to look that you are right.

It sucks not having people to blame though... :(

[ProSense]

7. Clinton screwed up. No one in Congress was willing to fight for his plan

because he excluded Congress. Of course, as he tells it that he pleaded with Congress to write the bill.

[xultar]

8. Just like Obama. AND he let congress write the bill and he couldn't get them to

fight for their own plan. Obama would have signed whatever they sent him. Yet he played around with Grassley till it was obvious that he was getting owned.

Face it. Obama screwed up.

[ProSense]

9. Clinton's bill never made it to Congress. Currently, there are four bills in Congress

and they all include a public option and have been voted out of committee.

[xultar]

11. I'm sure the republicans had nothing to do with the Clinton's bill not making it. I know you

would much rather blame the Clinton's than the republicans for their HCR issues.

And now Obama is having no problems with them, he's doing a great job handling the republicans.

[karynnj]

13. It is not over - there is still a very large probablity that Obama will

pass a major increase in healthcare coverage.

[karynnj]

12. True

Bill Bradley will be surprised to hear that Clinton begged Congress to write the bill. He was one of those proposing an alternative. This reminds me of Bill Clinton's comment in 2008 that he opposed the Iraq war from the beginning.

Here, he would be better off arguing that they created a plan that that he and Hillary were proud of and fought for it, but the country was not yet ready for it.

[bemildred]

10. Clinton was sandbagged.

It is disputable to what extent they did a good job of resisting the sandbagging, but quite clear in any case that they lost the war.