As The Left Grumbles, Clinton Urges Health Care Support
Former President Bill Clinton has issued a strong statement in support of the Senate health care legislation, telling members of his party that letting the reform effort fail would be a "colossal blunder."
"Does this bill read exactly how I would write it? No. Does it contain everything everyone wants? Of course not. But America can't afford to let the perfect be the enemy of the good," Clinton says in the statement, which the White House swiftly posted on its own blog.
It's as high a level pitch as the White House could muster as many other key party stakeholders are making their dissatisfaction with the Senate bill very public. Hours earlier, the AFL-CIO issued a statement saying that while the bill "does some good things," the Senate version "bends toward the insurance industry." "The House bill is the model for genuine health care reform. Working people cannot accept anything less than real reform," the union says.
Clinton's statement was issued at the request of the White House. You can see it in full after the jump.
At last, we are close to making real health insurance reform a reality. We face one critical, final choice, between action and inaction. We know where the path of inaction leads to: more uninsured Americans, more families struggling to keep up with skyrocketing premiums, higher federal budget deficits, and health costs so much higher than any other country's they will cripple us economically. Our only responsible choice is the path of action.Does this bill read exactly how I would write it? No. Does it contain everything everyone wants? Of course not. But America can't afford to let the perfect be the enemy of the good. And this is a good bill: it increases the security of those who already have insurance and gives every American access to affordable coverage, and contains comprehensive efforts to control costs and improve quality, with more information on best practices, and comparative costs and results. The bill will shift the power away from the insurance companies and into the hands of consumers.
Take it from someone who knows: these chances don't come around every day. Allowing this effort to fall short now would be a colossal blunder -- both politically for our party and, far more important, for the physical, fiscal, and economic health of our country."