MSNBC host Rachel Maddow on Thursday evening confronted Hillary Clinton over her recent attacks on her main rival in the Democratic presidential primary, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), specifically the Clinton campaign’s criticisms of Sanders’ health care proposal.
Maddow noted that the Clinton campaign has said that Sanders “can’t level with the American people” about how much his health care proposal would cost. The campaign this week has complained that the Sanders campaign won’t reveal specifics of how his single-payer health system would be paid for, and both Hillary and Chelsea Clinton have expressed concern that Sanders’ plan would give too much power to governors.
“He’s a very well respected figure. Your campaign is essentially fighting with him now in a way that is casting aspersions on his character, calling him dishonest,” Maddow told Clinton.
“No, no,” the former secretary of state responded.
Maddow then asked Clinton, “He won’t level with the American people?”
In response, Clinton noted that Sanders’ campaign hasn’t revealed details about what his health care proposal would cost.
“For months his campaign has been saying before the Iowa caucus we will tell you what we are proposing in taxes. And the bulk of what he is advocating for is a single payer health care system, which would probably cost about $15 trillion,” she said, lamenting that voters will not be able to compare the candidates’ two plans before the Iowa caucuses.
“Do you disagree with that goal?” Maddow then asked. “Do you disagree with single payer as a good — I guess it would be too hard to do.”
Clinton said she agrees with universal health care.
“But to me, the Affordable Care Act is one of the signature accomplishments, not just of this president, but of the Democratic Party,” she said.
“Now, the only clue that I can find, because he hasn’t laid out a plan, is to go back and look at the bills that he’s introduced nine different times. And it’s a bit concerning to me because it would basically end all the kinds of health care we know, Medicare, Medicaid, the CHIP program, children’s health insurance, TRICARE for the National Guard, military, Affordable Care Act exchange policies, employer-based policies,” Clinton added. “It would take all that and hand it over to the states.”
Watch the interview from MSNBC. Maddow brings up Clinton’s criticisms of Sanders near the 8:45 mark.
That was a really fine interview, and I’m glad I caught it on the way home from work. Substantive questions and assertive follow-up by Maddow, with honest, thoughtful answers from Clinton. Quite a jarring contrast between Clinton and the clowns on stage in SC. Clinton looks more and more presidential with each passing day.
Bernie looks more professional and honest than Clinton. Bernie looks more presidential every day, more than Clinton who is a fried whore for the 1%.
Clinton is right. The Sanders legislation would hand over to each State the decision about what would be covered and how to divide up the pie slice of the national health care budget that would be given to each state. It doesn’t take a lot of imagination to guess the kinds of medical care that Republican governors would exclude, and the decision by a Republican president to squeeze down on Sanders “national budget”, forcing people to either buy supplemental insurance to cover the shortfall or, jf they weren’t wealthy, to forego medical care entirely. The Sanders legislation is a train wreck. I don’t think he intended it to be so, but I do think he is guilty of not thinking through how his legislation would be administered under Republican presidents and governors. But, Hillary will have to sharpen her answers to get across these points, and it doesn’t look like she did that very well with Maddow.
You’re right: She is right. But it’s a tough thing to explain in sound bites, and that’s hurting her right now.
Wrong. Bernie wants our single - payer system to mimic the European single payer system in place since before 1969! Works fine for all of Europe. We are supposedly richer than European countries. If Clinton would compare the cost of military here and Europe, she would then shut up because support and cost of single payer would require only a fraction of the $trillions we spend on weapons of mass destruction and worldwide terrorism. We can easily afford single payer, with Medicare being modified to administer it - a no brainer. Go to Europe. See how much more friendly and secure every one is there, largely due to the security of their medical system, and their serious gun control, gun control like Australia has had for decades now, since a massacre of tourists occurred in the 1990s and the country then bought back most civilian owned weapons of mass destruction. Go ahead, get off your ass and go work / vacation / live in Europe and find out the truth about single -payer, don’t just talk nonsense and b.s…