Elizabeth Edwards Prefers Hillary’s Healthcare Plan
By Bud White on April 9, 2008 at 12:49 PM in Barack Obama, Health Care, Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, John Kerry, North Carolina
The Boston Globe is reporting that Elizabeth Edwards prefers Hillary’s health care plan over Obama’s, and that she thinks that there’s no problem if the nominating process goes to the convention. These statements are raising eyebrows with Hillary supporters, particularly since Obama supporter John Kerry said Hillary’s health care plan was a “non-starter” in the senate, and the desire of Pelosi, Dean, Leahy and others to end the nominating process by June, if not earlier.
Interviewed by the television program “Good Morning America”, Mrs. Edwards said:
“You need that universality in order to get the cost savings,” Edwards said on ABC’s “Good Morning America.” “I just have more confidence in Senator Clinton’s policy than Senator Obama’s on this particular issue.”But Elizabeth Edwards, an outspoken advocate on healthcare issues, did say she prefers Clinton’s reform plan to reach the estimated 47 million American without healthcare coverage.
Late last month, Senator Kerry spoke about the politics of universal health care:
“Let me just tell you that Hillary Clinton’s plan in the United States Senate is a nonstarter, because it starts with a mandate that is unachievable in the Senate in what we need to do”
Kerry’s statements confirm what Hillary has been saying for months: Obama does not support universal health care.
Hillary’s spokesman, Howard Wolfson responded to Kerry by saying:
“We don’t believe that health care legislation that covers every American is a nonstarter; in fact, we believe it is essential to ensuring that every American gets the health care they need.”
For the last several weeks, Mrs. Edwards has become increasingly vocal in the health care debate:
“Sen. Clinton’s plan is a great plan” that closely resembles John Edwards’ proposal, she said. Clinton’s plan mandates that every American be insured. Elizabeth Edwards said only universal healthcare would resolve one of the problems plaguing the healthcare system — its soaring cost.
Elizabeth Edwards praise of Hillary’s healthcare plan and the fact that Mrs. Edwards “said that she wouldn’t be upset if the nomination battle went all the way to the August national convention and that Clinton and Obama would be a great joint ticket,” has Hillary supporters wondering if an endorsement by John or Elizabeth could happen before the critical May 6 Democratic primary in North Carolina. Regardless of what the Edwards do in Democratic nomination fight, Mrs. Edwards statements demonstrate that Hillary is the true progressive choice for president.
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Originally posted at Bud White’s World.
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