The Tuesday night debate between senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama could be heated if Clinton carries though her angry
"Meet me in Ohio, let's have a debate about your tactics" tone from the weekend. It would be helpful to your readers/viewers/listeners if you provided background on both of the candidates' health care plans before the event in Cleveland.
Now, make no mistake, several candidates have told some head-slapping whoppers about their opponent''s health care plans.
See some of them from PolitiFact's Truth-o-Meter project. (
Disclosure: PolitiFact is published by the Times Publishing Company, of which Poynter is a part.) Clinton said this weekend that she was angry over some Obama fliers that attack her health care plan. This is not the first scrape the two had about fliers.
Factcheck.org has found some credibility in Clinton's previous complaints.
There were actually two mailings, one on the National American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the other on health care.
Keep in mind the next two links are from the Clinton campaign's "FactHub" Web site, but they do take you to the actual mailers.
Here is the health care mailer.
Here is the NAFTA mailer.
You will hear comparisons to these Obama ads and what were called the
"Harry and Louise" TV spots by the Health Insurance Association of America, used to attack and sink the 1993 Clinton health care plan.
Slate provides some of these ads, as well as background information.
Here is more background on the group that produced the spots.
The (Cleveland, Ohio) Plain Dealer points out:
The mailing says, in part: "Hillary's health care plan forces everyone to buy insurance, even if you can't afford it."
She has said her universal health care proposal allows people satisfied with their plan to keep it. Unemployed or lower-income people would receive federal assistance and everyone would be covered, she said.
In regard to the NAFTA mailer,
The New York Times explains:
It was not the first time the Clinton campaign had seen the trade flier, which cites an article from Newsday that says Mrs. Clinton believed the North American Free Trade Agreement was a "boon" to the economy. Mrs. Clinton said the newspaper had since corrected the article.
(Editors from Newsday responded on its Web site last week, stopping short of a correction but saying that "Obama's use of the citation in this way does strike us as misleading.")
Watch this video of Clinton saying she's ready for a "real debate" in Cleveland.
Obama responded by saying:
"I am puzzled by the sudden change in tone. Unless these were just brought to her attention, it makes me think that there's something tactical about her getting so exercised this morning."
What are the differences between the two candidate's plans? The truth is, it seems that neither candidate has provided enough detail to know how their ideas would work or how much the ideas might cost.
Read a clearly written analysis.
National Public Radio summarizes the candidate's positions this way:
Sen. Hillary Clinton (NY): At the core of Clinton's "American Health Choices Plan" is that those who are happy with their current coverage can keep it and those who are unhappy or uninsured may choose from an array of new coverage options, including a public plan similar to Medicare. The plan includes an "individual mandate" that everyone should have insurance. It would require a combination of individual, government and employer financing -- with subsidies for those with low incomes.
Sen. Barack Obama (IL): Obama would create a new plan for those who lack other access to coverage, as well as a National Health Insurance Exchange to help pool the purchasing power of small businesses and individuals. Obama would also offer a combination of subsidies and tax credits to help make coverage more affordable. He would mandate health insurance coverage for children but not adults. Obama would create a federally sponsored health insurance plan, similar to Medicare, that would compete with private plans for those under 65.
Here is some additional information on their health plans.
Hi Al: Once again, I'm being self promotional (the last...
