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Bill Clinton to Democrats: "The Worst Thing to Do Is Nothing."

Shailagh Murray, The Washington Post

Tuesday 10 November 2009

Former president Bill Clinton urged Senate Democrats on Tuesday to overcome their differences and pass health-care reform as soon as possible, warning that politically and economically, "The worst thing to do is nothing."

Addressing the Democrats at their caucus luncheon, Clinton noted the grim consequences of his own failed reform effort in 1994: Democrats lost control of Congress in the November midterm elections, health-care costs skyrocketed, and the uninsured rate continued to rise. This time, Clinton told senators to be prepared to compromise for the sake of victory.

"It's not important to be perfect here. It's important to act, to move, to start the ball rolling," he told reporters after the meeting. "There will be amendments to this effort, whatever they pass, next year and the year after and the year after, and there should be. It's a big, complicated, organic thing. But the worst thing to do is nothing."

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He's right, you know. If

 Wed, 11/11/2009 - 07:01 — Anonymous (not verified)
He's right, you know. If the Democrats passed a single-payer plan, it would be, as Obama said "disruptive", it would alienate big donors, hurt insurance company profits, etc. But we can't let the Perfect be the enemy of the Good. So, let's pass single-payer this year, and then a few years down the road we can fix it for the insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies.

Speaking of Bill Clinton,

 Wed, 11/11/2009 - 12:38 — Alexander Moore (not verified)
Speaking of Bill Clinton, I'm curious why the Bill Clinton/George W. Bush Radio City Music Hall event of February 2010 has been flushed. I hope the cancellation of number one won't mean that I'll have to miss the second in the series: Miley Cyrus and Henry Kissinger.

The problem is, the House

 Wed, 11/11/2009 - 12:39 — David S Lynch (not verified)
The problem is, the House bill is beyond imperfect. It forces Americans to buy into the same private, corrupt insurance industry that caused our health care crisis. Given the choice between the House bill and nothing, I'd choose nothing, and send them back to the drawing board - both the House and the Senate.