MEMORIES of the Clinton health-care disaster should figure prominently in Democratic strategic planning. It was a debacle unlike any other in recent history, one the party will want to avoid repeating at all costs. In a few short months in 1994, the public went from strong support for the concept of “universal coverage” to overwhelming opposition to Bill and Hillary Clinton’s plan. This collapse in political support was pivotal to the historic Republican takeover of Congress in the mid-term elections of that year. During his remaining time in office, Bill Clinton enjoyed his share of victories, but they were mainly defensive in nature and essentially protected the large government he had inherited. Gone for good were his ambitious plans to remake the country with an even more activist government.
What lessons have the Democrats, including their presumptive nominee, taken from this painful episode? Not the right ones, it seems-except for the need to cover their tracks. Democrats, Obama included, appear to think their problem in 1994 was poor marketing and opposition from powerful, well-funded special interests, not the substance of the plan. Hillary Clinton, in particular, likes to blame the infamous “Harry and Louise” ads, sponsored by the insurance industry, which depicted a typical couple at the kitchen table fretting over her plan’s costs and restrictions. Instead of taking to heart Americans’ reservations about how a massive expansion of government involvement would affect the quality of their health care, Obama is holding firm to his party’s commitment to full government control-but doing all he can to hide this fact from the public.
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