Mrs Clinton Assesses Health reform Failure

Hillary Clinton says she is willing to take some of the blame for the death of health reform legislation in the USA this year, but the New York Times reports that the most frustrating failure for her has been that the country did not understand that the Clinton plan was an opening offer meant to be the basis for negotiation, not an ultimatum.

In the crucial time right after the bill was proposed, the Administration did not foresee the problems of negative advertising and failed to use ads of its own, nor was Mrs Clinton prepared for the money which was available to her opposition. She told the NYT she hoped the right lessons will be learned so the right battles can be fought next time.

Mrs Clinton refused to criticize either her Republican opponents, saying that there were Republicans who wanted to be involved with reform, or the Democrats who would not back the President's plan. Following the mid-term elections, the President will assess Congress to see how reform can be better explained, and determine what legislation is doable and what can be done through regulatory changes or executive actions.