Early Wednesday morning Michael and I attended a Health Care forum called “Winning Health Care Reform in 2009.” The event, held at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, was co-sponsored by Families USA and SEIU (Service Employees International Union).
We were able to hear Ohio Governor Ted Strickland, Former Senator Tom Daschle, and Senator Hillary Clinton speak. The last and much anticipated speaker was Senator Hillary Clinton. Walking on stage in a what Michael and I guessed was a sea foam green pantsuit (or maybe a fresh, but faded mint), Hillary was ready for some health care reform.
Clinton had a nice self-reflective moment where she recognized the failure of her and husband’s nineties universal health care plan. The audience applauded her past efforts and felt a particular comfort that she is still on board. Learning from the past, she advised that we elect Senator Obama as President, and then we pass a system of health care for all. Clinton talked about the need to get a system in place and then fix the kinks, otherwise time will keep passing by. She asked everyone in the room to get behind Obama and the movement of not just governors, but ordinary people around America to fix a broken, and often fundamentally immoral system.
In closing, Clinton reminded the audience that health care for all is one of the paramount objectives of her life. While she did not get the presidential nomination, as a strong senator from New York and a health care advocate, she seems “pantsuited” for health care reform. Here is a snippet of her speech:
