by Rick Pearson
PARMA, Ohio—While voters were going to the polls in Wisconsin, Hillary Clinton brought her Democratic campaign for the presidency to Ohio this morning, discussing the economy, trade and health care at a small restaurant in Parma.
Clinton has been pushing a populist theme in recent weeks, particularly since Ohio and the nominating calendar’s other major March 4 state, Texas, are viewed as all but must-win states for her to continue her challenge to Barack Obama.
The campaign, she said, “shouldn’t be about speeches. It should be about solutions. What are we going to do together to solve the problems that the people of Ohio are facing?
“I care deeply about a family losing their home to foreclosure, the family losing their health care, the family losing their means of employment and the jobs that have disappeared from Ohio over the last eight years,” she said.Clinton contended the nation’s failure to adopt a universal health care plan has led to many of America’s economic woes.
“I think it is morally wrong that in our country health insurance companies get to decide who lives or dies and who gets treated and who doesn’t get treated,” Clinton said. “It is economically disadvantageous for us not to have universal health care. I am the only candidate left in this race on either side who has a plan to achieve universal health care.”
Clinton has consistently sought to draw a distinction with Obama on expanding health care. Her plan would mandate that everyone obtain health insurance or face penalties, which she has not disclosed. Obama’s plan would mandate coverage for children and he argues his plan would make private insurance more affordable. She contends his plan would leave millions of people uncovered. He believes her mandates are unworkable.
“My opponent does not have a plan,” Clinton said. “He would leave out millions of people. And I don’t think that is very smart.”
Clinton also noted that more government regulation is needed of the health-care industry—along with several others with the urging of her audience.
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“What I know we have to do is regulate the health-insurance industry and the banking and the credit card companies and the drug companies and the oil companies. That’s right. That’s exactly right,” she said. “In fact, we need to regulate a lot of these companies that have gotten to the point where they take advantage of people in a shameless way and the health insurance industry really plays with people’s lives.”
Clinton also said she was hopeful that, with the departure of Cuban leader Fidel Castro, “the new leadership will take steps to move Cuba toward democracy,” including the release of political prisoners and “oppressive burdens” on its population.
“Certainly the people of the United States would meet a new government to talk about what needs to happen if that new government takes some action that demonstrates they’re willing to change,” she said.
“We need a president who will work with countries around the world, in Europe, in the Western Hemisphere, to push Cuba now to join the community of nations and to become a democracy and I will certainly do that as president,” she said.
One woman who attended the roundtable at Grace’s Grill, who knew about the fact that Clinton faced a flap over set-up questions in Iowa, said, “I want to assure everybody that nobody gave me a question.”