Obama Ad Compared To Nazi March On Clinton Call

[Note: Headline updated. See end.]

Ben Smith reports:

The Clinton campaign convened a conference call with health policy experts to denounce Obama's new mailer (.pdf), which attacks Clintons plan for "forcing" Americans to sign up for insurance, and which features a couple at a kitchen table that recalls, for some, the famous insurance-industry financed "Harry and Louise" ads against the original Clinton plan.

"I am personally outraged at the picture used in this mailing," said Len Nichols of the New America foundation, a leading supporter of mandatory insurance, who called it a "Harry and Louise evocation."

"It is as outrageous as having Nazis march through Skokie, Illinois," Nichols said. "I just find it disgusting that this kind of imagery is being used to attack the only way to get to universal coverage."

[Update: At the end of the call, Clinton aide Howard Wolfson disavowed the Nazi reference, saying the campaign didn't think it was appropriate, though he acknowledged the passions the issue stirs.]

Len Nichols served as the liaison between President Clinton's budget office and Mrs. Clinton health-care task force.

Here's the image in question:

Story continues below

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See the full mailer here. New York Times columnist Paul Krugman, a frequent critic of Obama's, agrees with the claim that the ad evokes the "Harry and Louise" ads:

Sorry, but this is just destructive -- like the Obama plan, the Clinton plan offers subsidies to lower-income families. And BO himself has conceded that he might have to penalize people who don't buy insurance until they need care. So this is just poisoning the well for health care reform. The politics of hope, indeed.

But Obama adviser David Axelrod defends the ad: "He called the image 'standard,' and defended the argument against the plan. He also dismissed the suggestion that this mailing is similar to Clinton attacks that Obama has denounced. 'Ours is based in fact and theirs is based in fabrication,' he said."

Update: Both the Clinton campaign and Len Nichols have released statements.

Clinton campaign:

Earlier today, the Clinton campaign held a conference call to discuss
the Obama campaign's negative health care mailer, which is reminiscent
of Harry and Louise ads used by industry to defeat universal health care
in the early 1990s. At the end of the call, Howard Wolfson made the
following statement:

"I heard someone make a reference to a march in Skokie in comparison to
the photograph in the mailer which is not a comparison that we would
make. And everyone on the call is obviously very passionate about this
issue, and rightfully so, but that is not a comparison that we would
make."

These remarks were made by a health care expert unaffiliated with our
campaign. They were totally inappropriate and the campaign rejects them
completely.

Len Nichols, via the New America Foundation:

Len Nichols, Director of New America's Health Policy Program, stated, "For nearly 17 years I have worked tirelessly to reform our nation's struggling health system. Today my passion overwhelmed me. I chose an analogy that was wholly inappropriate. I am deeply sorry for any offense that my unfortunate comments may have caused. I made unfortunate comments that do not accurately reflect my bipartisan conviction, political philosophy, or most importantly, my opinions about Senator Obama and his historic campaign for the United States presidency."

"While I have consulted with seven former and current presidential candidates, I am not affiliated nor a surrogate for the Clinton campaign, or any other campaign."

"I wholeheartedly appreciate Senator Obama's concern for Americans struggling to afford health insurance and I admire his amazing ability to inspire the nation. In fact, it is my own moral and religious convictions that lead me to believe that it is necessary for our country to guarantee quality, affordable health insurance for all Americans. My foremost priority is to advance the health reform debate by protecting a fact-based discussion."

"The New America Foundation is a non-partisan think tank, that does not endorse or advise any campaign in an official capacity " said Steve Coll, New America's President and CEO. "Len's decision to participate in the call and his comments on the mailer are regrettable. Len is passionate and committed to reforming health care in America, and I know that he sincerely regrets these unfortunate remarks."

Note: The original headline for this post described Len Nichols as a Clinton "backer" -- he has consulted with Clinton's campaign (and several others) but is officially unaffiliated in he race.

Comments

[realitytrumpsbull]

I think that 'healthcare' is this really interesting topic, especially if you start talking about situations where your 'plan' is allowed to take money out of your paycheck before you get it.
Economists are smart people. They like systems.
Systems are ok, as long as they're well-maintained. But, a runaway system, or a system that is say, deliberately imbalanced, if only ever-so-slightly, can be a problem, life-threatening, even. If we hypothesize that there is basically what amounts to a consumer 'model', and that it's kind of obvious that people have their digital lives stored in such a way that various parties, now including law enforcement, can more or less tell how much money you've got in your wallet by looking at your income and expenses and all that other goodness online, and that people work extra shifts to make up for percieved shortcomings in their income and stuff, just like good little wage slaves, then the whole discussion about 'healthcare' becomes downright sinister.
There are Crafty People At Work, Here, by my reckoning, and more research should be placed into careful study of just what's honestly really going on, here, with all of this.
If the checks don't balance, there might be a problem with the checks and balances. Public corruption CAN kill the economy...

[starrianna]

Hillary is 10x smarter than Obama. OK, maybe 3x. She was the VALEDICTORIAN at her college! She is widely acknowledged to be smarter than former President Bill Clinton! She will be an awesome President, and there's no chance of her fooling around on the job (unless she and Barack get together).

[Slagfish]

Neither Obama's or Hillary's health plans offer much of anything new. Both leave the for profit insurance companies in place to rape, rob, pillage, and plunder us financially. A single payer government sponsored plan is the only plan that makes sense. Every other industrialized country in the world has some form of a single payer system. Contrary to popular myth we do not have the best health care system in the world.

[Waitaminute]

It amaze me how anyone would think that mandatory health care is the right way to go. The only thing it does is keep the money flowing into the insurance companies.

It works this way. When a person has a job,, most times the company pays some of it.

BUT, BUT, WHEN A PERSON LOSE THEIR JOB, THE INSURANCE COMPANY LOSE THAT REVENUE FROM BOTH PERSON AND COMPANY.

Now here comes Hillary's plan and it is a evil self absolved plan. Now the insurance companies get the money whether or not you have a job or not. They even threaten you with legal action, if you don't buy it. So they don't lose either way. They have you/us by the balls, whether you have a job or not.

You people have noticed a lot of people are losing there jobs. This guy who inserted "NAZI" into the mix. This guy is phony. He say this mandatory thing is the 'only way to solve the problem". I ask you isn't the plans in places like Canada, UK ETC. working? This alone makes his concern for the people phony.

So if Hillary is going to do so much for employing people, why doesn't she just do that, so at least after the person get a job the employer can again pay part of the health care.

Another thing, it will eventually lead to companies not paying anything for your health care. Why should they. It us/you who will be punished if you don't purchase it. DOWN WITH HILLARY'S CRUEL PLAN.

[Fathoms]

1.) The Nazis are on the other side of the aisle.
2.) Neither of the plans will work to every(any)one's satisfaction; just as big medicine intended.

[YL]

Here is another example of media's bias against the Clintons. Why doesn't the caption
read "Obama's ad compares Clinton's (very similar to Edwards' by the way) health plan to
GOP's attack"?

[NightAdder]

The main point that gets lost in the whole debate between HRC and Obama's health care plans (I hate both plans in principle) is that HRC's plans pads the pockets of the insurance corporations while Obama's plan at least gives people options. Moreover, Hillary's plan for individual mandates just shows how out of touch she is with the working poor who can't really afford any kind of government imposed health insurance, no matter how well intended. Obama has at least admitted that he would prefer a single payer system if he could start from scratch. There's no such admittances from Hillary. Barack's stance against government imposed mandates shows that he is at least aware of the hardships it brings, whereas, Hillary's plan just shows you were her political donations are coming from.

[zull2]

The saddest thing about all this back and forth is that essentially, it's fake. However, when you look at the lack of respect that Democratic voters themselves have for anyone who supports a different political candidate than their personal choice, that's REALLY bad.

It isn't the candidates that are doing most of the mudslinging, it's their supporters. When Edwards supporters decide to refer to all Obama supporters literally as "vacuous celebrity chasers", as opposed to folks who took the time to research Obama's record in the state legislature in Illinois over a year ago and found it to their liking...or when the Obama people attack the Hillary supporters as "being too focused on the notion of the first female president instead of the issues" (even though maybe they really liked the Clintons in the 90's and Hillary's platform), that's a sure fire way to hurt Democratic chances in this election. If all the voters realized "hey, this stuff going on, it's all a bunch of marketing bull" and just treated each other with a higher degree of civility, the Republicans would never have even an inkling of a chance in this upcoming presidential election.

[starrianna]

Hillary has an absolutely spectacular mind, and she is one of the brightest stars ever to enter politics. The fact that she is a woman is just icing. WE NEED A BRILLIANT MIND IN THE WHITE HOUSE to fix all this mess! Do we want our country to go down the tubes? We cannot take a chance on Obama, or any other Tom Dick or Harry who wants to be President. Obama, by his own admission, is "above average", but we need someone SPECTACULAR to not just win, but to FIX THIS COUNTRY!

[passport]

Hillary Clinton had a plan 15 years ago. Her husband was President and they had a democratic congress for the first two years . Result....
NOTHING . She cannot unite the American public or even a democratic congress to get it done. nit- picking details about a proposed health care plan before it has gone thru congress is a waste of time.

[foreffectivegovernment]

Supporters of both parties agree on one thing, "Don't Confuse me with Facts, My Mind's Made Up."

The Democratic Party is committing SUICIDE.

[LorettaSingbiel]

Health Care IS an ENTITLEMENT. EVERY HUMAN BEING in this country, on this planet, SHOULD be covered, on questions asked!

We're ALL "forced" to "pay" INCOME TAXES, PROPERTY TAXES, MONTHLY ASSOCIATION FEES, etc.

So ADD "Universal Health Care" to the long list of governmental/social services we already pay for 24/7/365.

And you "I've got mine, so fuck everyone else"...GET OVER YOURSELVES!!!

Stay safe, healthy and happy,
Love, Loretta

[gregjones]

IMPORTANT ISSUE !!!
Hillary's Health Care Plan Would Create 47 Million 'Universal' Law Breakers !

BEWARE !!! Hillary's so-called 'Universal' Health Care Plan is to make it AGAINST THE LAW FOR ANYONE TO NOT BUY THEIR OWN HEALTH INSURANCE (LIKE AUTO INSURANCE)That's not health care....that's just a law (that's what mandate means) !!!!! Under Hillary's health care plan everyone who breaks her law and does not buy their own health coverage (if not offered through their job) would be fined and wages could be garnished. Also, everyone would have to prove that they already have health insurance (show an insurance policy) before they could get a new job if that new job does not offer coverage.If people could afford health care they would have it already! To make it a mandatory law will just make people who are unable to afford the coverage (could be $300-$400 per month/per person) afraid to go to the hospital when seriously ill in fear of getting caught breaking the law (without coverage). Then we'll end up with millions of people simply hiding the fact that they don't have coverage....instead of receiving the true health care they need. TERRIBLE !!! DON'T BE FOOLED AMERICA !!!!!

"All Americans Would be required by law to purchase health insurance" reports CBS News Chief White House correspondent Jim Axelrod.

Visit: http://blacks4barack.homestead.com/ (A Multi-Racial Organization

PEOPLE ACROSS AMERICA NEED TO KNOW THIS ABOUT HILLARY'S PLAN. THE LAST THING THESE 47 MILLION PEOPLE NEED IS TO BE CALLED LAW BREAKERS BECAUSE THEY'RE TOO POOR TO AFFORD HEALTH CARE. AND A TAX CUT FOR LOW INCOME PEOPLE WILL NEVER COVER THE TRUE COST. PLEASE HELP SPREAD THE FACTS !!!

[MNmommy]

Folks don't seem to understand the foundational basics of insurance. The larger the pool of risk, the lower the premiums.

By not mandating coverage, Obama doesn't make the pool large enough, ESPECIALLY because the folks that opt out of insurance that can actually afford it are often the younger set, the very group of people with the lowest health insurance risk. By allowing this demographic to skip out on coverage, you lessen the ability to lower the premiums.

[AZDemocrat500]

For those of you who thinks Obama is the next coming of Jesus, here is an intereting piece from Salon.com. "Obama's dealings with his hinky friend have never led him afoul of the law, but they show that, despite his high-minded politics, he was no purer -- or no savvier -- than Illinois' biggest hacks in his weakness for a generous contributor. He wouldn't even say no when Rezko cooked up a deal to help the newly elected senator buy a gracious Georgian-revival home.......