Edwards Campaign Press Release - Edwards Campaign Statement On Clinton Campaign's Attempts To Deliberately Mislead Voters

Edwards Campaign Statement On Clinton Campaign's Attempts To Deliberately Mislead Voters

Chapel Hill, North Carolina – Today, John Edwards for President communications director Chris Kofinis issued the following statement regarding the Clinton campaign's attempts to deliberately mislead voters about Senator Edwards' position on universal health care: "Today, instead of joining with John Edwards and standing up for the 47 million Americans who do not have health care, the Clinton campaign has chosen once again to attack John Edwards and defend a corrupt and broken system in Washington. Even worse, the Clinton campaign has chosen to make false accusations that totally misrepresent and manipulate Senator Edwards' words.

"For the record, when Senator Edwards said 'who cares?' on 'Late Edition' this morning, he was referring to protecting the health care of politicians -- not the Constitution. Manipulating words and lying about them is a tool right out of the Republican playbook. As Democrats, we shouldn't stoop to that level.

"It is time for Senator Clinton to tell voters the truth about why she chooses to defend the health care of politicians, while families in Iowa, New Hampshire, and all across this country, still go without coverage. The fact is, it is this kind of timid and narrow thinking about what can and cannot be done that explains why -- 14 years after Senator Clinton failed to achieve universal health care -- nothing has been done.

"Enough is enough. America's health care crisis demands leadership and action, and that is what John Edwards will offer. When he is president, John Edwards will say to members of Congress and members of his administration, including the Cabinet, that if they don't pass universal health care by July 2009, in six months, he will use his power as president to take their health care away. And yes, that plan is constitutional.

"We look forward to continuing this debate with Senator Clinton about why she thinks that members of Congress should have access to health care, while 47 million Americans do not."

TRANSCRIPT OF SENATOR EDWARDS' COMMENTS ON CNN "LATE EDITION WITH WOLF BLITZER":

"Well, first of all, when I talk about shaking up Washington and making this place actually work for the American people, it is an interesting thing to watch that the people who are inside Washington -- including Senator Clinton and her campaign -- they circle the wagons and start to protect Washington politicians. Who cares? I mean the answer to the question is, yes, the president of United States has enormous power. He has veto power over the budget. The president of United States has the bully pulpit to make this case to America and to Congress and to go around America -- by the way, every Democrat would vote for universal health care. So it would not be an issue for Democrats, but it could go across this country and say your congressman or congresswoman is for their own healthcare and their family's health care, but they're not for health care for you. The whole point of this is to shake the place up. It's fascinating to watch how quickly Washington insiders, including the Clinton campaign, rally the forces and circle the wagons to protect politicians instead of talking about what we can do together to bring universal health care to the country. I will be the first to tell you, I'm going in there to shake the place up and make it work for America."