by Mike Dorning
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COLUMBUS, Ohio—Barack Obama today suggested that a passionate denunciation Hillary Clinton delivered this morning assailing his campaign for “Karl Rove” tactics may have been just so much performance art for the cameras.
Clinton blasted the Obama campaign for flyers sent to Ohio voters arguing mandates to purchase insurance contained in her health care plan would “punish” people who cannot afford health insurance, as well as another Obama flyer that highlighted past praise for NAFTA, a trade deal that is anathema to many in the state.
Noting that the literature “started going out several days ago, if not weeks ago,” Obama said he was “puzzled by the sudden change of tone.”
“Unless these were just brought to her attention, it makes me think there’s something tactical about her getting so exercised this morning,” added Obama, who defended the flyers as accurate portrayals of Clinton’s positions at a hastily arranged press availability while he was campaigning in Columbus.
Obama campaign spokesman Ben LaBolt said the literature on NAFTA was sent out to Ohio voters more than a week ago and the literature criticizing Clinton’s health care plan was sent out several days earlier.
One mailing from the Obama campaign has been used before and the Clinton campaign contends it plays off the “Harry and Louise” ads that were run by the insurance industry to fight her early 1990s efforts to create a national health insurance program.
The mailing says, “Hillary’s health care plan forces everyone to buy insurance, even if you can’t afford it.” It also says, “Punishing families who can’t afford health care to begin with just doesn’t make sense.”
Another mailing involved NAFTA, which was implemented under the administration of Clinton’s husband. The mailing cited a Newsday chart of her calling NAFTA a “boon.” But Newsday later noted that it should have chosen better wording for its chart and said Obama’s use of the word “boon” was “misleading.”
Clinton’s plan mandates that everyone get insurance, while Obama’s only mandates coverage for children. Obama maintains his plan would make insurance more affordable but Clinton contends his would leave 15 million people uninsured and not accomplish the goal of universal health care.
“Shame on you Barack Obama,” Clinton told reporters after delivering a speech at Cincinnati Technical and Community College.
“Enough of the speeches and the big rallies and then using tactics that are right out of Karl Rove’s playbook,” Clinton said. “This is wrong and every Democrat should be outraged because this is the kind of attack that not only undermines core Democratic values but gives aid and comfort to the very special interests and their allies in the Republican Party who are against doing what we want to for America.”
At Obama’s press availability, he said his rival had made their differences on a mandate requiring all Americans to buy health insurance “the centerpiece not just of the health care debate but practically her campaign.”
“A mandate does not work unless you impose harsh, stiff penalties on those who don’t purchase it, and that’s what we point out in this mailer,” Obama said.
Obama said it was clear that Clinton previously had backed NAFTA and praised the trade agreement’s impact.
“We point that out in a state that has been devastated by trade and is deeply concerned about the position of candidates on trade,” Obama said.
“Senator Clinton as part of the Clinton Administration supported NAFTA. In her book, she called it one of the Administrations successes,” Obama added, referring to a passage in her memoir, Living History.
Campaign aides also circulated to reporters a 2004 statement in which Clinton said “on balance, NAFTA has been good for New York and America.”