Former President Bill Clinton will address House Democrats at their annual retreat next week on healthcare, an issue closely identified with his presidency.
Clinton is likely to give the keynote speech on healthcare on Friday, the retreat’s final day, and may take on a more prominent role in discussing the issue at the retreat than even President Barack Obama, according to House leadership aides involved in the planning.
Clinton’s appearance, House aides said, is specifically designed to remind House Democrats of the perils associated with killing healthcare reform — a phenomenon that rocked Clinton’s first term and contributed to Democrats' losing power in both chambers the next year.
The choice to have Clinton deliver the keynote healthcare remarks comes at critical time for House Democrats.
Democratic leaders are beginning the process of merging two very different House and Senate healthcare bills, and a number of factors are contributing to a growing belief that the final bill will very closely mirror the legislation the Senate passed on Christmas Eve after month’s worth of painstaking negotiations to produce 60 votes...
SOURCE: The Hill
