March 14 (Bloomberg) — Hillary Clinton sought to improve the chances of passing health care legislation in 1993 by letting Congress fill in the details, according to documents made public today by the Clinton presidential library.
The legislative strategy from the first weeks of Bill Clinton's presidency relied on the first lady making lawmakers and major stakeholders feel included in the development of legislation. By proposing broad outlines and ideas for a bill, while letting lawmakers know what the White House considered "off limits," the administration foresaw a winning process.
Instead, the Clinton health care proposal withered. Members of Congress held it up in the committee process and interest groups complained of being excluded anyway.
The experience informed President Barack Obama's strategy when he rolled out his health care plan upon taking office in 2009 and framed her advice to the administration as the process got under way. Obama won passage with no Republican support and by pushing his version even as members of his party worried about the consequences for their re-election and the rest of the president's agenda.
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