2012 Presidential Campaign Blog

Henry "Scoop" Jackson 1976 TV Ad "Gas Prices"

George Bush 1980 TV Ad Interior-Iowa

George Bush 1980 TV Ad Exterior-Iowa

Added Sam Yorty For President 1972 Announcement Speech From November 16, 1971

STATEMENT BY LOS ANGELES MAYOR SAM YORTY ON HIS CANDIDACY FOR THE DEMOCRATIC NOMINATION FOR THE PRESIDENCY

"Encouraged by the advice of many friends and supporters, I have decided to become a candidate for President.  Our campaign is already well underway in New Hampshire."

"My position on issues will be that of a moderate Democrat -- a position I hope will appeal not only to a majority of Democrats but also to many Republicans who are disillusioned with the current resort to sheer political expediency by the Nixon administration in its effort to win re-election at all costs or by any means in 1972.  Prior Nixon promises, positions or commitments, seem to mean nothing as 1972 approaches.  I am sorry to see this.  I do not like to see any President fail because when a President fails the nation suffers."

"The most obvious failure of the Nixon administration is in the field of economics.  The early deliberate drastic reigning-in of this economy snowballed downward so fast the administration panicked as the 1972 election loomed over the horizon.  All promises were promptly forgotten.  Fiscal irresponsibility and political expediency became the order of the day – anything to get by ‘72 with no thought of what comes after."

"Too many Washington politicians learned they can finance programs with printing press money by piling debts on this and future generations.  This is not only fiscal madness, it is grossly unfair to young people coming into the economy saddled with a huge tax-eating debt."

"In eight years under President Harry Truman, the national debt was increased $1.6 billion.  This year alone, the Nixon administration will cause a deficit of $30 billion and maybe even more.  A previous Nixon deficit budget was deceptively labeled a “full employment budget“ and a “self fulfilling prophecy.“ It was neither.  Now even the pretense of fiscal responsibility has been brushed aside.  While the administration fuels the fire of inflation with one hand, it is forced to hold the other hand on the lid of the boiling pot in a desperate effort to postpone the consequences until after 1972.  As a result, the marvelously productive American free enterprise system has been placed in a straitjacket -- its future clouded with uncertainty -- its performance threatened by political manipulation.  And yet, we see Democratic candidates insisting that the administration spend even more and tax less.  They do not hesitate to propose politically popular spending programs but they do hesitate to vote for the taxes to pay the costs.  It is easier and more expedient just to pass the costs on to future generations by piling up the national debt and let others worry with it later."

"I do not want to see another generation of young Americans march off to war because of short-sighted politicians.  If the American people wish me to use my long experience to help correct our national course, I am ready.  I will not use a coterie of researchers and speech writers to tell me what to think and say.  The views I express will be mine.  The image alone will be my own and not something fabricated for a campaign by public relations experts."

Full Speech http://www.4president.org/speeches/1972/samyorty1972announcement.htm

Lamar Alexander 1996 Presidential Campaign Announcement (February 28, 1995) 15th Anniversary

Lamar Alexander 1996 Presidential Campaign Announcement (February 28, 1995) 15th Anniversary

EMBARGOED UNTIL FEBRUARY 28, 1995, 10:00 A.M., E.S.T

The Maryville Address

Lamar Alexander

When I was appointed education secretary, one newspaper had this to say about where I had come from: "Lamar Alexander grew up in a lower middle class family in a small town in the mountains of Tennessee." That was all right with me but not -- I discovered when I called home the next week -- all right with my mother. She was literally reading Thessalonians to gather strength for how to deal with this slur on the family. "We never thought of ourselves that way, " she said. "You had a library card from the day you were three, and music lessons from the day you were four. You had everything you needed that was important..."

..I was also reminded on that drive across our country, that Americans know exactly why some of us are losing faith in our future. It is first, because of the arrogance of Washington, D.C. and, second, because of a collapse those institutions --the family, the neighborhood, the church and the schools -- that gave to me and to most of you -- the privileges that made us believe in my grandfather's advice, "Aim for the Top."

This anger at the arrogance of Washington, D.C., and this deep worry about what has been happening to our most basic institutions, produced a Republican Congress in November and gave birth to the opportunity for a new American revolution -- and the opportunity to turn that anger into hope.

The place to start is Washington, D.C. This is where I am different than most of the other candidates who will be seeking the nomination for President this year.

I have been a governor, a university president, and have helped to start a business that today has more than 1200 employees. I have worked for short terms for two Presidents, but unlike the other candidates -- I came home. I have spent about half the last 25 years in public service and half in the private sector. I live in Nashville, not Washington, D.C.

Where I come from has everything to do with where I stand...

..And I would fight for term limits and encourage the Congress to go home, too -- to spend six months at home with the people they represent -- because you know what they should do.

Someone asked me yesterday if the new Republican Congress is going too far. Just the reverse. I am afraid it will be too timid. The greatest danger Republicans have is this: now that we have captured Washington, we must not let Washington capture us...

...The worst thing we could do is to replace the arrogant empire we defeated with an arrogant empire of our own.
Because of where I come from, I believe we should spend less time trying to reinvent America in Washington, D.C. and more time trying to remember the principles that have made it such a remarkable country in the first place...

...I learned long time ago that it makes no sense for the government in Washington to spend $600 million more each day than it takes in. I am the only Republican candidate for President who has ever balanced a government budget. In eight years I balanced eight budgets, lowered the state debt and reduced the number of state employees.

...Thirty years ago Ronald Reagan, before he was elected to any public office, made an address called "A Time For Choosing." He said that in America freedom is our greatest value, and that then there were two great threats: communism abroad and big government at home.

Looking back over those last 30 years, I suppose we could say, one down and one to go. Communism, the evil empire, has virtually disappeared. But big government at home has become an arrogant empire, obnoxious and increasingly irrelevant in a telecommunications age. In every neighborhood in America, the government in Washington is stepping on the promise of American Life. The New American Revolution is about lifting that yoke from the backs of American teachers, farmers, business men and women, college presidents, and homeless shelter directors and giving us the freedom to make decisions for ourselves.

Ronald Reagan put it this way in 1964: "This is the issue of the election. Whether we believe in our capacity for self government or whether we abandon the American Revolution and confess that a little intellectual elite in a far distant capital can plan our lives for us better than we can plan ourselves. "

That was also the issue of the election in 1994. It will be the issue of 1996, and for years to come. It took 30 years of unfashionable principled leadership by the last Republican Washington outsider who became President to help collapse the evil empire. Now is a good time to give another Republican Washington outsider the opportunity to help put some humility into the arrogant empire in Washington, D.C.

When I was five, that grandfather I told you about was a switch engineer on the Santa Fe railroad in Newton, Kansas. His job was to push each big engine into the roundhouse, put it on the turntable and head it in the right direction. Last year the people pushed America's engine into the roundhouse. The new Republican Congress is trying --but we need a new President to help turn it around and head it off in the right direction.

We need a President who is part of the people's revolution.

We need a President with the vision to paint a picture of America's future and lead us into the next millennium.

We don't need a President of Washington, D.C. We need a President of the entire United States of America.

Because I am absolutely committed to moving responsibility out of Washington, D.C. and giving us the freedom to make decisions for ourselves, because deep down in my heart I believe that we know what to do, and because I am determined to help renew the American spirit the old fashioned way, neighborhood by neighborhood, block by block and family by family -- I am announcing today that I am a candidate for the office of President of the United States.

If you agree that the problem is the arrogance of Washington, D.C. and the answer is the character of our people, then this campaign is for you.

My friends, I invite you to Come On Along!

Thank you. God Bless You. God Bless the United States of America.

 Full speech at: http://www.4president.org/speeches/1996/lamaralexander1996announcement.htm

Alexander Haig For President 1988 Campaign Brochure ‘Leadership for America’

Alexander Haig for President 1988 Campaign Brochure
‘Leadership for America’

HAIG FOR PRESIDENT LEADERSHIP FOR AMERICA

Alexander Haig understands the promise of America to each of its citizens.

Raised solely by his mother from the age of ten after his father passed away, Al Haig worked hard to see the fulfillment of the American dream. Toward the end of World War II and after a year at Notre Dame University, he moved on to West Point where he was commissioned a lieutenant in 1947.

His service as an aide in General Douglas MacArthur's headquarters early in his career and combat duty both in the Korean War and Vietnam gave Al Haig special insights into the sacrifices of armed conflict. Because of that experience, he knows the importance of maintaining the peace, through strength and enlightened diplomacy.

Al Haig has served seven American presidents in a variety of key positions vital to the nation's well-being. As a leader in the military, government, and industry, Al Haig has been sustained by the creativity, inventiveness and resourcefulness of his fellow Americans, which have bolstered his optimism about the nation's future.

He seeks for all Americans what he wishes for each of his children and grandchildren -- a nation with a healthy economy, strong defense, and high ideals born of traditional family values.

Only Al Haig can provide the energetic, experienced, and courageous leadership that can address the tough economic, social, and foreign policy questions facing each of us in the next decade. Join him in achieving a better tomorrow.

Alexander Haig -- statesman, soldier, business leader, public servant.

Through 40 years of service to his country, Al Haig has been a leader of men and women, with a solid record of executive experience and a keen insight into solving the nation's problems.

Al Haig possesses a clear vision of where our country should be moving as we head into the next century on the issues that matter most to the American people -- jobs and the economy, quality education, combating the menace of drugs and crime, preserving the social compact between government and citizens, and maintaining peace in the nuclear age.

To each of these issues, Al Haig brings a wealth of experience.

As White House Chief of Staff in two administrations, Haig brought both fiscal realism and compassion to the nation's domestic agenda, including housing, health care, drug abuse, farmers, youth, and senior citizens.

As NATO military commander, he worked closely with our European allies in strengthening that coalition of democratic states.

As President and Chief Operating Officer of one of the nation's most successful companies with met 200,000 employees, he dealt with the core issues of American industrial competitiveness in an increasingly globalized economy.

As Secretary of State, Haig was a voice of strength and reason in enunciating our country's foreign policy. He advocated the need for the world community, especially the Soviet Union, to accept a code of international conduct based upon the rule of law and peaceful change rather than bloodshed, terrorism and so-called wars of liberation.

"The American people deserve and will only support a government that is compassionate toward its citizens, open in its dealings with them and guided by a deep sense of fairness for all"

-Alexander M. Haig, Jr

The cause of peace and continued economic development depends on enlightened leadership. Al Haig will bring to the nation's highest office those special qualities of Presidential leadership to move our nation into the crucial decade of the 1990's.

Al Haig believes in the promise of better times, of an even greater America. He believes we have the intent, and that we have the resources. And with the renaissance of the American spirit, we have the will.

Alexander Haig Believes In...

Leadership and discipline in managing the nation's fiscal practices and reducing the national debt. Clarity in economic planning that takes into account our commitment to free trade and relations with our trading partners in the age of the global economy.

A coalition of free nations which speaks out and acts on behalf of democratic ideals and human rights for all peoples.

A positive realism in our dealings with the Soviet Union that addresses the issues of arms control, international terrorism and so called "wars of national liberation."

A return to fundamentals in education, focusing on preparing the nation's young people for the age of high-tech to keep America's leadership in industry pre-eminent.

A commitment to family values and moral principles in addressing social issues.

Creative initiatives to encourage a partnership with private enterprise in addressing the problems of urban and rural America including housing, health care, drug abuse, and the elderly.

Alexander M. Haig, Jr.

Four decades of distinguished public service to the Nation as statesman and leader

The 59th Secretary of State

White House Chief of Staff for two administrations

Supreme Allied Commander of NATO

Service to seven Presidents

Coordinator of President's initial trip to the Peoples Republic of China

Key participant in five U.S.-Soviet summit conferences

Direct role in concluding agreements ending the Vietnam War and the return of American prisoners of war

Organizer of first Western Alliance Economic Summit

Student at Notre Dame; graduate of the United States Military Academy; graduate studies at Columbia University; M.A. (International Relations) from Georgetown University

President and Chief Operating Officer, United Technologies Corporation

Currently, founder and President, Worldwide Associates, providing consulting services on domestic and international political, economic, and security issues

Husband (Patricia Fox Haig, wife of 37 years); father (sons Alex and Brian; daughter Barbara); grandfather (Alex and Wendy's four sons: Alex, Christopher, and twins William and Peter).

Howard Dean MD, On The Issues, Health Care For America, 2004 Dean For America Website

Governor Howard Dean MD, Health Care For America
Plan Summary

Governor Howard Dean's plan to extend health insurance to all Americans is based on the lessons he learned as a practicing physician and as a governor.  As Governor of Vermont, Howard Dean had an unsurpassed record of success in broadening health insurance coverage, achieving the highest rate of coverage for any state of both children and low-income people.  The Dean plan offers health insurance to all uninsured Americans, at well under half the cost of President Bush's tax cuts. 

The plan is built on four components:

• Start by covering children - The plan calls for extending current programs to every child and young adult under 25 up to three times the poverty level. It will also require employer health plans to extend coverage to dependents up to age 25.
• Expand to Families - For those at lower income levels, extend current programs for children to include parents up to 185 percent of the poverty level. For those above that level, allow them to buy into a health plan similar to the plan for government employees, while providing tax credits to keep insurance affordable.
• Support Small Businesses - Help small businesses afford coverage by letting them buy into the federal employee look-alike program at reasonable rates.
• Send a Message to Large Companies - Without any mandates, the government can still send a strong signal to larger businesses that could afford to but don't provide coverage by limiting their tax deductions and their government contracts.

The Dean plan is ambitious, but realistic, targeted, and affordable.  To extend affordable insurance to all Americans, it takes a consensus-based approach that builds on existing systems and that can pass Congress.  It avoids mandates that would create firestorms of opposition and make it impossible to get a plan through Congress. 

According to an analysis by The Lewin Group, a nationally respected health care consulting firm, at full implementation, the Dean plan, while available to all, would likely be taken up by 31 million of the 41 million Americans now uninsured, at an annual cost of $88.3 billion.  The Dean plan covers more people than the plan proposed by Congressman Richard A. Gephardt at about one-third the cost of the Gephardt plan.

Governor Dean's plan will:

• Establish a Families & Children Health Insurance Program (FCHIP), building on the successful but limited State Children's Health Insurance Program, offering health insurance to all children and young adults (up to age 25) in America, and all older adults with low incomes.
• Establish a Universal Health Benefits Program (UHBP), offering a choice of private insurance plans identical to those for members of Congress and federal employees, at affordable rates.
• Provide refundable tax credits to the uninsured to help them afford premiums for the Universal Health Benefits Program.
• Provide additional opportunities for enrollment in either the Families & Children Health Insurance Program or the Universal Health Benefits Program through tax returns.
• Temporarily extend existing insurance coverage for workers after they leave their jobs.

Family & Children Health Insurance Program (FCHIP)

A new Family & Children Health Insurance Program (FCHIP) will build on the success of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).  Federal funding will allow states to offer health insurance to all children and young adults under age 25, and all low-income adults.

Ensuring adequate health care to all children is essential to get their lives off to a good start, maintain their health and head off future health problems and expenses.  That is why, in Vermont, Governor Dean concentrated on extending health insurance to the state's children.  Ultimately, Vermont has the highest insured rates for children in the nation at 96 percent.  Extending health insurance to the nation's youngest adults, those 19 to 25, is also important, as they have the lowest insurance rate of any age group in the country, largely because they are no longer covered under their parent's insurance plans and often have not yet moved into jobs that provide employer-based insurance.  Older low-income adults also disproportionately lack health care coverage.  The evidence is also clear that opening up state-run insurance programs to low-income parents greatly increases the rate at which the parents will obtain that coverage for their already-eligible children, as part of family coverage. 

The FCHIP program will be based on these principles:

• The program will be open to (1) all children and young adults (up to age 25) with family incomes under 300% of the poverty level (e.g., $54,000 a year for a family of four); and (2) adults between ages 25 and 64 with incomes up to 185% of the poverty level. Everybody who is eligible must be guaranteed the right to participate in the state programs, as an entitlement.
• As with SCHIP, participation by states will be optional, but federal payments will be generous enough so that states will not incur any additional costs, and as a result all states are expected to participate in the program.
• As with SCHIP, the coverage offered by states must meet minimum federal standards, but states otherwise will have substantial flexibility in designing their programs. As with SCHIP, it is expected that ¾ of participants will be insured through private insurance plans meeting state requirements. Unlike with SCHIP, participants must not be currently uninsured to be eligible for FCHIP.

Universal Health Benefits Program (UHBP)

Governor Dean's health insurance plan will establish a new Universal Health Benefits Program (UHBP), open to all Americans (except those eligible for FCHIP, Medicaid or Medicare), providing coverage identical to what members of Congress and federal employees get through the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP). 

The FEHBP is widely recognized as the best program of private insurance plans available to any Americans.  Now, however, it is only available to members of Congress and other federal workers.  Under the Dean plan, any insurance company that offers a plan to federal workers through the FEHBP will be required to offer an identical plan open to other Americans.  All people eligible for the new Universal Health Benefits Program will have a guaranteed right to have that insurance coverage issued to them, at affordable rates. 

To ensure that premiums under the UHBP plan actually are affordable, a federally funded reinsurance trust will be available to keep premiums at the levels that would be expected if a broadly representative sample of the public participates in the plan.  This will guard against the higher premiums that could result if only people with high medical costs sign up for UHBP plans - or if the participating insurance companies fear that could happen, and set high premium levels to protect themselves. 

Tax Credits for Uninsured Americans

Taxpayers who at the time they file their tax returns have been uninsured for six months will get a refundable tax credit to help them afford coverage under the Universal Health Benefits Program.  The tax credit will be available to all that are not eligible for Medicaid, FCHIP, or Medicare.  The amount of the tax credit will be equal to the difference between the UHBP premium and 7.5 percent of the taxpayer's income (AGI).  The tax credit will be refundable, so that even those with low tax liability will be able to use it.  The tax credit check would apply only to standard plan premiums for insurance coverage.

Insurance Enrollment Through Tax Returns

Governor Dean's plan will automatically enroll uninsured taxpayers in Medicaid, FCHIP, or UHBP insurance plans through their tax returns.  For uninsured taxpayers who fail to make a choice, the default result would be their enrollment in the appropriate plan, although they later would again have the option to drop the coverage before paying any premium.

Making enrollment automatic on a tax return would greatly increase the rate at which people participate in insurance plans for which they are eligible.  By contrast, currently, about one-quarter of all uninsured children are eligible for Medicaid or SCHIP but are not enrolled. 

Extension of Insurance for Workers Leaving Jobs

The Dean plan includes two measures to help workers keep their coverage under employer-provided health insurance when they leave a job.  First, under the only mandate in the Dean plan, employers who provide insurance to their workers will be required to continue paying their share of the premium for a covered worker for two months after he or she leaves the job.  This helps workers through the transition period before they become eligible for insurance through a new employer, which typically is not immediately available.  Second, for those who are uninsured for longer, the federal government will pay 70% of the premium cost for continuation of the previous employer's insurance plan under COBRA.  This will give meaning for the first time to COBRA coverage, which now is so expensive that few workers are able to take advantage of it.

Paying for the Dean Plan

There is abundant evidence that Americans are fully prepared to forego the Bush tax cuts in order to extend health insurance to all. 

The cost of providing access to affordable health insurance for all Americans under Governor Dean's plan is $88.3 billion per year at full implementation in FY2008 according to estimates by the Lewin Group.  This is far less than half the cost of George W. Bush's tax cuts - both those enacted in 2001 and those he is still proposing in 2003.

	Bush 2001 tax	Bush 2003 tax	Total Bush
	cut as passed	cut as proposed	Tax cuts
2006	$135B	$96	$231
2007	$152	$79	$231
2008	$160	$82	$242
2009	$167	$84	$251

(Sources: Joint Committee on Taxation, Estimated Budget Effects of the Conference Agreement for HR 1836, JCX-51-01, May 26, 2001; Estimated Budget Effects of the Revenue Provisions Contained in the President's Fiscal Year 2004 Budget Proposal, JCX-15-03, March 4, 2003.)

Howard Dean On The Issues
Healthy Children

Politicians set their clocks by election cycles. Too often their solutions to problems are two- and four-year fixes. But most of our problems require a vision that looks far into the future, fixes that must work long after that election cycle is history. I learned that lesson each day over my 11 years as Governor of Vermont.

Budget decisions I made in my first term impacted budget decisions I made in my tenth term. Environmental protections I fought for in my early years will benefit my children and grandchildren far into the future. I stopped framing my decisions in a two-year viewfinder, and began looking five, ten and even 100 years into the future.

Most politicians don't think long term in politics. Yet children are a long-term proposition.

When I became Governor in 1991, Vermont had the largest budget deficit in the history of the state, as well as the highest marginal tax rate in America. As a Democrat, I had to cut spending and reduce taxes to make Vermont an attractive place to do business and create jobs.

This process involved difficult conversations with state officials, scaling back spending on programs I cared about. It was during one of these conversations that the Commissioner of Corrections came to me asking for a 14% budget increase. Everyone else, including those who provide crucial programs like health care and education, was being asked to cut spending, but prisons -- the most expensive and least effective social service investment we make -- needed more money.

My view of social spending changed in that instant. Because studies show that any competent kindergarten teacher can make a pretty good guess about the five kids most likely to end up in prison, I decided to focus Vermont's efforts and money on new families with very young babies and children. Surely money spent before a child develops problems would be better spent than after, I reasoned.

Today in Vermont, we invest in our children. We visit every child and new mother in the hospital at the time of birth. We offer home visits two weeks after discharge to talk about everything from nutrition to housekeeping to substance abuse to the value of reading. Last year 91% of moms accepted our visit. While most of those families didn't need help, the ones who did got the assistance before the child turned one, not when the child showed up in kindergarten with serious problems. I believe that one day this program will result in much lower incarceration rates in Vermont. But the good news is that in the first seven or eight years, we have already seen child abuse drop by 43% in the 0-6 age group, and child sexual abuse drop by 70%. Combine this with what is essentially universal health care for all Vermonters under 18 and one of the largest drops in teen pregnancy in the country, and we have a record on children to be proud of.

If this nation wants healthy adults and less expensive social programs, we need to cut back on the empty rhetoric so prevalent in Washington and make a serious investment in our children. Talking about children is not the same as nurturing children, and the American people know the difference.

Howard Dean On The Issues
Universal Health Care

As a doctor, I understand the fear facing families without health insurance. As a Governor, I am proud that virtually every child under 18 and more than 90 percent of adults in Vermont are eligible for health coverage. But as a country, the United States can do better on this front.

To help finance this effort, we must repeal the President's tax cuts -- which have thrown America back into the huge deficits of the 1980s -- and balance the federal budget. We cannot build crucial social programs without a solid financial foundation.

Guaranteeing coverage to all Americans will involve a mix of state and federal programs, as well as the existing private sector. Similar to our program in Vermont, states should be required to guarantee coverage for all children under age 23. In return, the federal government should assume responsibility for drug and acute medical care for Americans over age 65. In addition, older Americans deserve a pharmacy benefit under Medicare - an unaffordable impossibility under the current fiscal policies of President Bush. With a pharmaceutical package, Medicare becomes a decent insurance program. Finally, to cover those between the ages of 23 and 65, we should use the present employer-based system with refundable tax credits and federal subsidies to cover low- and moderate-income Americans who lack insurance.

This plan is affordable and simple, relying on three existing systems - one for children, one for seniors, and one for those in between - which all Americans can understand.

Governor Howard Dean, MD
An Unparalleled Record of Accomplishment with Healthcare

DEAN’S RECORD ON HEALTH CARE ACCESS
“AS A PHYSICIAN, I’VE SEEN THE SUFFERING CAUSED BY THIS NATION’S HEALTH CARE CRISIS, AND AS A GOVERNOR I KNOW IT CAN BE SOLVED.”

• Health Care – 96% of Vermont’s children have health care coverage thanks in part to Governor Dean’s Dr. Dynasaur program, and an additional 3% are eligible for coverage.
• Access – Governor Dean expanded health care for children in low to middle income families. Children 18 or under, whose families are at or below 300% of the Federal Poverty Line, are eligible for insurance at virtually no cost.
• Mental Health – Howard Dean was the first Governor in the nation to sign the Mental Health and Substance Abuse Parity Act. This bill guarantees coverage for mental illness and substance abuse at the same level as severe illness.
• Women’s Health – During Governor Dean’s tenure, the breast and cervical cancer rate went from slightly above average to below the US average, thanks to Vermont’s comprehensive screening system. Vermont’s Medicaid program was also expanded to cover treatment for women diagnosed with breast and cervical cancer.
• Teen Pregnancy – Under Governor Dean, teen pregnancy rates dropped 49%, to the lowest rate in the country.
• “Healthy Families Visionary Leadership Award” – Presented by Prevent Child Abuse America.

DEAN’S RECORD ON CHILDREN’S HEALTH CARE
~“GIVE CHILDREN HOPE BY INVESTING IN PREVENTION.”

• Success By Six – As a doctor, Governor Dean has placed a strong emphasis on early childhood prevention and health care, which is why 89% of pregnant Vermont women enter prenatal care in the first trimester of pregnancy. In Vermont, 91% of families with a birth received a community visit, and those parents who wanted assistance and support received it.
• Dr. Dynasaur – Governor Dean has expanded children and pregnant women’s access to health care. Currently 58,903 children are covered under the program. Dr. Dynasaur covers children up to the age of 18 within families up to 300% of the Federal Poverty Line.
• Child Abuse – During Governor Dean’s tenure, Vermont was the first state to institute a statewide protocol for abuse investigations. In return, Vermont saw a 45% decline in physical and sexual abuse of children. This included a 64% decline in physical abuse victims ages 0-3 and a 43% decline in physical abuse victims ages 0-6.
• Child Sexual Abuse – 84% decline in sexual abuse victims ages 0-3 and 70% decline in sexual abuse victims ages 0-6.
• Immunization – 81.1% of children are fully immunized by age 2 and 97% by the time they start kindergarten, which makes Vermont second in the nation in child immunizations.

DEAN’S RECORD ON SERVING THE ELDERLY
“WE CAN PROVIDE HIGHER QUALITY OF LIFE BY AVOIDING INSTITUTIONAL SERVICES WHENEVER POSSIBLE.”

• Prescription Drugs – Governor Dean understands the importance of access to prescription drugs in preserving the health and avoiding unnecessary institutional care of our seniors and people with disabilities. While in office Governor Dean expanded pharmaceutical assistance to these Vermonters. Vermont has three pharmacy assistance programs with the level of benefits for each program indexed to household income. Seniors and people with disabilities can have incomes up to 225% of the federal poverty line and receive assistance with their prescriptions.
• Nursing Homes– Governor Dean decreased the state’s reliance on nursing homes by mandating that funds be shifted from nursing homes to other services, such as home health care where people can live with independence and dignity. Over $30 million dollars has been shifted from paying for nursing homes to paying for in-home and community based services.
• Home Health Care – Between 1996 and 2000, there was a 161.3% increase in individuals receiving a home based waiver and services, while there was a decrease of 13.5% of individuals living in nursing homes.

Source: Dean For America 2004 Website

Abraham Lincoln 1860 Presidential Campaign Song

Arlen Specter On Health Care From 1996 Announcement Speech

Arlen Specter 1996 Presidential Announcement Speech, March 30, 1995

"In 1994, Republican Representatives won the House with a ten point contract -- the Contract with America. In 1996, I intend to win the other house -- the White House -- with ten commitments to America:

(l) to balance the budget through spending reduction;
(2) to begin to pay off the national debt;
(3) to foster economic growth through enactment of a flat tax;
(4) to reduce violent crime;
(5) to improve education with innovations like privatization and charter schools;
(6) to reform health care through the free market;
(7) to provide strong leadership in international affairs;
(8) to contain weapons of mass destruction;
(9) to control terrorism; and
(10) to champion tolerance and freedom, including a woman's right to choose."

"My commitment to America is to retain the free enterprise system -- that provides the best health care in the world -- for 85% of the American people -- and then to target the problems of spiraling costs, -- affordability -- and coverage on change of job, -- for pre-existing conditions -- and for those now excluded from health care plans."

Joe Lieberman 2004 Website: Expanding Affordable and Quality Health Care

Joe Lieberman: Expanding Affordable and Quality Health Care

Throughout his career, Joe Lieberman has fought to extend quality, affordable health care to all Americans. He believes it is an insult to the American Dream that the richest nation in the world now leaves some 41 million of its people, including more than 8 million children, stranded without health insurance. As President, he will fight to guarantee access to quality, affordable health care for all Americans.

Advancing Universal Health Care. Joe Lieberman voted to create the highly successful Children's Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP) and in 2000 fought alongside Al Gore to expand that program so that, within five years, no American child would be uninsured and their parents could also enroll in the program.

Ensuring Quality Care. Joe Lieberman has a long record of ensuring quality health care. Lieberman supports a patient’s bill of rights to hold HMO’s accountable, he sponsored a law to require Medicaid managed care plans to issue report cards to give consumers the information they need to make informed choices. Lieberman also led the fight in the Senate to lower the incidents of medical errors in our health care system. He has also opposed mandatory overtime for nurses, because he understands that in addition to being unfair, exhaustion puts both nurses and patients at risk.

Fighting for a Prescription Drug Benefit under Medicare. Joe Lieberman believes no American senior should have to choose between food, rent, and the prescription drugs needed to live a decent life. He has fought to provide all seniors a prescription drug benefit through the Medicare program, and has staunchly opposed Republican efforts to force seniors into HMOs to get the lifesaving drugs they need.

Protecting the Health of Children. Joe Lieberman has fought to improve the health and well-being of our children. In addition to supporting the establishment of the S-CHIP program, he co-sponsored the Immigrant Children's Health Improvement Act of 2001 to allow states to offer S-CHIP and Medicaid to eligible women and children who are legal immigrants. Also, Lieberman has been a leader in protecting children from lead poisoning, authoring bills that track lead contamination and expand lead screening.

Enhancing Preventive Care. Like millions of Americans, Joe Lieberman's lost a loved-one, his father, to cancer. Dedicated to giving more men and women access to the screening and prevention that can save their lives, Senator Lieberman introduced the Colon Cancer Screen for Life Act which would remove barriers to screening at hospitals and clinics and encourage more people to take advantage of early intervention that can protect their health.

Fighting for Mental Health Parity. As a longtime believer that mental health illness is an illness like any other, Joe Lieberman cosponsored a bill to require equal coverage of medical and mental health benefits. Supporting Basic Research. Joe Lieberman knows that America must support basic research today if it is to continue developing the cures to diseases tomorrow. He has successfully fought to increase funding for research into breast cancer, HIV/AIDS, and other ailments afflicting Americans and people around the world.