At his campaign appearance at Bend High last week, Bill Clinton told a hair-raising horror story to illustrate how screwed up America’s health care system is. An uninsured pregnant woman in Ohio couldn’t afford prenatal care and was turned away by a hospital because she couldn’t pay $100 up front, Clinton said. Later, she died after delivering a stillborn child.
The story was dramatic and touching, but it had one minor flaw: It wasn’t true.
According to the New York Times, the woman – Trina Bachtel – did die after her baby was stillborn. But hospital administrators said she had received care from an obstetrician, was never turned away from the hospital and was, in fact, insured.
“We implore the Clinton campaign to immediately desist from repeating this story,” Rick Castrop, CEO of the hospital, told the Times.
Hillary Clinton has been repeating the same story on the campaign trail for the past five weeks. A spokesman for the hospital said the Clinton campaign had never contacted the hospital to check the story, which Hillary originally heard from an Ohio sheriff’s deputy in February.
A Clinton spokesman said candidates often repeat stories they hear and try to check them out when possible. “In this case, we did try but were not able to fully vet it,” the spokesman said. “If the hospital claims it did not happen that way, we respect that.”
This article appears in Apr 3-9, 2008.
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“Telling Tales????” That conveys something akin to an innocuous legend,literary composition or possibly a childrens fairy tale. Hill-Billy’s portrayals are an outrigh malicious distortion for their collective political gain. It is better described for what it truly is….and as ol’ Websters conveys, a fiction, falsehood or lie. The Truth will set you free, Billary
What! Bill Clinton tell a lie! I don’t believe it.
chuggy: If somebody makes a false statement in the belief that it’s true that’s not a lie; if he makes a false statement knowing it’s not true, that IS a lie. In this case it doesn’t seem that the Clintons told a lie (deliberate falsehood) so much as wanting too badly to believe the story and not bothering to verify it. But they were careless about the truth or falsehood of the story, and there’s no excuse for that.
Jon, at least none of Clinton’s lies got 4,000 of our troops killed.
HBM…If the Clintonites didnt have such a long, ugly track record of lies and distortions of the truth, I might consider your argument. The Clinton’s are guilty of perpetuating these lies over and over….not telling them just once. BTW, Do you really believe Billary speaks expontentially?? Every word she spouts is scripted and reviewed. The problem is that Hill-Billys arrogance overrides the belief that she might be questioned on the veracity of her statements. To make matters worse, when confronted with a lie, (sniper b.s), they go into spin mode rather than come clean.
clintons, neglect in addressing of a number of foreign attacks around the globe have resulted in the U.S. as well as our present administration coming under attack and having no choice but to defend our citizens by going to the middle east to circumvent terrorists from repeating 911 type attacks here again. net result is war and death. sorry but we cant continue to live in a one hundred million dollar CLINTONIZED fantasy world. get it?, got it?, good!
No cigar involved in this one
dewey: Yeah, I got it — you gave me the standard right-wing BS. Clinton was responsible for 9/11 (even though it happened on Bush’s watch and Bush ignored many warnings from our own and foreign intelligence services that it was about to happen). We invaded Iraq to fight terrorism (even though Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11 and the terrorist strongholds really are in Afghanistan and Pakistan).
I’ve heard that drool a thousand times — spare me any more repetitions.
HBM…We didnt invade Iraq to fight anything….your naivity is showing….It’s all about the Benjamins!! Bush and co. got rich from 9/11….SO DID THE CLINTONS (both used the Presidency to enrich themselves)…How can Hillary connect with her dwindling base when she is part of the top .100% in income…..??
chuggy: I disagree with the premise that nobody who’s rich can feel concern for working-class and middle-class folks — think of JFK and RFK and the two Roosevelts (TR and FDR). That said, I don’t think Hillary and Bill have a hell of a lot of real concern.
The Clintons are alienating themselves at all levels everyday…..when all is said and done, Hill will be very concerned about her ugly and embarrassing defeat.
See the folo-up item posted on The EYE today — turns out the story is mostly true.
Damage done….same ending …..defeated by total unknown