Tipsheet

Ken Blackwell on ObamaCare and Libyan Influence on the UN

I recently interviewed former Ohio Secretary of State (and Townhall) contributor Ken Blackwell.  Following are a couple of excerpts which I think are pertinent today ...

ML: In 1994, you became the first African-American elected to statewide office in Ohio when you became state treasurer.  That same year, HillaryCare helped give us the Republican Revolution.  For a lot of younger folks who don't remember the push for nationalized health care in 1994, what similarities do you see between HillaryCare and ObamaCare?

JKB: Well, Harold Ickes is still one of the principle architects.  You can change the label from HillaryCare to ObamaCare.  The fact is, Obama has the chef's hat on, but he is just the Sous Chef who is really mixing the ingredients on this -- but he has the same (executive) chef that Hillary had -- Harold Ickes and that crowd.  The only thing different this time around is the style and persona.  This much I know -- no matter how smooth the salesman -- sometimes it's just impossible to fool most of the people all of the time.  That was the case with HillaryCare in '93, and I believe history will repeat itself this year.  This is the big government crowd that can't even successfully run the cash for clunkers program.  Now they want our cash for their health care clunker?  It's a retro-fitted proposal. 

ML: You also served as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Human Rights Commission.  As I'm sure you know, Libyan Ambassador Ali Abdessalam Treki won election to become president of the UN General Assembly.   In light of that -- plus Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's upcoming speech to the United Nations -- and the release of that convicted Lockerbie bomber from jail -- should Americans worry about Libya's influence on the UN?

JKB:  This is a problem.  All too often in the UN the people who should be on the dock are on the jury.  Because of the log rolling that goes on, rogue nation states are often getting prominent positions.  Of course, this only hurts the UN's credibility.