Is this really how Clark plans to pay for his AIDS program?

[unfrigginreal]

"Asked how he would pay for his ambitious AIDS plan, Clark pointed to a bunch of red, white and blue balloons. 'I can bring this country together,' he said. 'I believe we can come together on this, because I believe in this country. I love those colors; I love the flag.' "

-- The Miami Herald on Dec. 1, reporting Democratic presidential candidate Wesley Clark's description of a latex-based budget plan.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A41834-2003Dec6.html

:shrug:

[annxburns]

1. God, Dana Milbank is snarky ,,

... he just about trashed all the dems in this column. Yuck! Of course, he wrote a column a couple weeks ago about how Bush is practically a shoe-in for re-election so I guess he is trying to do his part. Wasn't this guy the a**hole who told Howie Kurtz that most reporters "loathed" Gore and that's why they gave him such terrible press?

[arewethereyet]

2. hes going to sell balloons ? flags ?

or raise taxes ?

I are confused by that answer...

[in_cog_ni_to]

3. If you really wanted to know

all you had to do is go to his web site and read it. Instead of posting a flamebait article. Now, I guess I'll go and search for some article where Dean answered a question the wrong way. I wonder if I could possibly find any of those?

Here's his Global Policy on AIDS

http://clark04.com/issues/aids_global/

And here's his Domestic policy.

http://clark04.com/issues/aids_domestic/

[arewethereyet]

5. I missed the part in there about HOW he would pay for it

not unlike his inability to answer the question and ramble into colors and balloons.

Ask Edwards and you'll get a straight answer and you'll get hat answer every time you ask it.

see the difference ? see how its supposed to be done ? did he start talking about balloons when they were discussing strategy in Kosovo ? no wonder he got fired.

[wtmusic]

9. Yep, not a word about where that $30 bil is coming from

Let's see, if he sold balloons for $1 apiece, and could get everyone in the world to buy five of 'em...

[LoneStarLiberal]

13. Pot and Kettle on AIDS Funding

Dean's got a very solid AIDS policy as well:

<http://www.deanforamerica.com/site/PageServer?pagename=policy_statement_health_hivaids>

Complete with a total absence of any mention of funding.

Moving on...

[arewethereyet]

14. oh dear, could this mean its lip service only ?

and yet some folks just refuse to see the handwritting on the wall...

[dsc]

16. His first point, providing health insurance to all,

is paid for by doing this. "I believe, however, that given a choice between having health insurance or keeping all of the Bush's tax cuts in place, most Americans will choose health insurance. My plan will cost $88.3 billion -- less than half of the president's tax cut -- with money left over to pay down the deficits run up by this administration." It says that in the very deceptively labled section entitled health care. Shame on him for expecting that people would either (gasp) remember what they read or actually look where common sense would tell them to look.

[Mattforclark]

15. By

rescinding the tax cuts for the wealthy and cutting corporate welfare (that is oversmiplified, of course, but if you want to read the whole thing go to his site). Clark is also the only candidate (to my knowledge) who has specifically stated a part of the federal government that he would be willing to eliminate - the NTIA and OTS.

[arewethereyet]

18. then why didn't he just answer the question with that ?

there is no acceptable answer.

if you have a plan, you have to be conversant in the details.

I'm afraid that he's spent that tax money more than once and needs to make that not apparant. they guy is not stupid, forgetting is not believeable.

[LoneStarLiberal]

17. I Agree...Partially

Ignoring that Edwards doesn't seem to have a policy addressing global AIDS which is the topic under criticism here for Wes Clark,

<http://www.johnedwards2004.com/healthcare-fact-sheet.asp>

"He fully pays for his plan, and achieves deficit reduction, through savings steps he has already outlined. These include the following:

1)Eliminating Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans;
2)Cutting the federal workforce outside defense and homeland security by 10%; and
3)Eliminating a range of subsidies for banks, life-insurers, millionaire farmers, and others."

He does at least specify some ideas for where the dollars will come from, but simply stating these three things still doesn't give us any concrete information about where this money will come from. But you are right about this much: At least here there is some idea for where the money will come from, though minus any concrete numbers. That's better than either Clark or Dean manage to offer on their websites.

As for Kosovo...Senator Edwards was not even through his first full year in the Senate when Wes Clark was leading NATO forces in the Balkans. That means different things to each of us, obviously different things to the two of us.

[Mattforclark]

19. Edwards would...

Cut farm subsidies? - for "millionaire farmers" - do you happen to know any more details about that? I couldn't find anything on the 'rural america' policy.

[arewethereyet]

20. look into the likes of Robert Redford who get "farm" subsidies

its not a pretty sight

[sandnsea]

4. That's all he said?

How many words did he speak? These are the most important?

[Donna Zen]

6. Its what he said IF

your a smarmy bastard reporter playing got'cha and taking a candidates words out of context and not reporting that their are huge corporate loopholes that Clark intends to close and that Clark will move the money currently being given away to those with incomes over $200,000. Yeah_sure Millbanks is a complete asshole whose other job is kissing bush's ass.

[pruner]

7. I believe he also discussed the ribbon used to tie the balloons

;)

[arewethereyet]

8. OH, well there you go ! that explains it all !

he'll use the ribbon to attack people on the street and rob them for money ! that military background will be highly useful in setting up these missions !

[moz4prez]

10. maybe he will enlist the USSR's aid

Sing to the Motherland, home of the free . . .

[John_H]

11. He could easily pay for it by

playing poker with people who buy into Dana Millbank's lazy, careerist "clark not good on domestic issues" meme repeating Rove fellating story.

[meow mix]

12. woot

im in for some of that ez money!

so this is ammo?
haha
clark is gonna pwn em so much =)

[Toucano]

21. I didn't know Clark has experience with AIDS campaigns!

in the Miami Herald. http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/local/states/florida/counties/broward_county/7391329.htm

"Clark is known for his AIDS awareness campaigns in sub-Saharan Africa with pop singer and humanitarian Bono of the band U2 and his numerous visits to Haitian HIV orphanages."

Of course, Clark's economic plan is available here: http://clark04.com/issues/economicplan/

"Tax the wealth, not the work!"