2.9 Million Nurses Endorse Hillary Clinton

One of the themes of the presidential race is the choice between flashy rhetoric we often hear from politicians and real work to make the lives of real Americans better. Today, Hillary Clinton received the endorsement of 2.9 million nurses who work everyday to improve the lives of real Americans, the American Nurses Association:

THE AMERICAN NURSES ASSOCIATION ENDORSES
SENATOR HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON (D-NY)

SILVER SPRING, MD -The Clinton Campaign today announced the endorsement of the American Nurses Association (ANA). The ANA represents the interests of the nation's 2.9 million registered nurses.

Their endorsement was not based on the feel-good rhetoric of conventional polticians, but on Hillary Clinton's obvious and real leadership on heath care issues -- a life time of commitment that includes rural health initiatives in Arkansas, enacting S-CHIP which provides health care coverage for millions of children, passing legislation that extends VA health care to millions of National Guard members, and the most impressive plan for true universal health care:

"Too many Americans must do without high quality health care, and this country deserves a president that will make health system reform a priority," said ANA President Rebecca M. Patton, MSN, RN, CNOR. "Senator Clinton has shown a commitment to implementing real change in our health care system to ensure high quality, affordable and accessible care. She has also recognized the importance of educating, recruiting and retaining, RNs, and the need to improve the nurse's work environment which includes addressing safe and appropriate staffing. America's 2.9 million registered nurses represent the largest group of health care professionals. We have long advocated for the critically needed reforms vital to the improvement of health care and will use our power in the voting booth to make health care a priority."

Hillary welcomed the endorsement and honored the work that 2.9 million registered nurses do, every day, every night. She went on to reaffirm her commitment to quality affordable health care for every American instead of the timid health care plans of candidates from both parties:

"I am honored to have the support of the American Nurses Association," said Clinton. "We owe nurses a great debt of gratitude for the critical role they play every day in providing quality care. As President, I will continue to support efforts to attract and retain qualified nurses, especially in rural and urban areas, and to improve working conditions. I look forward to working with America's nurses to deliver affordable, quality health care to every American."

Hillary's acceptance touched on some of the real-world track record she has done on behalf of nurses. It's clear that her support of registered nurses extends beyond the realm of fairy tails and campaign speeches:

Hillary has a history of working for America's nurses. In the Senate, Hillary introduced the Nursing Education and Quality of Care Act, which would expand the number of programs that address nursing faculty shortages and increase the supply of nurses in rural areas. As part of the Nurse Reinvestment Act, she helped create grants that expanded nurse Magnet hospitals. Hillary also supported increased funding for both Title VII and Title VIII, which help to address the higher education needs of nurses and nursing faculty. Finally, she has supported programs to attract nurses to the field, including efforts to improve the quality of the working environment for nurses.

Finally, Hillary touched on the ground-breaking nature of her plan for true universal health care...a plan that turns its back on the politics of the 1960s and looks to a brighter health care future for all Americans in the 21st century.

Hillary's American Health Choices Plan will cover all Americans and improve health care by providing consumers new choices, lowering costs and improving quality. Under Hillary's plan, Americans who like the insurance they have can keep it and stay with their doctor. But Americans who don't like the coverage they have will be able to pick from the same set of plans Members of Congress choose for themselves. Under Hillary's plan, insurance companies won't be able to deny people coverage for a pre-existing condition and tax credits will ensure that working families never have to pay more than a limited percentage of their income for quality health care. People who change jobs will be able to keep their health care.

Tags: Election 2008, Health care, Hillary Clinton, president (all tags)

Comments

44 Comments

Re: 2.9 Million Nurses Endorse Hillary Clinton

This seems to be a supporter's diary, so please mark it as such

by cwkraus4clark 2008-01-28 11:40AM | 0 recs
Re: 2.9 Million Nurses Endorse Hillary Clinton

Of course it is but it's hard to deny it's a hell of an endorsement particularly in CA where this is one of the most powerful unions in the state. Ask Arnie.

by ottovbvs 2008-01-28 12:00PM | 0 recs
Re: 2.9 Million Nurses Endorse Hillary Clinton

Endorsement by an organization is not the same thing as gaining the votes of its members. This truth was seen from time to time from autoworkers, whose unions usually supported Democratic candidates, but their members in large numbers supported the Republican, particularly during the Reagan era. Many of them were Reagan Democrats, who bought into Reagan racism.

by shergald 2008-01-28 12:08PM | 0 recs
Re: 2.9 Million Nurses Endorse Hillary Clinton

Shergald you always state the obvious as if were some original thought.

by ottovbvs 2008-01-28 12:14PM | 0 recs
Re: 2.9 Million Nurses Endorse Hillary Clinton

It's not so much about the individual members (although if even 5% shift to Clinton because of the endorsement that would be huge) but rather about organization.

In CA they have around 500k members I think. If they get 100k to vote in the primary for Clinton that would make a huge difference for her.

Same with the farm workers union.

It's all about GOTV.

Teddy can do the same in Mass but it will be an uphill battle given Clinton has a 20% lead there.

by kristoph 2008-01-28 01:02PM | 0 recs
Re: ANA is *NOT* a union!!!

The American Nurses Association is not a union, and has nothing to do with the very effective California Nurses Association who goaded Arnold Schwarzenegger.

ANA is more of a trade association.

And the Calif. Nurses Association, which is one of the most progressive unions in the state, would never endorse a rightward-drifting sell-out like Hillary Clinton who throws progressives under a bus.

by Paul Hogarth 2008-01-28 01:07PM | 0 recs
Re: California Nurses Ass'n

Riiiiight.

They very helpfully endorsed Ralph Nader in 2000, thereby losing a good many members, including myself.

by Radiowalla 2008-01-28 01:51PM | 0 recs
Hey That's Not Us!

The American Nurses Association is, well, an association.

The California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee is the largest RN union in the nation, and also the fastest-growig union of any kind.  

As you reference, CNA/NNOC forced Arnold to back down when he tried to cut key patient safety regulations.  Please note that the nurses of CNA/NNOC believe Sen. Clinton's healthcare plan is not adeuqate; not only does she preserve a role for the toxic insurance corporations, but her embrace of an "individual mandate" would force every single American to purchase their insurance products, no matter the cost or quality.  That is troublesome--and very similar to the health plan of Arnold's that was just defeated in California.

by California Nurses Shum 2008-01-28 05:16PM | 0 recs
Congratulations to Hillary

this is good one.  

Lets talk about issues and get off the constant bickering about made up issues.

This endorsement will help continue to keep health care reform on the front burner.  

by Moonwood 2008-01-28 11:42AM | 0 recs
Re: 2.9 Million Nurses Endorse Hillary Clinton

wow thats great.

Goes with the survey usa poll from florida post south carolina

No change.

Interesting.

http://www.surveyusa.com/client/PollRepo rtEmail.aspx?g=523f71cb-c9c3-4340-b2fb-c 91a455c7a6e

by lori 2008-01-28 11:42AM | 0 recs
Re: 2.9 Million Nurses Endorse Hillary Clinton

If this is anywhere near accurate it's a blowout for her tomorrow. Basically she needs to break 50% but this would put her nearer 60%    

by ottovbvs 2008-01-28 11:56AM | 0 recs
Re: 2.9 Million Nurses Endorse Hillary Clinton

Actually, the latest Rasmussen poll out of Florida shows Hillary increasing her lead from the poll they released on Saturday, now at 22% margin from 19% previously.

http://rasmussenreports.com/public_conte nt/politics/election_20082/2008_presiden tial_election/florida/election_2008_flor ida_democratic_primary

by georgep 2008-01-28 11:56AM | 0 recs
Re: 2.9 Million Nurses Endorse Hillary Clinton

Great diary hwc. This is huge for Hill. Don't count Hill out yet.

In addition, word is Hill will be getting the AMA enforsemtn before Super Tuesday. Of course, this could be rumor.

by lonnette33 2008-01-28 11:53AM | 0 recs
Re: 2.9 Million Nurses Endorse Hillary Clinton

Of course, nurses are mostly women and we all know that the all-boys club grand poobahs of the Democratic Party have a long history of ignoring women and issues of importance to women.

About all the Democratic Party poobahs have to say to women is, "just wait, we'll get around to addressing women's issues some day".

by hwc 2008-01-28 12:03PM | 0 recs
Great diary!

This is a huge endorsement.  And, that's the thing about Hillary, she sticks with her progressive goals.  A better life for children, health care for all, equality for all americans, a better life for the poor around the world.  These have been the driving forces of Hillary's lifelong advocacy, and she always keeps at it.

by masslib1 2008-01-28 11:58AM | 0 recs
Re: 2.9 Million Nurses Endorse Hillary Clinton

Top down I should think but then most union endorsements are. No believes there aren't a few Hillary hating Republicans lurking in those scrubs. The big thing is it's organizational muscle in some states particularly CA where this is one of most powerful unions in the state. Much more powerful than the farmworkers actually for all kinds of emotive reasons.    

by ottovbvs 2008-01-28 12:08PM | 0 recs
Re: 2.9 Million Nurses Endorse Hillary Clinton

When the Culinary workers endorsed Obama it got a fair ammount of media attension. I wondar if this edorsement, a more significant one for sure, will get the same kind of attention or will everyone be screaming about how Ted Kennedy will make so much difference and drown this one out. With the media's anti Clinton streak I can see them doing that.

by Christopher Lib 2008-01-28 12:10PM | 0 recs
Re: 2.9 Million Nurses Endorse Hillary Clinton

Here's the process:

http://nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategori es/ANAPoliticalPower/Election2008/2008Pr esidential/PresEndorseProcess.aspx

Clinton, Obama, and Edwards all completed the ANA's candidate questionaire.

Clinton went through the ANA's interview process. Edwards and Obama declined to be interviewed by the ANA's selection board.

http://www.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCate gories/ANAPoliticalPower/Election2008/Pr esidentialParticipationChart.aspx

by hwc 2008-01-28 12:12PM | 0 recs
Re: 2.9 Million Nurses Endorse Hillary Clinton

What were they thinking? Who knows. Sometimes it's easy to overlook the nuts and bolts of health care policy and addressing the real concerns of health care professionals. It's easier to just give a few gauzy soft lens speeches.

by hwc 2008-01-28 12:42PM | 0 recs
Re: 2.9 Million Nurses Endorse Hillary Clinton

No other candidate has made health care as much of an issue (and a mission) as Hillary Clinton.  This is just one such example.  I know Edwards has forwarded a credible universal health care system (unlike Obama,) but his stronger focus appears to be on other things like lobbyists, corruption.  I think Hillary's advantage particularly on health care is well deserved.

by georgep 2008-01-28 02:14PM | 0 recs
Here's the spin I would put on it..

..if I were the Clinton campaign:

"While Obama was being endorsed by the establishment, Hillary was being endorsed by the base".

by Frank 2008-01-28 12:15PM | 0 recs
Re: Here's the spin I would put on it..

That's a VERY GOOD spin, I hope they use it:

Endorsement Shocker: 2.9 Million Americans Endorse Hillary Clinton!

by Tennessean 2008-01-28 12:40PM | 0 recs
Not exactly.....

+The ANA is a good organization, but it claims about 180,000 members. It is not a union though it has an affiliate that does bargaining. It is also not the California Nurses Association(CNA) which disaffiliated years ago. Nor is it the SEIU Nurse Alliance which actually bargains for more nurses than the ANA. AFSCME and AFT also have quite a large number of nurses-mostly in the public hospitals. 2.9 million is the total number of RNs in the country.

by Skipster 2008-01-28 12:24PM | 0 recs
Re: Not exactly.....

I stand corrected I thought the CNA was affiliated.  

by ottovbvs 2008-01-28 12:31PM | 0 recs
Obama got a pretty big endorsement today too...

interesting how its nowhere to be found here.

by freaktown 2008-01-28 12:25PM | 0 recs
Re: Obama got a pretty big endors.

Youre not looking very hard. At least one diary and mountains of comment.

by ottovbvs 2008-01-28 12:30PM | 0 recs
Re: Obama got a pretty big endors.

i looked.

where???

i couldnt find anything on the front page. and the last entry is from yesterday.. sooo

maybe i'm a doofus, but if its there i didn't find on single word about it.

by freaktown 2008-01-28 12:33PM | 0 recs
Obama got a pretty big endorsement today

Yeah. Ted has put on a lot of weight. Most of us in Massachusetts just chalk it up to his drinking.

by hwc 2008-01-28 12:44PM | 0 recs
Re: Obama got a pretty big endorsement today

wow. you called ted kennedy fat. How original.

And somehow, if Teddy had gone the other way and endorsed Billary, i doubt you'd dismiss it like you're doing now.

by freaktown 2008-01-28 06:13PM | 0 recs
Re:

If you are referring to the Ted Kennedy endorsement, you have GOT to be KIDDING us, right?  

by georgep 2008-01-28 02:20PM | 0 recs
Re: 2.9 Million Nurses Endorse Hillary Clinton

"One of the themes of the presidential race is the choice between flashy rhetoric we often hear from politicians and real work to make the lives of real Americans better."

Yeah, I hear that a lot when Hillary and her folk are worried that Obama is going to beat them.

I wonder if Obama is going to try to go to court to stop the nurses from voting?  

by jmaki 2008-01-28 12:34PM | 0 recs
Re: 2.9 Million Nurses Endorse Hillary Clinton

2.9 million nurses, huh?

did they ask every single member who they wanted to endorse? and it was unamious for hillary, huh?

somehow i find that a little hard to believe

by freaktown 2008-01-28 12:35PM | 0 recs
Re: 2.9 Million Nurses Endorse Hillary Clinton

Unanimous?  What the...?

I think we know quite well that Hillary has a vast majority of nurses on her side.  When I diaried a Gallup poll that showed Hillary way ahead of the other candidates when it came to support union members I was told (from Edwards and Obama posters alike) that what made her numbers so impressive was not so much actual LABOR unions, but groups like NURSES unions/organizations.  

by georgep 2008-01-28 02:18PM | 0 recs
Re: 2.9 Million Nurses Endorse Hillary Clinton

...when it came to support from Union members...

by georgep 2008-01-28 02:18PM | 0 recs
Re: 2.9 Million Nurses Endorse Hillary Clinton

I was remarking on how you said "2.9 million nurses" endorsed her. I doubt thats true. Whats probably more accurate is to say that the leaders ofthat particular union,with 2.9 million members, endorsed her.

It may be true that a lot of the members support her, but i really doubt every single one of those 2.9 million nurses actually support her.

But whatever. Good for her. She's still not gonna win.

by freaktown 2008-01-28 06:08PM | 0 recs
Re: 2.9 Million Nurses Endorse Hillary Clinton

BTW georgep, next time you schill for billary, you might wanna put somewhere near the top that you ARE indeed a billary hack.

Thats part of the reason i decided to be all snarky was cause you didn't disclose your obvious bias in you writing.

by freaktown 2008-01-28 06:15PM | 0 recs
Re: 2.9 Million Nurses Endorse Hillary Clinton

oops/ mybad. you didn't write this one. thought you did by how you replied to one of my comments. my apologies to you on that.

by freaktown 2008-01-28 06:16PM | 0 recs
Re: Endorsement Shocker!

Headline for MSNBC:

Endorsement Shocker! 2.9 MILLION AMERICANS ENDORSE HILLARY!

by Tennessean 2008-01-28 12:39PM | 0 recs
Re: American Nurses Association is NOT a union!!

From http://nursingworld.org/FunctionalMenuCa tegories/AboutANA.aspx :

The American Nurses Association (ANA) is the only full-service professional organization representing the nation's 2.9 million registered nurses (RNs) through its 54 constituent member associations. The ANA advances the nursing profession by fostering high standards of nursing practice, promoting the rights of nurses in the workplace, projecting a positive and realistic view of nursing, and by lobbying the Congress and regulatory agencies on health care issues affecting nurses and the public.

It is not a labor union in the traditional sense of the word, via union dues and advocacy against management.  It is more of a trade association.

by Paul Hogarth 2008-01-28 01:11PM | 0 recs
Re: American Nurses Association is NOT a union!!

I also doesn't have 2.9 million members -- it says it represents all of the RNs in the country. Their membership is actually much smaller (<200,000).

There are plenty of nurses in unions around the country, but the ANA is no more a union than the AMA (American Medical Associaton) is a union of doctors or the American Bar Association is  a union of lawyers.

by lifelongdem 2008-01-28 03:01PM | 0 recs
Re: 2.9 Million Nurses Endorse Hillary Clinton

This sounds like a campaign press release - so is not at all persuasive.

by mainelib 2008-01-28 02:29PM | 0 recs
Re: 2.9 Million Nurses Endorse Hillary Clinton

Now this is the kind of endorsement that actually means something, an endorsement by a group that represents REAL Americans that the Democratic party is supposed to represent, hard working people who understand what changes need to take place and realize who is most capable of making those changes by actually looking at the candidates' records and their stances on issues, not just by being sucked in by some rhetoric written by a speechwriter.  But of course the media will completely ignore this and concentrate on Ted Kennedy.  He is of course more important than 3 million nurses.

by musicpvm 2008-01-28 03:06PM | 0 recs
Re: 2.9 Million Nurses Endorse Hillary Clinton

But of course the media will completely ignore this and concentrate on Ted Kennedy.  He is of course more important than 3 million nurses.

Ted Kennedy = good ol' boy
Nurses = mostly just women

You do the math on the media. The media is more than happy to adversize to women (and make money), but do you really think the good ol' boys in the media give a rat's ass about women or womens issues or women nurses?

by hwc 2008-01-28 04:07PM | 0 recs
Re: 2.9 Million Nurses Endorse Hillary Clinton

There are approximately 2.9 million licensed registered professional nurses in the US.  A fraction of these nurses are members of the American Nurse Association.  The "official" membership count provided by the organization is 150,000.  Membership in the organization is voluntary unless you are a member of a collective bargaining unit.  Many other registered nurses prefer to belong to specialty nursing organizations such as the Oncology Nursing Society, the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses or the American Association of Operating Room Nurses.  The American Nurses Association certainly does not speak for all 2.9 million US nurses.  This headline is very misleading.  However, the fact that Hillary Clinton is even aware of the impending crisis that the nation faces due to the nursing shortage and the fact that she has already supported legislation to increase funding for nursing education and new graduate residency programs already proves her commitment to the nations nurses.  I'm not an ANA member, but I was very pleased when I checked out her healthcare plan on the website.  If you're a nurse, you might want to check it out and also read the text of her speech at Dartmouth.

by noclevernickname 2008-02-01 06:14PM | 0 recs

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