The past week hasn’t seen amazing truths for Hillary Clinton. She stumbled into several inconsistencies during the Univision Democratic Debate. Now she’s sort-of apologized for honoring Nancy Reagan as a “very effective, low-key advocate” in the 1980s HIV and AIDS crisis. Some well-documented sources prove that Reagan did, in fact, ignore friend Rock Hudson’s pleas for help before his untimely death in 1985. Hudson wasn’t the only casualty in this fight. If only AIDS research had kickstarted years prior, who knows how many lives could have been saved. On Saturday, Clinton walked back her gratitude with an official statement:
“While the Reagans were strong advocates for stem cell research and finding a cure for Alzheimer’s disease, I misspoke about their record on HIV and AIDS. For that, I’m sorry.”
In Clinton’s defense, two decades have passed, and a lot has happened since then. However, Clinton also spent her Saturday speaking at St. Louis rally about rival Bernie Sanders. She alleged, “I don’t know where he was when I was trying to get healthcare in ’93 and ’94.”
https://twitter.com/amychozick/status/708713916415741953
Sanders’s own rapid response manager, Mike Casca, saw Clinton’s shade, and he had some characteristically speedy responses. In Casca’s words, Sanders was “literally standing right behind her” in a speech aired on C-SPAN.
literally standing right behind her. https://t.co/B2cvs4UNth https://t.co/oVA6WccMmZ pic.twitter.com/QeKLnBG337
— mike casca (@cascamike) March 12, 2016
for the record, she did know he was there: “i’m grateful that congressman sanders would join us today from vermont.” https://t.co/B2cvs4UNth
— mike casca (@cascamike) March 12, 2016
Oh, snap. For those not familiar with Clinton’s 1993 healthcare speech to Congress, it’s not too far off base from Sanders’ current plan. This issue has been a subject of several current debates with Clinton declaring that Sanders doesn’t care enough, and yeah, what a mess. Although Clinton had already endured enough humiliation, there was more on the way. Someone produced and circulated a handwritten, 1993 note of healthcare gratitude from Clinton to Sanders (with photo evidence).
Clinton today: "I don't know where he was when I was trying to get health care." Clinton in '93: pic.twitter.com/H4ETjeH4gU
— Jennifer Epstein (@jeneps) March 12, 2016
Thanks to Twitter’s immediacy, Clinton’s own communications director, Jennifer Palmieri, tried to land a spin with no success. Palmieri pointed out how Clinton was “the one out front.” Well, this statement is true. Clinton is the one on the mic with Sanders respectfully standing behind her.
It's "ridiculous" to say Clinton made 2nd unforced error in 2 days, Palmieri says. "Photo proves our point … she is the one out front."
— Jennifer Epstein (@jeneps) March 12, 2016
“I don’t know where he was” swiftly turned into a meme, and (somehow) the “why you always lying” guy and Larry David both received their dues.
https://twitter.com/FeeIThaBern/status/708815556816740352
"I don't know where he was when I pitched SEINFELD to NBC in '88." #HistoryByHillary pic.twitter.com/gM9ILjiheg
— Maul Of America (@MaulofAmerica) March 12, 2016
this is hillarious……and sad 🔥 “@bubbaprog: I don't know where he was pic.twitter.com/7DMyCbt8I1”
— Elizabeth 🦋 (@lizzyandthesky) March 13, 2016
I don't know where he was pic.twitter.com/kT4sTZTS8m
— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) March 12, 2016
Clinton is not worried, y’all. She spent Saturday night with a Guinness in Ohio.
Hillary Clinton celebrates St. Patrick's Day with a Guinness – and a baby – at an Irish pub in Youngstown, OH pic.twitter.com/dYPTO2d13I
— Liz Kreutz (@LizKreutzNews) March 13, 2016
(Via ABC News, New York Times & BernieSanders.com)