[miko014]

Hey all - sorry this is being rehashed yet again. I've been hearing a lot of rumors about things that Hillary Clinton has said re: nurses, and they concern and alarm me greatly...assuming that they are true, that is. It seems that a lot of people can quote what she said, but nobody seems to be able to give me a source to a video or story or anything. I have heard that she has called us babysitters, and that she didn't think we should be paid more than $10-12 per hour. If these statements really are true, I am interested in trying to contact her campaign, but if they aren't, then I guess I don't need to. I know that the ANA seems to support Hillary, but if these things are being said by ANYONE in the public eye, then addressing them seems to be not only important for "the higher ups", but for the public in general as well. It seems to me that people generally have NO IDEA what we do, and that if we could get a positive and accurate image out there, things might just improve. So, thanks for reading, and thanks for any tips / links to articles, etc you can point me to! Nurses rock!!!

[Dolce]

I have never heard that. In fact, Hillary got a lot of media buz when she followed a nurse for a day. It was all kind of a publicity stunt but she was trying to show that she supports nurses.

(Its not going to make me vote for her, though)

[emsboss]

I don't think we will have to worry about the "Hildabeast" getting the nomination...I hope...

[James Huffman]

She didn't say it. Do even a quick Google search, and all that you find are similar reports of the rumors.

I don't like Sen. Clinton. I think her election would be a very bad thing. But we should speak accurately about presidential candidates and their positions. Sen. Clinton is no fool. She is not going to say something like this. No politician is, given that 1 out of every 40 American women are nurses, and no one is going to insult 2.9 million voters.

[elkpark]

There was a humongous, long, contentious thread last year about that same supposed "quote" -- none of the "a friend of a friend said she heard it with her own ears" crowd could ever produce any kind of source, reference, or any other evidence that she actually said anything like that. There are so many people out there who would love to be able to destroy her career that I'm sure, if there were any evidence she had ever said it, it would be all over the Internet, in paid political advertisements on TV and radio, and flyers in your mailbox! But, as it is, the best the GOP attack machine can do is to keep the rumor alive ...

I'm not a fan of Sen. Clinton, but I wouldn't believe such a crazy rumor about any politician. No one who has gotten as far as she has in politics and public life would be stupid enough to say something like that in public.

Also, the rumor was floating around long before the ANA endorsement, and, whatever you may think of the ANA, I guarantee you they (like every similar organization) have people whose job it is to thoroughly check out candidates before the organization makes an endorsement, and the ANA would not have endorsed her if she were not a supporter/friend of nurses.

[semiller36545]

She's not my candidate, but I really don't think this happened.

[Ms Kylee]

Nothing to worry about since she's not going to win the nomination.

[James Huffman]

Of course she's not going to get the nomination. That's been over for at least 2 months.

What is a problem is that nurses continue to worry about this. First, let's assume she said it. (She didn't, but for sake of argument, let's say she did). A president has no control over nurses' salaries. None.

Second: I think this continuing fear is part of the whole issue of nurses feeling like there are big forces over us, somehow setting our pay. Sen. Clinton is just a manifestation of this paranoia. Let's say that somehow Sen. Clinton was elected president, and that somehow, she had power over nurse compensation, and that she decreed we would be paid $10 an hour. Would any of you work for that? I certainly wouldn't. All of us make the call about our compensation by agreeing to work for X amount, and continuing to work for that. We make the call, folks. It's our decision as to how much we make. Not Sen. Clinton's. Or Obama's. Or McCain's.

[NRSKarenRN]

Rumor not been substantiated over past 2 yrs so closing thread