Hillary Clinton has canceled a prior scheduled, in-person appearance for April 11 at the 17th Annual Western Healthcare Leadership Academy conference in San Diego. Just two weeks before the conference, at which she is slated as the keynote speaker, Clinton cited “scheduling conflicts” as the reason she will now be speaking to the approximately 700 conference attendees from a remote location.
Clinton’s announcement comes after an announcement by San Diego citizen activists that they would protest her role in the September 11, 2012 Benghazi attack that left four Americans dead.
Janet Iverson, the woman spearheading a group called “The Difference Matters,” has been organizing the demonstration effort with an all-female steering committee.
Iverson, who is married to a physician, received notice of Hillary’s participation in the San Diego conference through a California Medical Association (CMA) mailing promoting the event. Janet’s response to the mailing was, “I will not let this stand.” In a phone interview, Iverson said that the message of the April 11 protest is: “We want to tell Hillary, ‘The difference does matter.'”
The CMA has become widely known for their work in pushing for Obamacare in California, according to Iverson. She also commented that the group seems to think this means they will have a seat at the legislative table, when the truth is, “they’re on the menu.”
Ted Mazer, Speaker of the CMA House of Delegates, explained the invitation to Clinton to Fox 5 News, “We are trying to talk about where we are and where we are going in medicine. Who is better to talk about that than someone with a history of about 20 years or more now dealing with health care reform.” In 1993, Clinton attempted and failed to pass Hillarycare, a precursor to the greatly troubled Obamacare mandate.
Iverson has been working with a number of San Diego Tea Party groups, the Volunteers in Politics (VIPs), Republican Women’s groups and the San Diego County Republican Party. Iverson also spent a Saturday handing out fliers at a local Harley Davidson dealership grand opening. The positive response and thankfulness for the protest event was overwhelming from the bikers, she said.
Pat Smith, mother of murdered Benghazi victim Sean Smith, will participate in the protest. According to Iverson, before Hillary cancelled, Smith decided to attend the three-day healthcare conference. When the San Diego County Republican Women Federated learned the cost would be $1,000, members donated Smith’s full cost to attend.
Subsequent to the growing enthusiasm for the event, as well as Pat Smith’s plans to attend the conference, Clinton’s pre-scheduled, in-person San Diego speaking engagement was suddenly changed to allow her to speak via satellite. Clinton’s April 11 ‘scheduling conflict’ does not seem to have affected her ability to appear in San Jose, CA on April 10.
Despite Clinton’s change in plans, “The Difference Matters” Benghazi protest will continue. With a potential Presidential bid looming, there have been similar calls for Hillary to answer for her part in Benghazi. Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is on record regarding Clinton and Benghazi, as saying Clinton is “going to have so much to answer to when it comes to her position, especially as Secretary of State.”
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