Clinton Fires Back at Health Plan Critics : Reform: He basks in glow of Minneapolis rally. Later, at town hall meeting, he assails those who question his motives rather than debating issues.

Having lived through several tough weeks, President Clinton revived his spirits Friday with an enthusiastic rally in one of his party’s most reliable strongholds. Then, seemingly re-energized, he struck back during a televised town hall meeting at critics who, he said, were questioning his motives rather than debating the issues of health care.

“This health care debate, in my opinion, has really been retarded--in more ways than one--by all this motive-throwing-around that we have,” Clinton said. “This is a bunch of hooey. If people don’t agree with me, let them come forward and contest me with their ideas. But I am sick--and I think a lot of you must be sick--of all this hot air rhetoric.”

Then, doing some motive-questioning of his own, Clinton added that much of the rhetoric he dislikes has come “from people who are making a killing from the insurance business.”

Clinton’s sharp language came after the first two questioners at the town hall meeting made statements suggesting that his interest in health care stems primarily from politics or is a government “power grab.” The news director of the television station that set up the town hall said before the broadcast that the station purposely had arranged the order of the questions to ensure that there would be “a tough question right at the beginning.”

“One of the things I have learned in 20 years of public life is you don’t get very far questioning other people’s motives,” Clinton said. “Let’s argue about what should or shouldn’t be done and not talk about other people’s motives.”

The town hall meeting, which ranged across topics from the economic impact of Clinton’s plan to whether it includes dental coverage, was the third for Clinton this week. It included questioners from stations here and in Detroit, Milwaukee and Sioux Falls, S.D.

Earlier in the day, Clinton delivered a rousing version of his health care stump speech to a spirited rally before a crowd of several thousand cheering supporters here. Entering the hall Clinton beamed at the welcome sound of applause and lingered for more than half an hour shaking hands, waving and basking in the crowd’s support.

Minnesota in general--and Minneapolis in particular--has a long tradition of liberal activism. The state was one of Clinton’s strongest in the 1992 election. The area’s political leanings were on display with Clinton’s reception and even with the protesters who greeted him--most of whom seemed to be criticizing him from the left.

One group of protesters, for example, stood outside Clinton’s hotel when he arrived late Thursday night demanding U.S. action on behalf of human rights in Tibet. By contrast, when Clinton visited Topeka, Kan., earlier that day he had been picketed by a militant anti-gay-rights group.

Clinton clearly warmed to the supportive audience here and pulled out all the rhetorical stops in advocating his plan as he spoke to the crowd, which was organized by the Minnesota Nurses’ Assn. Here, as elsewhere, nurses’ organizations have been among Clinton’s most supportive groups, in part because his plan would eliminate rules backed by doctors in many states that sharply limit the types of medical care nurses can provide.

“This is an opportunity for us to come together across regional and racial and income and party lines to do something that is good for America. All of our jobs are at stake, all of our health care is at stake, our children are at stake, our parents are at stake,” Clinton said.

White House officials said that they hope the show of support for health care reform here will help bolster their position with a key congressional vote--the state’s Republican senator, Dave Durenberger, a moderate who is one of the strategically crucial handful of Republicans who have been willing to consider Clinton’s proposals.

The President’s travels recently have been carefully targeted at key members of Congress--Kansas Democratic Rep. Jim Slattery and Kansas GOP Sen. Nancy Landon Kassebaum on Thursday--Durenberger and a handful of House members from the northern Midwest Friday.

But although White House officials had hoped that Durenberger would show up for the rally and share the podium with Clinton, he stayed away--a symbol, perhaps, of the frustrations Clinton has found in trying to entice GOP moderates into a health care deal.

By contrast, Clinton received a loud endorsement from the state’s other senator, liberal Democrat Paul Wellstone. Wellstone is a leading advocate of a proposal to create a government run “single-payer” health care plan similar to that used in Canada.