Chris Murphy: “I thank Mr. Meek. There are already reports that the words we may get tonight are going to give a little short shrift to…”

“I thank Mr. Meek. There are already reports that the words we may get tonight are going to give a little short shrift to the issue of Iraq. If the President wants to put forth a plan that is so unpopular that it is not backed by his own military leaders, it is not backed by our civilian foreign policy expert, it is not backed by the American public, well, then he should also have the courage to talk about it, to defend it, to put it before us. But knowing that it is unpopular, we may not hear too much about it tonight. To get back to, Mr. Meek, your point on health care, let us be honest about what is going to be proposed tonight, how we are going to save money on health care. It is not by investing more in prevention; it is not by moving people out of emergency rooms and putting them into real programs and care. It is taking people who have good insurance and making their good insurance bad insurance. It is going out and taking folks who have had the great benefit of working for an employer that provides a comprehensive package of benefits, and it is becoming less and less likely these days that even good employers out there can afford to give a robust package of benefits. What the President is going to propose today is that for families that have had the good fortune to find a good insurance plan, they are going to tax that employer. They are going to make it less likely that you are going to get good insurance anymore.”