On the recordDecember 11, 2012
I just want to say that this is not about party. This is about people who know the realities of life--Democrats, Republicans, Independents and, I'm sure, some people who are identified with the Tea Party. They don't want to see this Congress cut Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security benefits, and this is overwhelming in every single poll. It's not because people are greedy; it is because they need these bedrock programs--these treasures of our American system--in order to live a decent quality of life. Americans are willing to work hard, to pay into these programs, to follow the rules--to do everything they're supposed to do. Then when they're either disabled or when they're past 65 years old or, in the case of Social Security, 67 years old, they want the fruits of their labor to be there for them. Again, continuing when they get Medicare, they pay dearly for those services. I think it's really important to remember that.
