Bob Dole: “the final point I make is that the more the American people learn about the Clinton plan, the less they like it. So…”

“the final point I make is that the more the American people learn about the Clinton plan, the less they like it. So those who say we need more time to explain it, I think that is a loser, because every poll demonstrates that the more people find out about it--how big the Government is, how big the mandates are, and about the penalties. For example, you might go to jail if you ask the doctor to perform the operation early. Say you are scheduled for June and the operation is in May; you pay the doctor a little extra, and you can end up in jail, it says. Not so bad, if you go with your doctor. It is a penalty. There are a lot of penalties in this bill. We have a lot of work to do. I just say to the President and Mrs. Clinton, I will give you credit for getting health care on the agenda. I do not give you credit for the plan you put on the agenda because I think it is a bad plan for America. But we will have our retreat this next day and a half. We will not come out with a plan. But we will come out, I hope, closer together than we are now. We have a lot of good ideas on our side. We have at least three or four plans on the Republican side. We need to try to come together. Democrats have as many plans. They need to try to come together. So in the final analysis, the President's plan is slipping away, and it is time for leadership in both parties to see if we cannot deal with this issue this year.”