On the recordMarch 10, 2010
I appreciate my colleagues allowing me to join in this colloquy because it is incredibly important and I believe the American public believes it is incredibly important because, if for no other reason, they are looking at it and saying: We don't want this bill. We don't think this bill is the right way to go. We don't think this procedure is the right way. So they oppose it on process and they oppose it on product. And you don't have to believe me. Listen to these poll numbers: 68 percent say the President and the congressional Democrats should keep trying to work with Republicans to craft legislation. By the way, that big, all-day-long meeting at Blair House to talk about this, where we put forward a series of ideas, virtually all of them were rejected--a bipartisan incremental compromise, which is much more the way the American public wants to go. A Rasmussen poll says that 57 percent of the voters say the health care reform plans we are discussing in Congress will hurt the U.S. economy. Only 25 percent think it will actually help. And 66 percent believe the health care plan proposed by President Obama and congressional Democrats is likely to increase the Federal deficit. Do you know the reason they think that? Because it will. This is going to increase the Federal deficit.
