Vernon Ehlers: “last year the Vice President of the United States, on a national news program, discussed health care reform and why the…”

“last year the Vice President of the United States, on a national news program, discussed health care reform and why the Democrats were not bothering to speak to the Republicans, and made the statement that ``the Republicans didn't vote for Social Security, they didn't vote for Medicare, they're not going to vote for health care, so why should we bother talking to them?'' That refrain was picked up by the then-majority-party of the House, the Democrats, and we heard it on the floor time after time. The gentleman from California [Mr. Horn] dug up the actual facts, and he and I gave several speeches on that last year clarifying the situation, that in fact 83 percent of the House Republicans in 1935 voted for the Social Security Act, contrary to the statement made by the Vice President that none of them had. Furthermore, 47 percent of Republicans voted for Medicare in 1965. And shame of all shames, more Republicans than Democrats voted for the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In fact, 81 percent of the Republicans in the House at that time voted for it, whereas only 62 percent of the Democrats did.”