Political Quotes

On the recordDecember 14, 2011
Yet, in spite of all of this--and these are all new reports on top of this 97 percent number that was established. Yet the conservative media and some of my colleagues in Congress seem to think it is just fine to ignore what these scientists are saying. Let me illustrate this with an analogy. Say you went to a doctor and the doctor told you: You better start eating more sensibly and start exercising, because you are tremendously overweight. I see that you have a family history of heart disease, and your father died of a heart attack at an early age. You have to go on a diet and start working out a little bit. You say: You know what. I want a second opinion. So you go to a second doctor and he says: OK, you have a family history of heart disease. Your father died of a heart attack at a young age, and you weigh over 300 pounds. You smoke three packs a day. Your cholesterol is out of control, your blood pressure is through the roof. It would be irresponsible of me as a doctor not to immediately send you to this place at the Mayo Clinic that I know. I think you have to go there. You say: Thanks, doctor, but I want a third opinion. So you go to the third doctor and the third doctor reads the chart and looks at you and goes: Wow, I am amazed that you are still alive. You say: You know what. I want a fourth opinion. And then you go to the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh doctors. They are all saying the same thing. But you keep asking for more opinions.…
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Al Franken
Democratic · Minnesota

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