Political Quotes

“last evening we had another reminder that democracy is alive and well in this great country. Yes, on national television Speaker Gingrich conceded that his effort to dismantle Medicare this year, in his words, let it wither on the vine, has failed. That failure results directly from the voice of the American people, those who spoke out, those who wrote, those who demanded that their elected Members in Congress be accountable for protecting one of the most effective programs in American history, Medicare, which assures the security for health care of millions of older Americans and people with disabilities. I commend the Speaker. Even though he pledged to try again to dismantle Medicare next year, he has finally yielded to the voice of the American people. But I disagree with him on this. Mr. Speaker, we cannot walk away from our commitment to a balanced budget. We do not need a minimal down payment on the deficit. We need to bring the deficit down just as the last speaker said. And we can do that without bringing Medicare down with it. That is what the American people want. Protect Medicare, assure a balanced budget. We can deliver on that.”