At the end of almost four hours of debate Sunday night, House Republican Leader John Boehner and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made memorable final statements in advance of a historic health care vote.
Boehner took the floor and proclaimed, acknowledging likely passage, that he had a "sad and heavy heart."
He said "no one in this body" believes the bill is satisfactory and argued "we have failed to listen to America, and we have failed to reflect the will of our constituents."
"Shame on each and every one of you who substitutes your will and your desires above those of your fellow countrymen," said Boehner.
He grew agitated when asking rhetorical questions about the impact of the bill, asking members if they could really promise their constituents that it would not have a variety of negative consequences.
"Do you really believe that if you like the health plan that you have that you can keep it? No you can't," he said. At one point he offered an angry "hell no" to one of his rhetorical questions.
In response to noises from the gallery in response to Boehner, Rep. David Obey, acting as speaker, said, "Both sides would do well to remember the dignity of the House."
"I beg you...do not further strike at the heart of this country and this institution with arrogance, for surely you will not strike with impunity," Boehner said.
He asked for a roll call vote to be taken, as opposed to an electronic vote tally, a call Obey denied. Roll call votes are almost never taken in the House.
After Boehner, Pelosi rose to speak to a standing ovation from Democrats in the gallery.
She said the House was about to "make history for our country and progress for the American people."
The bill, she said, would lead to "healthier lives, more liberty to pursue hopes and dreams and happiness."
"This is an American proposal that honors the traditions of our country," Pelosi said in a more measured address than Boehner. She hailed President Obama's leadership on health care.
She added that the one word to use to describe the legislation is "opportunity," and said it would unleash "entrepreneurial power" in the economy because it meant people could change jobs or start a small business without risking their health insurance.
"With this health care reform, 32 million more Americans will have health care insurance, and those who have insurance now will be spared being at the mercy of the health insurance industry," Pelosi said.
Once the bill passes, she added, "being a woman will no longer be a pre-existing medical condition."
She also noted that the bill has more than 200 Republican amendments, even if it lacked Republican votes.
The vote, she said, "honored the character of this country," calling health care a "right, not a privilege."
"The time has chosen us," said Pelosi.
4 comments:
To spare the long winded comment I'll keep it brief and make reference to my post on the previous article for my views.
One point I want to get out is. . . . Why in the world do debates of such national importance have to be held at night on Sunday?! People who don't keep tabs on the news have no idea this is happening. There were countless people I spoke to that had absolutely no idea that anything was going on Sunday night, and afterwards there was an equal number of people that were oblivious to what had happened. The legislation should have its debates during the week in the daytime, or at least disguise their deceit better.
The new reform attempt on the health care crisis can be viewed as a step towards better life oppertunities in the United States. I belive John Boehner has a right to be saddened by this new bill simply because it's not perfect. But in all bills of this magnitude, it is truely hard to make the bill the perfect solution. I fear for the monopoly being set force by the Government, but I stay hopeful for the future.....let's just hope the government has our best interests in mind.
Representative Boehner you are absolutely right. The House is absolutely ignoring the wishes of it's constituent by allowing them to have affordable, adequate Healthcare. I don't know how many times I've heard people say, "Man, I really wish I did'nt have to put up with being able to pay for doctor's visits." Who is the House to try to provide adequate healthcare for all citizens. I mean, what kind of world do we live in that people try to help each other. IS that the kind of world I want to live in? Hell No.
I think a problem with the health care bill in general is that no one knows exactly what it states! Everyone makes judgements out of ignorance. I do also think that this could lead to giving the governement more control over our personal lives, and that we should be careful which individual righs we see taken away.
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