[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 28 (Tuesday, March 15, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: March 15, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
          THE POLITICS OF SELF-DESTRUCTION AND SELF-DECEPTION

  The SPEAKER. Under the Speaker's announced policy of February 11, 
1994, the gentleman from Georgia [Mr. Gingrich] is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mr. GINGRICH. Mr. Speaker, I am going to talk this morning about the 
politics of self-destruction and the politics of self-deception. I am 
citing, as my text, two articles in this morning's Washington Post, 
because today's Washington Post has two stories that will help 
Americans understand the bizarre and destructive world of Washington.
  On page 1, President Clinton is quoted in a Boston speech attacking 
the Republican Party for what he calls the politics of personal 
destruction, and quotes the President as saying that the Republicans 
have no proposals, no solutions, and are unwilling to cooperate. He 
goes on apparently to say no, no, no, eight times as a sign of 
Republican intransigence.
  Let me suggest if I might, Mr. President, that the speech in Boston 
is an exercise in the politics of self-destruction, and the politics of 
self-deception. Let me take those two independently.
  It was not Republicans who delivered subpoenas to the White House and 
to the Treasury. That was an independent counsel. It is not the 
Republicans who raised the question about Mr. Hubbell's law firm. That 
was the partners of the Rose law firm themselves. It is not Republicans 
who talk about Small Business Administration fraud. That is Judge David 
Hale in Little Rock. It is not Republicans who have raised question 
after question. That has been the New York Times, the Washington Post, 
the national networks, the Wall Street Journal.
  It is, in fact, very self-destructive for the President to continue 
to deny the reality of his problems, and as late as today there is 
apparently confusion now about whether they invested $69,000 or 
$13,000, and there is apparently confusion about whether they paid all 
of their taxes or owe as much as $16,000 in back Federal taxes.
  Now, it is self-destructive for President Clinton to avoid the 
reality that this is a mess, not a mess made by any Republican. We did 
not create the Whitewater Corp. We did not run the Madison Guaranty 
Savings & Loan. We are not partners in the Rose law firm. And we have 
not been involved in having improper conversations in the executive 
branch.
  There is a second part of this, which is the politics of self-
deception. I have to say, as somebody who cooperated totally in helping 
pass NAFTA on a bipartisan basis, I find it very sad and very, very 
lacking in fairness and in truthfulness for the President to pound the 
table and yell no, no, no as though it was the Republican position. The 
President personally hosted Senator Dole and five other Republican 
Senators recently to talk about health care. They had dinner together 
talking about health care on a bipartisan basis. The President knows 
full well, from personal meetings, we have offered to help on welfare 
reform, where the House Republicans have a welfare reform bill and the 
Democrats have not even submitted one.
  The President knows that we have offered to help pass a crime bill, 
because I have been in personal meetings with him and have offered to 
provide Republican votes to pass a strong crime bill with a three-
strikes-and-you-are-out provision that locks up violent criminals.
  The President knows that what he said in Boston last night did not 
communicate fairly and accurately to the American people what in fact 
has been going on as Republicans have offered again and again to be 
bipartisan.
  But on page 4 of the Post today, my good friend, the majority leader, 
is quoted as saying they are going to have to pass a health bill in the 
House with only Democratic votes. Now, the President claims there is no 
Republican plan. In fact, there is a Chafee plan, which has been talked 
about a great deal.
  There is a Nickles-Stearns plan, which has been talked about. Senator 
Gramm has a plan. But the plan which has the most supporters is the 
Michel-Lott plan.
  Let me report to the House how ironic this is. H.R. 3080, the Michel-
Lott bill, has 141 cosponsors. The bill introduced by the majority 
leader, which is the President's plan, has 103 cosponsors. So not only 
do Republicans have a plan, Republicans have a plan which has more 
cosponsors in the House than the Democratic Presidential plan.
  My only point is this: Mr. President, it is self-destructive to 
circle the wagons around the White House and avoid getting to the heart 
of this stuff and getting Whitewater behind us, and it is self-
deceptive to believe that the only pure person seeking to be bipartisan 
is yourself.
  On behalf of the Republicans in the House, I want to say that on 
welfare, on crime, on illegal aliens, on the issue of national defense, 
on foreign policy, and on health, we are prepared today to meet with 
the Democratic leadership, and we are prepared to work with the 
President, and any other assertion on his part is disingenuous.

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