[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 63 (Wednesday, April 5, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H4184]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                INDIA RUBBER MEN UNDER THE BIG TOP TODAY

  (Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts. Mr. Speaker, I want to talk about an 
aspect of the circus that we usually see in the sideshow, but it has 
moved in here, in the big top. That is the India rubber man who can be 
bent and twisted all out of shape, no bones, no resistance. One can 
just make all kinds of shapes out of them.
  Well, we have about 150 of them represented here. They are, among 
others, the people that used to be known as moderate Republicans. About 
a hundred Republicans signed a letter saying they did not like a tax 
credit for people that made $200,000, but, like the India rubber man, 
just because they signed the letter does not mean they cannot be 
twisted into voting the bill. There will probably be a majority of 
Republicans who will vote for this bill, having told us how much they 
do not like some aspects of it. Just like the India rubber man, they 
will start standing up straight, but the leadership will come, and 
twist them, and move them, and push them, and, by the time they are 
through, they will be all bent out of shape, but they will vote for it.
  Actually the circus is probably the wrong institution to talk about 
when we talk about moderate Republicans. The place where they will be 
found hereinafter is in museums, because there will not be any more 
left. The pressures that the right wing is able to generate on 
Republicans means we will continue to see the kind of ultimate 
flexibility which leads them to sign a letter saying they do not like 
the tax bill and then get twisted into voting for it.

                          ____________________