[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 80 (Thursday, June 18, 1998)]
[House]
[Page H4726]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   REPUBLICANS: THE PARTY OF GESTURE

  (Mr. McDERMOTT asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. McDERMOTT. Mr. Speaker, George Will, the eminent editorialist 
here in Washington D.C., was in Seattle recently, and he said that the 
majority party in the House of Representatives was tearing themselves 
apart because they could not deal with substance, they had become the 
party of gesture.
  Now, yesterday was the great day of gesture. The first gesture was, 
let us tear the Tax Code out by its roots. That was irresponsible. That 
was followed by a cynical gesture. That is, they could not pass even a 
commission on campaign reform.
  Now, there is some question about whether tobacco is dead. In my 
view, tobacco is not dead. We will see a cynical gesture out of the 
Speaker's office late in this session bringing to the floor a bill that 
says, ``Kids, you shouldn't smoke,'' and then there will be a lot of 
beating of chests and saying, we passed a bill against tobacco.
  The fact is that the money in this place has to be collected before 
even that cynical gesture will be brought to the floor. We need serious 
campaign reform. The Speaker ought to bring Shays-Meehan to the floor 
immediately.

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