[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 117 (Saturday, July 30, 2011)]
[House]
[Pages H5786-H5787]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     LISTEN TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE

  (Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, as the debate on avoiding a 
devastating default has progressed over the last several months, we've 
heard from many House Republicans that ``compromise'' is a dirty word. 
But the voices we should be listening to are

[[Page H5787]]

those of the American people. What they've said has been loud and 
clear. According to the NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, 53 percent of 
Independents and Republicans want Republican leaders to compromise. 
According to the ABC/Washington Post poll, 77 percent of all Americans 
think the Republican leadership has not been willing to compromise. 
According to the Quinnipiac University poll, 67 percent of Americans 
believe the debt ceiling compromise should be a balance between 
spending cuts and revenue--yes, revenue. According to the Gallup Poll, 
57 percent of Republicans want a compromise plan--that's Republicans. 
And according to the CBS News poll, 78 percent of Republicans would 
rather have an agreement that they don't fully support than allow the 
country to default.
  Mr. Speaker, it's long past time we started listening to the American 
people and reach a compromise to avoid a national default.

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