[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 14968]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                CORRUPTION OF THE REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP

  (Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, Members of the House, 
yesterday a bipartisan majority in this House voted to change the 
PATRIOT Act so the government cannot wantonly snoop and peer in what 
people are reading in their public libraries and at their book stores. 
But that bipartisan majority was unable to be sustained because of the 
corruption of the Republican leadership in this House, because of the 
corruption of the rules of this House, and because of the corruption of 
the principles of this country by that Republican leadership.
  What they could not stand was the fact that there was a majority that 
disagreed with the handful in the Republican leadership. So they 
nullified the vote. They nullified the principles of democracy; they 
nullified the principles of majority rule in the House of 
Representatives.
  That very same day, thousands of families and schoolchildren came 
through the Capitol and they were told this is where democracy reigns. 
This is the beacon to the world. This is where freedom exists. But it 
does not exist on the floor of the House of Representatives because of 
the corruption of the leadership of the Republican Party.
  Every time they believe the majority is going to win out here, a 
bipartisan coalition majority whether it is on minimum wage, whether it 
is on overtime, they prevent that vote from taking place. The people 
who are truly afraid of the majority in this country is the corrupt 
Republican leadership in this House.

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