[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 14]
[House]
[Page 18479]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1215
                HEALTH CARE SCARE TACTICS WILL NOT WORK

  (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, 15 years ago Frank Luntz wrote the 
speeches for Newt Gingrich to come out here and scare the American 
people about the Clinton health reform. They succeeded 15 years ago. 
What have the people gotten since then? Nothing. The number of people 
have gone up and up and up and up who do not have health insurance. So 
here they are all arrayed out here again today one at a time. Folks, 
they are here to scare you again. Mr. Speaker, the people are smarter 
this time.
  In the election of 2008, they elected a President who said he would 
bring health care reform to this country, and they gave the Democrats 
an overwhelming majority because they are tired of the fear machine. 
Now I know you all have your talking points. Frank Luntz pulled them 
out of the drawer, shined them up for 2008 and said, Hey, boys, here's 
the speech that worked in 1994. Use it again. It won't work, Mr. 
Speaker. The people want health care reform, and we're going to give it 
to them.

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