[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 15]
[Senate]
[Pages 20561-20562]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           HEALTH CARE REFORM

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, the American people wake up every morning 
worrying about real problems. They go to bed every night with real 
concerns. They worry about the agonizing sacrifices they have to make 
so they can afford to stay healthy, and their fear is sincere.
  Our response and responsibility to the American people should be 
equally grounded in reality. That reality is that our health care 
system is in serious distress. I believe serious problems deserve 
serious efforts by serious legislators to develop serious solutions.
  Unfortunately, much of what we have seen from the other side is 
simply one radical distraction after the next. For months, Republicans 
have perpetuated a pollster- and consultant-created myth that our plan 
and our goal is to have the government run your health care. It is not. 
Let me repeat: It is not. In fact, one of our core principles is that 
if you like the health care you have, you can keep it. But the other 
side simply won't let the facts get in the way of a good story.
  A Republican Congressman recently claimed that our plan to improve 
health care would ``put seniors in a position of being put to death by 
their government.''
  A Republican Senator made a similar statement to mislead his 
constituents. He actually accused Democrats of proposing a plan that 
would kill Americans. It is hard to imagine that. Rather than having a 
serious and real debate about a serious and real crisis, some Senators 
and Congressmen want the American people to believe their colleagues 
are proposing a plan to kill them.
  These distortions and distractions are revolting, and they are not 
limited to health care.
  An artificial controversy is getting far too much attention lately--
one that ignores the undeniable and proven fact that President Obama 
was born in the United States of America. Last week, one of the 
Republican leaders in the House of Representatives continued to give 
this false and misleading claim credence. Let's be clear: It is a phony 
issue that does not deserve even a minute of our attention on the floor 
of the Senate. It is absurd, irresponsible, and baseless, and the false 
claims have long ago been refuted.
  The American people have every right to expect we will solve real 
problems before creating fake problems. They should know that rather 
than helping them get ahead, some of our colleagues would rather spew 
ludicrous conspiracy theories.
  The other side hasn't stopped at fake arguments and fake issues. We 
also have seen them resort to fake letters. Some Members of Congress 
have recently received forged letters purporting to be from the NAACP. 
Others have received a similar letter signed by a fake name with a fake 
job title purporting to be from a local Hispanic group. The bogus 
letters have been tracked back to employees of a Republican lobbying 
firm. This behavior is sick, it is shameful, it is dishonest, and it is 
undemocratic.
  When we passed the economic recovery plan this winter, some opposed 
it. They didn't believe we needed an aggressive plan in response to a 
grave crisis that now is putting people back to work, ensuring middle-
class families can get ahead, and investing in our future. But 
objecting to that legislation is their right. As we start to see a 
return on our investment, many of those who tried to block this bill 
have since sought credit for the good it is doing.

[[Page 20562]]

Others who opposed the plan outright--those who wish we weren't 
investing in their States and districts--now complain they wish to see 
us invest more quickly. Well, you can't have it both ways. It is yet 
another embarrassing example of misinformation and misrepresentation 
upon which some on the other side tend to rely.
  I cannot blame people for wondering why, with an issue as important 
as health care now before us, bipartisan consensus sometimes seems so 
elusive. So I say to them: This extreme brand of strategy and the 
extreme tactics that come with it are what we have to contend with.
  First, Rush Limbaugh happily admitted he wants our President to fail. 
Then a Republican Senator openly admitted he wants to block the health 
insurance reform for millions as a way to ``break the President.'' 
Another Republican Senator admitted that at least half of the other 
side's opposition to reform is purely political. And an influential 
commentator advised Republicans to avoid consensus at all costs and 
instead ``go for the kill.''
  These partisan tactics have consequences. These consequences will be 
evident at any kitchen table, in every family budget, and every 
American's peace of mind.
  And they are watching. A poll released last week found that a 
majority of Americans credit President Obama with putting partisanship 
aside and trying to work with congressional Republicans to get this 
done for the good of the country. Republicans, they found, weren't 
returning the favor.
  Others may be focused on delaying and denying health insurance 
reform, but we will make sure we don't let that happen. We already have 
seen what happens when we do nothing. The costs of sitting this one out 
are far too high and not acting is not an option.
  The American people appreciate those Republicans who have come to the 
negotiating table in good faith. I am sorry to say that there simply 
aren't enough of them. At this stage, out of 100 Senators, we have 3 
Republicans who are willing to work with us on health care. I am very 
happy to have them, but I wish we had more.
  Rather than having a serious and real debate about a serious and real 
crisis, some would prefer to deploy tactics to scare the American 
people. But what scares the American people is that under the status 
quo, they live just one illness, one accident, or one pink slip away 
from losing everything.
  This is no time to let partisanship get the best of us. This is no 
time to obsess over fake controversies or oppose ideas simply because 
they were proposed by people who sit on the other side of this Chamber. 
This is no time to instill unfounded fears and incite the hope that our 
Nation's leaders fail. This is the time to get serious about making it 
easier for American citizens to afford to live a healthy life.

                          ____________________