I just think it is a mistake for the conservative movement to think splitting in the special election is a smart idea. If we give that seat to the Democrats, shame on us.
Newt Gingrich • On the contested New York congressional contest, where many Republicans are supporting Conservative Party nominee Doug Hoffman over GOP nominee Dede Scozzafava, who’s a bit less conservative than Hoffman. Gingrich says that other politicos like Sarah Palin are making a mistake by splitting the vote. He’s right, you know – Ross Perot helped Bill Clinton win two easy elections. • source
The preliminary estimates we’ve seen from the CBO enable us to make our choices knowing that whatever choice we make will reduce the deficit and will pay for the bill.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi • On reining in the cost of the health care bill while paying back the defecit. Currently, there are three separate bills that need to be merged together, but after the Congressional Budget Office took a look at the bills, they now feel they can reasonably combine them into something ready for a vote on the House floor. Hopefully, the Senate can get their stuff together, too. • source
The Finance Committee’s bill will be combined with a bill passed in July by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. source
After that, the Congressional Budget Office and Senate Democrats will do vetting of the combined bill to make sure it passes muster. source
Finally, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid promises, the bill will be voted on by the full Senate by the end of the month. Then the House gets it. source
We’re not the British parliament for a reason. Ignoring the issue sets a precedent for bad behavior.
Kristie Greco, spokeswoman for House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-SC) • On the decision to discipline Rep. Joe Wilson for saying “You Lie!” to the president. Republicans largely don’t support the measure, saying he apologized once, but Democrats, led by Clyburn, are pushing for it. • source
I’ve apologized one time. The apology was accepted by the president, the vice president. … I am not apologizing again. I believe that is sufficient.
South Carolina Rep. Joe Wilson • Talking to “Fox News Sunday” about the “You Lie!” incident. Democrats are pushing for Wilson to apologize on the House floor, but Wilson is pushing back. He also stands behind his remark, if not the way it was presented: “I believe in the truth. What I heard was not true. I believe (Obama) was misstating the facts.” • source
These disruptions are occurring because opponents are afraid not just of differing views — but of the facts themselves. Drowning out opposing views is simply un-American. Drowning out the facts is how we failed at this task for decades.
Democratic House members Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer • Talking about town hall meetings in USA Today. In their opinion, the more fiery people at the meetings drown out actual discussion on health care. They want it to stop so that people can have an actual dialogue on health care. Of course, Pelosi merely posting this means that those very types of people have loaded the comments up with torrents of spew against her. We’ll gladly take some of that spew off your hands, Nancy. • source