During the House floor debate yesterday on the Democratic health care reform bill, our Congressman ambled up to the microphone before a national C-Span audience on an important day in the history of Congress and said this:
Madame Speaker, Abraham Lincoln once said ‘You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift. You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. You cannot help the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer. You cannot further the brotherhood of man by encouraging class hatred. You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich. You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than you earn. You cannot build character and courage by taking away man’s initiative and independence. You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves.’I rise today in strong opposition to Speaker Pelosi’s 2032-page health care bill. At a time the highest unemployment since 1983, the American people can’t afford these massive new spending increases, and I refuse to pass on this great burden to my children and grandchildren.I offered 2 amendments to try to improve this bill. One to require Members of Congress to enroll in the ‘public option’ and one to guarantee illegal immigrants will not receive new benefits under this bill. Both of these common-sense provisions were voted down by Rules committee Democrats. In fact, Democrats voted down every single Amendment offered by Republicans. How is that bipartisanship?This legislation will increase taxes, kill jobs, and cost over $1 trillion in money we don’t have. The Republican plan will cut costs through tort reform, negotiating across state lines, and group purchasing power. Support the Republican alternative and oppose the Pelosi plan. This bill is an absolute disaster.”Madame Speaker, Abraham Lincoln once said ‘You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift. You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. You cannot help the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer. You cannot further the brotherhood of man by encouraging class hatred. You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich. You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than you earn. You cannot build character and courage by taking away man’s initiative and independence. You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves.’
I rise today in strong opposition to Speaker Pelosi’s 2032-page health care bill. At a time the highest unemployment since 1983, the American people can’t afford these massive new spending increases, and I refuse to pass on this great burden to my children and grandchildren.
…
This bill is an absolute disaster.”
Those are some stirring remarks for sure! Unfortunately, someone in McKeon’s office should have run the supposed Lincoln quote through Google before the Congressman stepped up to the well of the House, for, as Snopes reports, President Abraham Lincoln said no such thing:
One of author Ralph Keyes’ axioms of quotations is “Famous quotes need famous mouths,” and the fulfillment of that need has, for th last several decades, put on the lips of Abraham Lincoln words that were not written util more than 50 years after Lincoln’s death.
In other words, the quotes attributed to Lincoln were actually written long after his death. There’s no way Honest Abe could have said them.
In McKeon’s defense, he isn’t the first to be fooled into believing Lincoln said these words. President Reagan also cited Lincoln as the speaker of those words during the 1992 Republican Convention.
Anyway, McKeon mistaken quotes and the GOP’s protests were all for naught; health care reform passed the House last night on a 220-215 vote. Unlike McKeon’s quote, HCR passing the House is truly an historical event.
Maybe Bucky meant Abraham Lincoln from Kern ville. The unfortunate part is the Bucky had to quote someone. He does not seem to have any words of wisdom that he can muster on his own. I did not hear Bucky speak, but think about it, all he could come up with is “This bill is an absolute disaster.”
I agree with his final statement, but Bucky needs to be traded for a new model.
Unlike McKeon’s quote, HCR passing the House is truly an historical event.
Yep. It certainly is, and one that we will all live to regret if this catastrophe passes the senate.
Buck and the GOP can’t be bothered with fact checking and accuracy.
I called Buck’s DC office just moments before the vote to remind them that we in the SCV voted for change last November, and that this was his chance to be on the right side of history. But he’s obviously satisfied to follow the GOP herd and be one of Michelle Bachmann’s flying monkeys.
Yes, this dinosaur needs to be traded in for a new model.
Which bill passed? I didn’t take the time to read any of the proposed bills, and there are two listed on THOMAS.
It looks like H.R. 3962, Affordable Health Care for America Act, was the big winner, but I’m only basing this on the CBO’s cost estimate of $891B (over ten years), which I remember seeing reported in the news. The other possible bill was H.R. 3200, America’s Affordable Health Choices Act.
Nevermind, I found it. It was H.R. 3962, full text available here: http://docs.house.gov/rules/health/111_ahcaa.pdf
Introduced on Oct 29th and passed on Nov 7th. Did anyone here take time to peruse the 1990-page document? A good chunk of it cross-references to other laws, so you’ll probably only want to look into a few of the key issues.
I am sure the honorable Buck McKeon will stand before the House and correct the record.
Otherwise he is a lying sack of crap!
The catastrophe would’ve been if it HADN’T passed. Pass the Buck.
The catastrophe would’ve been if it HADN’T passed.
I can’t wait to hear the whining from you all when I am proven right. It may take ten years and if this blog is still around, I will gleefully say nana,nana, boo boo.
I just delight in seeing progressives get eaten alive by the failure of their own ideology.
A doubling of cost in eight years and a massive glut of uninsured is already a catastrophe. Your party is out power, completely, because you failed to recognize it as such.
Mr. GangFang, would you mind explaining where in our Consitution it’s stated that American citizens have a right to healthcare? Thank you.
Bill Reynolds:
Exactly where in the Constitution its stated the United States should have an Air Force or a NASA or a JPL? You are right Bill that health care is not a “right” but that does not make it a poor idea. I guess we should get rid of the FDA and FAA as well.
I just delight in seeing progressives get eaten alive by the failure of their own ideology.
Uh-huh.
Progressives constructed the New Deal. Under progressive policies, the middle class was created. World War II was won. Millions of seniors got coverage under Medicare. Blacks were guaranteed the right to vote and discrimination in housing and government was barred.
Conservatives, in contrast, don’t believe in government in their heart. Elect a conservative and watch him tear down what we the people have built. Conservatives don’t thrive on consensus; they exploit that which divides us.
Fred & Bill: Misguided anger is only leaving you out in the cold. Better luck next time! Getting eaten alive never tasted soooo good.
TM, check Article 1, Sec 8. National Healthcare IS a poor idea; next progressives (i.e., liberals) will push for free homes and cars. Wait a minute! They’ve already tried that.
Mr. Gang, who is angry?
McKeon misquotes Lincoln while Obama/Pelosi/Reid continue to lie to America.
If the CIA had any knowledge of Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan attempting to contact al Qaeda operatives, then Leon Panetta should have his resignation written and delivered to the president by the end of the day.
I continue to sense that Jeff Wilson is spinning when he alludes to his own personal support for the monstrosity that passed the House on Saturday night. I feel this because I have sensed that Jeff does not support FINING AND JAILING Americans that refuse to buy insurance. I also believe that Jeff is against the provision in the Bill that will make it illegal in 2013 to buy A NEW policy from any other than the government plan. Of course, you can keep your old insurance as long as you want it… as for as long as that insurance company is still in business.
So Jeff lashes out at a misappropriated quote because to argue that those that oppose this Bill are opportunists is easy than defending this bloated, bureaucratic, tax-raising, do-nothing Bill.
hey man, do you even know what “misappropriated” means?
Uh v-town, it means to appropriate wrongly. I think that’s close enough but you just made my point for me. Attack the irrelevant mistakes in order to lead the people away from the bigger issues. Thank you for your assistance!
do U know what “appropriate” means? How do you “appropriate” a quote, huh?
UNEEDHLP
Wow. Wow. Wow.
Paranoia reigns!!
Hahahahaha!!!!
WOW.
MR. BILL: Not you, buddy. Not you. Wrong? YES.
Mr. Gang, is that a “happy hour” response?
Hey Bill: Your attempts at baiting me are about as subtle as Sarah Palin’s helicopter wolf hunts. And twice as moronic.
Hey GangFung: your comments are paranoid, irelevant, senseless and twice as asinine.