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Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2009 | 12:51 p.m.
Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada is joined by fellow Democratic senators while speaking about health care Nov. 18 in Washington.
Sun Coverage
WASHINGTON — Perhaps a time-out for etiquette could be helpful in the health care debate, which opened this week with incendiary remarks and wild claims in a discussion that has already seen plenty of both.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid fired off the first flinty round when he compared opponents of health care reform to those who fought the end of slavery.
“Instead of joining us on the right side of history, all Republicans can come up with is this: Slow down. Stop everything. Let's start over,” Reid said.
“If you think you have heard these same excuses before, you are right. When this country belatedly recognized the wrongs of slavery, there were those who dug in their heels and said: Slow down. It is too early. Let's wait. Things aren't bad enough.”
The Republican side of the aisle, which would include those Reid was talking about, was offended. The chairman of the Republican National Committee, Michael Steele, suggested Reid cracked under pressure.
“To suggest that passing this horrible bill is anything akin to ridding our country of slavery is terribly offensive and calls into question Mr. Reid’s suitability to lead,” Steele said. “Having made this disgraceful statement on the floor of the United States Senate, Mr. Reid should immediately apologize.”
Not only did Reid not apologize, but his spokesman called the criticism from Republicans “feigned outrage.” Reid’s speech offered a comparative sweep of past legislative milestones – slavery’s end, women’s suffrage, Civil Rights.
On the other side of the Capitol, Democrats felt compelled to respond to the latest wild rumor about health care reform: Forced government microchip implants.
That’s right – an e-mail circulating about health care reform and posted on some web sites is claiming that those who sign up for the proposed public option would be required to have microchips implanted as part of the government program.
And you thought the debunked death panels were a doozey.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi rebutted by citing PolitiFact, which recently added microchips to the “list of silly discredited claims about the health bill.” PoitiFact said the health care legislation would create a proposed national registry of medical devices – for example, pacemakers or artificial limbs. The database would keep track of the devices already in use, and could be accessed by experts and the public to analyze effectiveness.
The part about requiring microchip implants for those in the public plan, PolitiFact wrote, “is fiction, pure and simple.”
All this went down before the close of business on Monday.
We have been here before in the health care debate. Remember the acrimonious town-hall meetings in August or more recently the health care protesters at a Republican rally on the Hill with a poster comparing health care reform to a concentration camp?
Perhaps the long weekend Senate session caused the week to begin with decorum left at the door. Maybe it was the thought of another weekend ahead spent under the dome.
But if this keeps up, it will be a testy haul until the end of the health care debate.
Disgusting, Reid. Absolutely disgusting.
This argument is ridiculous -- Reid never accused the Republicans of supporting slavery. He said "some legislators" and he is right. Those legislators were on the wrong side of history, and so are the Republicans now. But they will grab any headline, any opportunity to sensationalize it and stop this march toward universal health care even KNOWING that if we do nothing, thousands more will continue to die and our deficit will continue to increase. SHAME SHAME ON THEM.
No death panels? That was my favorite part of the bill.
The only time Harry Reid opens his mouth is to change feet. How can you tell when Harry is lying? His lips are moving.
Angry: my ancestors fought to free the slaves. What did your's do?
I wish one of the Republican party's African American members of Congress would have condemned Reid's comments.
Oh, yeah, wait a minute. There aren't any. Gee, do you think maybe there's a bit of hypocrisy here? Well, is there anything the Republican party HAS these days except hypocrisy ... and stupidity ... and racism ... and sexism ...?
Hmmm,
Comparing forced servitude with preventing people from being forced to pay for health care services they may not want is a bit of a stretch.
Make no mistake children, Reid IS your Slave Master -- his proposed health care reform is merely another link (tax) in the chain of servitude that economically bind you to your mother government.
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To AngryReader: Apparently you do not understand anything about how government works. Reid has 58 democrat and 2 independents that caucus with democrats. It takes 60, which he should have--EXCEPT he just doesn't have the ability to get a consensus in his own party. You rant about republican get real! REID JUST CAN'T PASS MUSTER! YOUR PROBLEM IS REID!
Shocking. Reid said something stupid. Perhaps the Senator should open a history book... he may be surprised which parted supported slavery. Heck, they still have a senator in office that lead a filibuster on the Civil Rights act. Pathetic.
Hopefully Republicans don't screw 2010 up. Reid needs to go.
Could be worse. We could be in Taiwan, where lawmakers often settle disputes by engaging in fistfights on the legislature floor.
Of course, it would be interesting to see if Harry still has a decent uppercut.
Okay I see it being a stretch to compare slavery to the health bill but I cant help but to see similarities. The owner of slaves used human beings as tools to make them rich and live a life they cant live. This was wrong and unlawful. Today poor citizens are taxed for the goverment to pay for diners that can be crashed by two random people. How great to know that my money that I pay tax with is taken and used as a tool for their little play ground. All the while, I sit back with tooth aches and illness that I can only deal with because a doctor visit would cost me my home to live in. When reid said there were those who said slavery would change everything, he was right. Those greedy people were afraid of losing their money thatthey didnt earn. Now present day America has rich people that go to the doctor to get more pills for their additcion and they are afraid of a bill being passed that will take money from their pockets. Maybe these people are only decendents of those slave owners that wanted to stop the right way of living being enforced.
I really wish people would quit spouting Republican talking points and try looking at history. To compare the Democratic party of 1860 with the Democratic party of today, and the Republican party of 1860 with the Republican party of today, is fun. As history, it is so stupid and counterfactual as to be beyond belief. And I do not say that as a Democrat or in connection with today's partisanship. Compare the two parties with what they were in 1980 and the differences are palpable.
So true MichaelGreen! Today, Abe Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt would be democrats. The parties have done a complete flip-flop over the last 150 years.
A majority of Nevadans are against this bill.
I guess Reid is saying those Nevadans would have supported slavery.
Good job Reid.
You just insulted the majority of Nevadans.
It's ironic that instead of sticking to the point of the debate (healthcare) Senator Reid takes a little break from reality and history to stir the pot. Exactly what he has been complaining about from the republicans. Not what this constituent wanted to hear.
Harry Reid: "The war is lost." Actually, any war the Femocrats are in charge of will be lost. Their idea of winning is sucking money out of the taxpayers wallets to pay for health care for saggers, taggers, drug addicts, illegal aliens, the obese, etc.
Has Uncle Harry ever visited the troops overseas in harm's way?
When would any politician go in to "harm's way"? What's your point?