Here is RNC Chairman Michael Steele's full statement on the passage of health care reform, with some of my own annotations:
Today, America witnessed the first vote for the end of representative government. Congressional Democrats said no to the will of the American people and voted yes to President Obama’s $2.5 trillion government run health care system.
America's representatives voted for something, hence, signaling the end of representative democracy!
The President, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid are the architects of a system that encourages out of control spending, increased national debt and does nothing to control the cost of health care.
It still cracks me up that Republicans can say this stuff with a straight face after eight years of Bush.
Americans across the country made their voices heard and flatly rejected this legislation loaded with special deals and tax increases,
And by "Americans", Steele means "people who watch Fox News". Because the rest of America didn't "flatly reject" anything except Republican rule.
but Democrats did not listen and instead chose to force this bill through because they believe they know what’s best for the American people.
They "forced it through" by voting on it, with a 60-vote filibuster-proof majority in the Senate, and through normal procedures in the House, after 14 months of debate and untold attempts to negotiate with Republicans in good faith.
And when a party fulfills a campaign promise that fueled two wave elections and a landslide White House victory, well, that is the dictionary definition of "listening to the American people".
The simple truth is this bill will allow taxpayer dollars to pay for elective abortions, as confirmed by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, and that the Executive Order negotiated by Rep. Bart Stupak does nothing to trump the language in the bill.
The American Taliban sure pines for theocracy. But the right kind of theocracy. Not the kind that has nuns.
It is, at best, a ruse.
Like "death panels".
Further, the bill will cause 9 million people to lose the insurance they have now; it will increase the deficit by over a hundred billion dollars when all the components (including the physician fee schedule change) are included; it will increase taxes by $569 Billion; it will cut Medicare by $524 Billion; it will increase premiums by 10 percent for people without employer-based insurance; and, it will create a new marriage penalty with new income and investment taxes.
The CBO begs to differ. And who would you believe? A non-partisan budgetary analysis outfit, or, well, Michael Steele?
And after all the spending has been done and the bill is fully implemented, 23 million people will still be uninsured in 2019.
We share your concern about the unemployed. Feel free to join us in our effort to pass Alan Grayson's Medicare-For-All buy-in plan!
The American people are sick of the blatant arrogance of President Obama, Speaker Pelosi and the Senate Majority Leader Reid.
That was really blatant, how they arrogantly fulfilled a campaign promise!
Congressional Democrats can be sure that voters in their districts will not forget this vote that will negatively affect Americans for generations to come.
You are right. They won't forget that vote. And that's going to be a problem for you, not us.
It is time to fire Nancy Pelosi and send a message to President Obama that it’s time to stop their partisan liberal agenda of government takeovers and start working for Americans to create jobs and grow our economy.
Watch the polls this coming week. No need for you, Michael, to arrogantly speak for the American people. Soon enough, we'll know directly from them what they think.