Paul Ryan and Arlen Specter discussed health care yesterday on FOX News Sunday.
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CHRIS WALLACE: So how much trouble, Senator, do you think...
ARLEN SPECTER: What I...
WALLACE: ... health care reform is in right now?
SPECTER: Well, I do not think it is in trouble. I think it is in a period of analysis and re-analysis.
Your program today, Chris, is enormously helpful to clarify an important issue, and I think that the town meetings we've had — the ones that I held were very vituperative. But I think they were organized, not that I disagree with people organizing. They have a right to do that in a democracy.
But let's not necessarily conclude that they are representative as to how people feel. Senator Casey had a town meeting on Thursday, and a lot of emotion had already been vetted, and his town meeting was very calm, very civil and constructive.
So let's proceed for the balance of the month, come back to Washington, and I think we have a good chance to get a bipartisan plan yet.
WALLACE: Let me bring Congressman Ryan in.
Why do you think that the president's health care reform — or support, public support, for his health care reform plan is dropping so sharply? And how much trouble do you think it's in?
PAUL RYAN: Well, quite simply, it's dropping so sharply because people are actually reading the legislation. They're actually seeing the details of this.
And they're seeing that the rhetoric that was used to sell this plan is completely disconnected and contrary to the substance of the plan.
And so when you put this in the context of what's happened this year - - bank bailouts, government takeovers of auto companies, massive borrowing and deficits, and now a huge takeover of our health care sector which makes our fiscal situation worse, not better — that's not my words; those are according to the Congressional Budget Office — that's what has people up in arms.
That's what has people coming to our town hall meetings worried about this legislation that is being rushed through Congress.
I mean, they're talking about employing a new procedural tactic in the Senate to rush this through with 50 votes and no more than 35 hours of debate, and so that's what people are concerned about, which is they will lose the kind of health care they've got, the government will be in a primary role of running our health care system, and this will add to our national debt, this will add to our fiscal problems.
And that is what has people up in arms.
Another great job by Paul Ryan. He's clear, concise, and in command of the subject matter.
Specter, on the other hand, was floundering. Of course, health care reform as conceived by Obama and the Demcrats is in trouble. Americans aren't on board. It's pointless for Specter to pretend that people aren't really against ObamaCare. Clearly, their numbers are growing.
The following was an interesting exchange. Ryan responds to Wallace's question in a straightforward manner while Specter avoids answering the question.
WALLACE: Gentlemen, we've got a little over a minute left, and I want to get to one last issue, so I'm going to ask you both to be brief on this.
Congressman Ryan, you pushed a measure in the House that if Congress passes a public option that all members of Congress, senators and congressmen, should have to go on it. What kind of support are you getting from your colleagues?
RYAN: Well, I brought this up as an amendment with Dean Heller of Nevada in the Ways and Means Committee. All but two Democrats voted against it. So it largely failed on a party-line vote.
My point is if we're going to put this on everybody else in America, we in Congress ought to be in the same plan with them. Unfortunately, that amendment has been denied every time it's been brought up in our committees.
WALLACE: Senator Specter, as you well know from your town halls, this is one of the issues a lot of doubters are asking, so let me put it directly to you. You support the public option. If it passes, will you, Arlen Specter, go on it?
SPECTER: I will consider it. I think members of the House and Senate ought to have exactly the same plans, the same options, as any citizen.
Bear in mind, Chris, the public option is an option. It is one choice you can make. And I think my situation ought to be the same as any other citizen.
Specter says it should be fair, that members of Congress should have options.
That really doesn't address the issue: Would Specter be willing to be covered by the public option?
There's no way he'd consider it. No way.
SPECTER: Before you end, Chris, on this business about what the V.A. has, I think that there is good reason to suspend it or at least consider suspending it based on what Secretary Duckworth said.
But I think we ought to have hearings on it, and if it works out as I think it will, I would introduce legislation to prohibit the Veterans Administration from using any format, such as the one we've heard about today, which pushes pulling the plug.
Specter didn't hesitate to criticize Tammy Duckworth. I guess in the previous segment of the show, Wallace convinced Specter that Duckworth wasn't being truthful about the VA's death book.
I think Specter wanted to add that final comment because he's desperate to sway Pennsylvanians to support him. Throughout the interview, it seemed that he's not entirely comfortable in his new role as a Democrat.
Unlike Specter, Ryan appeared very comfortable. His opposition to ObamaCare seems principled and sincere.
Paul Ryan makes an excellent spokesman for the Republicans.
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