Health Care

Floor Speech

HEALTH CARE -- (Senate - July 06, 2009)

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. ALEXANDER. Mr. President, I congratulate the Republican leader on his remarks. I remember Senator McConnell's first address following President Obama's election at the National Press Club. It was to the President, saying: Mr. President, we look forward to working with you, and the pressing issue is the entitlements facing this country, the automatic spending that means more and more and more debt.

I would ask the Republican leader whether there has been any response from the administration to him about the opportunity to work together across party lines to deal with Social Security which, as I remember in January, was your proposal?

Mr. McCONNELL. I say to my good friend from Tennessee, unfortunately, there has been no followup whatsoever. There seemed to be, on the part of the President and the President's Chief of Staff at the beginning of the administration, a willingness to support the Conrad-Gregg proposal, which would have given us a way to get a handle on at least Social Security--they did not seem to want to deal with Medicare, and I think we now know why--at least Social Security, with an expedited procedure and an up-or-down vote guaranteeing a result. But I would say to my friend from Tennessee, there has been no word on that lately.

Mr. ALEXANDER. Mr. President, in my visits in Tennessee this past week, if I heard two things, one was too many Washington takeovers; the other was too much debt. I found in people--and I hesitate to use the word--a great deal of fear about the amount of debt we are piling up here in Washington.

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I think there is a genuine alarm. Americans see the government now running banks, insurance companies, automobile companies. The Senator from Tennessee points out student loans. Now they fear the government wants to take over health care as well. I think there is a growing suspicion that this is exactly the wrong way to go.

Mr. ALEXANDER. Mr. President, I thank the Senator for his comment about checks and balances. There is something innate in the American character about checks and balances. Alexis de Tocqueville warned, in the early 1800s, about the tyranny of a majority. We like to see results, but we do not want to see one party or one faction run away with policy. We seem to know it is better if there is a check and a balance. And the genius of the American system is we have many checks and balances.

I wonder, Mr. President, how much time do I have remaining?

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator has 8 minutes remaining.

Mr. ALEXANDER. I thank the Acting President pro tempore.

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