. >> we went the radical way looking for waterloo and it looks like we arrived at waterloo. >> his republican think tank has fired him. all that and more, now on "countdown." >> are they going to repeal this? >>> good evening from new york. i'm lawrence o'donnell in for keith olbermann. it is a page straight out of the karl rove playbook, attack your opponent for your own weakness. as in draft dodger dick cheney attacks john kerry for being soft on defense of the country. today house minority whip eric cantor apparently consulted the rove playbook before he accused democrats of fanning the flames of violence in the wake of the health care reform vote. not to be outdone, karl rove himself said more or less the same thing. new threats today against democratic lawmakers, most notably in new york, where fbi hazmat crews responded to a call from anthony weiner's office after the congressman received a letter containing a suspicious white powder. and one received death threats and angry phone calls over his health care vote, like this one. >> hi, mr. mitchell. for the rest of your life, with the vo

this would be obama's waterloo as health care was for clinton in '94.s time when we went for all the marbles we ended with none." now, i know, andy, that club for growth has a pledge asking candidates to sign it that they will pledge to repeal health care. what do you make of david's take here that conservatives shouldn't have walked away? >> well, with all due respect to david, he lives by the compassionate conservative motto that got republicans in trouble in the first place. that during the bush era, the g.w. bush era, there was no spending and more spending and more government. it was just less than the democrats. and that kind of idea that we're not going to stand were principles, we're going to be pragmatic, and just try and shoot for a little bit less, i think is a very dangerous thing and doesn't really show a lot of leadership. >> david? respond there. i mean, we know your point there. respond to that, that, you know, did you guys not show enough leadership when you were running things? >> i was not a very important part of the bush administrat

for the cause they purport to represent, it's waterloo. ours.s is a very good self-reflective view of what happened yesterday. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. mr. jones from north carolina. without objection, recognized for five minutes. mr. jones: mr. speaker, thank you. today i was going through some of the newspapers on the internet and i found a very interesting article that i wanted to bring to the floor. this was the "newsweek" march 19, 2010, and the title is, "the gang that could not shoot straight." $6 billion later, the afghan national police cannot begin to do their jobs right. never mind relieve american forces. let me repeat that. $6 billion later the afghan national police cannot begin to do their jobs right, never mind relieve american forces. mr. speaker, this is a rather large -- excuse me, long article, but i just want to read part tonight and i'll read some tomorrow night because i think about the men and women in uniform, god bless them, all over in afghanistan and iraq

>> he is a one man terror cell. >> if we are able to stop obama on this it will be his waterloo. it will break him. >> do you have some evidence he is or isn't? >> chris matthews held up his birth certificate on "hardball" the other night. >> obviously, the constitution speaks for itself, and those requirements need to be met. it will be up to others to look into that. >> you won't say whether or not you believe he is born in the united states? >> we have a requirement for that. and that's up for others to determine and look into. >> there was a process that was going through -- and i think the process was -- >> you refuse to say what you believe. >> i told you what i believe. >> he is a terrorist. >> he's got the bloodlines. >> we are about 24 hours from armageddon. >> isn't it armageddon with a "g"? on a lighter note, the health care reform debate claiming one victim inside the white house. last year the president correctly predicted the winner of the men's ncaa tournament. this year he will have done nothing of the sort. >> how does your bracket look first of all? >> it is com

program, was forced out by the american enterprise institute after he called the health care vote waterloond criticized it as a big defeat. does the right have a lack of tolerance for dissent? >> good lord, no. you know, david frum, i think, is disingenuous to a degree. yesterday, i guess it was earlier this past week, said he wasn't forced out because of his waterloo comment, he was forced out because he wasn't spending any time at aei. in talking to several people the there, he was never there and never participated. his story has evolved and the criticisms have evolved. david frum calls himself a conservative when he has evolved but people still call him that. >> never might be overstating it slightly, erick erickson, thank you very much for joining us. >> thank you very much. >>> david frum says he was very productive during his time at the american enterprise institute, having written three books a thousand columns and made untold tv appearance with aei under pressure from donors, frum says his firing came a day after a wa"wall street journal" editorial denouncing him. >>> coming up,

, was the conservative movement's waterloo.ould have somehow just let the federal government take over half of the funding mechanism for health care. >> no, that isn't what he said. >> no, no, no, no. he said we should have -- we should have compromised and we should have gotten a lot more involved in this process. >> right, right. >> but, i'm sorry, i don't want to re-debate these issues, but i have to say politically if you're a small government conservative, far from being your waterloo, it actually gives you an opportunity to tell you why barack obama is so different from you. i just think -- i think david frum has a constituency of one right for you. i don't think the tea party has anything to do with conservatives rolling their eyes, wondering what he's saying, what he stands for. >> he has a constituency of a lot of squishy, right of centrist. >> but, pat buchanan, what are your thoughts? let me ask you this -- >> well, look, this bill, joe, could not get the support of olympia snowe, for pete's sakes. every single repub

it was quite a victory, and i commend her, but as wellington said at waterloo, it was a close-won thing. and napoleon was not exactly a bum even though he lost. all of a sudden because democrats have succeeded, they are the greatest political winds in the history of mankind. it all hinged on bart stupak. i commend the democrats. in the end, it was a six-vote margin, right? 218-212. bart stupak had five members with him. he is the guy who flipped at 4:00. it was an amazing deal, but when i watched him explain his vote, it looks like it was a hostage to take it he was a guy who was out of his lead, took abuse that was unbelievable, left and right. in the end he caved. but it was not a thing that in any way was inevitable. >> i thought he got an executive order. >> he did get an executive order. >> give me a break. >> the very people disparaging this executive order overlook the fact that when george w. bush signed an executive order with stanzel research, this was a noble act -- stem cell research, this was a noble act. the emancipation proclamation was an executive order. bart stupak got

almost every president right through -- >> that is very interesting, the way waterloo has become universal for defeat. the allies won. but it has become a synonym for defeat. >> but it is the vagaries of our language. look at the word raise. if it is r-auiei-se, it is tearing down -- it is building a building. if it is our azt, it is tearing it down. >> gerrymandering -- changing district in massachusetts to been democratic. it looked like a salamander after he did it. when boston newspaper said it is not a salamander, it is a gerrymander. that is how gerrymandering came into it fence mending also came out of a political maneuver, and we have so many of these things that have come out of politics. >> does anybody have any out of recent presidents? we know, for example, that george w. bush was not an easy extraneous speaker. >> he made words that, yes. misunderestimate was one. >> yes. >> we are ready for a contribution from president obama beyond "we lead up." is it somehow fit. >> well, he is really careful with his language. he really, as a lawyer, but said it in a very lawyerly way, and

remember jim dement last spring saying that we can make this his waterloo. as recently as this week we had the republican national committee showing slide to their fund-raiser of obama in white face, like obama was the joker and how he can use fear and ego to get money from the people to make ourselves richer. they're in a position of continuous opposition and not trying to solve the national problem. >> it is a critical national problem, as is the debt, victoria, and the debt and deficit are foremost concern in people's minds right now. >> exactly. that's what the party in power is ignoring. that's why they have to ram rod this thing through. completely ignoring the vibe that's out there of the american people who are saying, look, we don't want to pay more taxes in the future. we know that's what's going to happen despite lofty projections about the future. it's a political gimmick. >> rich, aren't you playing with fire here if you agree with victoria on the dangers with spending so much, if you think reconciliation is a good way to get democrats to lose,

do you still feel it is the president's waterloo or is it now your party's waterloo? >> well, i think we're going to find out in november. americans are very angry because this comes on the heels of the government taking over general motors and chrysler and our largest insurance company, our largest mortgage company. there is a lot of anger out there and i think this november election is going to be thdo we really want the government running all areas of our lives? >> you talk about the anger but according to the latest "usa today"/gallup poll, margin of 9%, say it is a good thing. who's out of touch? >> with all the hype and propaganda that we would get above. but i think as people understand just as we're seeing this week, there is not money in this bill to pay doctors to seen our senior citizens and medicare. they're trying to pass a separate bill this week just to make those payments for one more month. so the feel fix of health care is not happened with this bill and that will begin to come out over the next year as we go into this election. i don't think the ang

[laughter] >> battles were smaller than. >> not waterloo. my budget is basically time so i can put as many people into something as need he. >> is it true that you spent almost seven years on this? >> yes. speedy right. let's but see the next image. i thought this was a really striking image and page, because much of what you do in the book is you talk to a lot of different people about the same event, and try to get the truth of it based on what comes through their overlapping memories. you are very forthright in the book about what you feel as though you established as truth and what you happened and what you feel you happened. and you know, it raises often that on the mental question of well, what is real? can you trust based on memories that are after all 50 years old, often by people who themselves are speaking in second or third hand india there is something very powerful i find anyway and presenting, as you say talking heads and documentary films who you can see in the repetitions and overlaps between what they say that there is no do

it was their waterloo to be associated like this.ad of trying to when you're scored on in football instead of trying to score your own touchdown you try and take seven points off the board. that's what they're trying to do and it ain't going to work. >> in fact, here's part of david from's quote. armstrong, we'll get your reaction. he said we followed the most radical voices in the party and the movement and they led us to abject and irreversible defeat. >> listen, i've got to tell you, if you follow what has happened from new jersey to virginia, and massachusetts, i got to tell you, these are not democrats and republicans. these are people who are just outraged with where this country is going. in all fairness, there are people including columnists like myself who have used the word "socialism" and "communism" as associated with this administration. am i antiobama? no. i voted for him. but i, like many mernls, are very disappointed in his policies. we assumed that when massachusetts, they lost massachusetts, that the president got t

demint said health care would be the president's waterl waterloo. a child, you're not denied coverage or his mother or father, you will not be denied korvelg because insurance companies say you can't do it because of preexisting conditions. these are important reforms. it's on the road to major reform. that is the struggle. and the interesting thing about being in russia was to see gorbachev marking the 25th anniversary of his transformation -- >> is he -- >> is he still with us? >> is he loathed over there? >> no, he's not. >> it's asurprising his approval ratings were so low when we painted him such a hero. >> he ended the cold war, in partnership with reagan but it was his doing -- >> oh, good lord, his doing. you can't even talk about the cold war without getting it wrong. >> i said that in partnership with reagan. i used -- >> he had no choice. >> that's not true. >> see, i thought we could talk russia and unify. now she's trying to give gorbachev credit. >> my point is gate reform leaders often don't end what they started. that's what i mean.

and said this might be the president's waterloo. if this bill fails, the waterloo will be that of the people without health care insurance. the people who are struggling to make sure that their children are healthy and well and safe. but it would be a defeat for them and for our country for a healthier america is a stronger america. they saw the same thing in 1993, my republican colleagues, , when to a person, as i believe will happen tonight, unfortunately, in 1993 to a person they did the same thing, my republican friends, voted without a single exception against the 1993 economic reform plan of the clinton administration. congressman boehner asked, and i quote, who does this spending stimulate except maybe the liberal faculty at harvard or berkley? congressman kasich said if it i'd have to become a democrat. it did work and he didn't change. it was a partisan vote, mr. speaker, a partisan vote that helped create 22.7 million jobs contrary to what so many of my republican friends said that bill would do. and a record budget surplu

david you wrote an interesting column called "waterloo" it's the republicans waterloo, not democrats,ities and you say it's back fired. causing a little bit of a stir in washington. explain why you feel the republicans missed an opportunity and actually botched the health care debate? >> it should cause a stir. we need an accountability moment inside the republican party of the we gambled on a political approach to health care. with the top priority became defeating the president to pick up seats in november f that had worked maybe it would be justify ibl it didn't work. it will raise taxes more than it otherwise would. we know max baucus wanted the rep buy-in. we have a policy failure and failure and they are delewding themselves about the prospects of appeal. >> do you think to repeal the bill is the route the republicans should go? is this where the energy should be channelled? >> i think repeal would be overreaching, a full repeal is not going to happen. that's the political reality of this. more so, there was not a discussion about the need for health care reform. republicans and

every time they come to the table they want it to be the president's waterloo. >> one senator said thatu combine those two things. it is the hand maiden of the insurance industry and desire to play politics and undermine the president and democrat. we are in a different era when we passed medicare it is regrettable >> you think it is true 55 percent in the polls. are they just shields for the insurance industry as well >> you have asked me about that poll and i will answer you one more time. you can and people about some things. and it whether they want deficits. >> why and them whether they favor the bill? why do you reject when they say no, we don't favor it? >> i can tell you, there are enormous numbers of people who fundmentally have been led on a path to not understand the bill well i have been on your show saying we deserve some lumps for but saying look at the top line and not the elements, there is a disconnect and you conceded to that. there is a disconnect. the things in the bill people are like. call me crazy. i like to look at what is in the bill. >> i never call you crazy.

he says it could be your waterloo. your thoughts? >> i think the republican party and individuals in leadership in the party, i hope i'm one of them, we have to have solutions for what we want american to do and how we want america to go. i tend to leverage my years in business and say, i know what it'll take to help america be competitive, to add jobs, not lose jobs. and i'm going to work for that. so it will be leadership from the republicans. without it, you're right. with it, i think the american people have a clear choice of directions. i'd like to be part of leading america in the right direction. >> congressman, good to have you with us. appreciate your time today. congressman darrell issa, california, here on our coverage on msnbc. >>> more health care coverage in just a moment. but right now in mexico, secretary of state hillary clinton and other members of the u.s. cabinet are meeting with mexican leaders to plan new strategy in the war on drugs. the delegation's trip south of the border comes a year after president obama p

he was quoted as saying health care would be the gop's waterloo. >>> after more than a year of knockrag out frighting over health care, the voting is over. the final piece of this puzzle heading to the president's desk. this morning, house speaker nancy pelosi signed the health care companion bill and who are the winners and losers? let's bring in karen finney, joe watkins. here's the way i want this to work, you guys. i don't want to hear the arguments for and against. it's signed into law. it's passed. i want to look moving forward, at the impact this will have. let's talk about tea parties first. karen and joe. tea party, winner or loser because of health care. joe? >> i think the tea party will be a winner because they're going to make sure that they don't forget every member of the house and senate that voted for this. all democrats, by the way, not because every measure in the bill is bad. but because of the measures in the bill that will hurt the american economy and people. >> karen? >> i think we don't yet know. there is a component of people who are part of the tea party mo

other day, he said the republicans do this at their own per peril, that this could be their own waterlooe been is republicans run against a caricature. now, they're going to have to run against the real thing. the president, this morning, laid this out in detail on what this means. i think this is going to be a big political plus. >> speaking of big political plus, we've got a tweet from robert gibbs, who is saying that joe biden is right. that it is a big blank deal. let me show you how joe biden introduced the president in the east room. this was the enthusiasm of the moment, but in front of an open microphone. [ bleep ]. >> so, that was the vice president. wore blue bracelets similar to lance armstrong's given to him by vicki. live strong, rather. that lance armstrong wore, given to him by vicki, but in fact, gibbs has also tweeted that joe biden was right. this is a big blank deal. >> it is. there's a tremendous amount of exuberance and relief. that has been a 14-month struggle and has been very, very hard. it was on life support several times, but the president did it. the congress

. >> it would be his waterloo. >> it kicks off lawsuits. >> this is the crown jewel of socialism, this spends trillions of dollars. >> it's a 40/60 shot. >> it's irresponsible. >> 40% they pass it, 60 they don't. >> it's a theft of liberty. >> we have more to fear from the potential of that bill passing than we do from any terrorist right now. >> they're keenly aware of the fact that comprehensive health care reform will not get passed. >> it will break him. >> we're getting full-on russian gulag. >> i think the plan is dead? >> i think it is. soviet-style gulag health care. >> and it's wrong. >> the american people are telling us, please don't pass this bill. >> all this says to me, kent, is those guys think the gulags were way more awesome than they were. >> i was wondering what the crown jewel of socialism is. sound a bit lie a monarchy. >> crown jewels. >> it's the crown jewel. >> yeah, it's like saying have been czars is very communist. >> czars are bad. >> czars, communists, do you guys know what happened? it was in the teens. >> very confusing. >> kent, thank you very much. i'm

. >> it will be his waterloo. >> it kicks off lawsuits. >> this is the crown jewel of socialism, thisillions of dollars. >> a 40/60 shot. >> irresponsible. >> 40% they pass, 60% they don't. >> we have more to fear from the potential of that bill passing than we do from any terrorist right now. >> they're keenly aware of the fact that comprehensive health care reform is not going to get passed. >> it will break in. >> we're not just getting single payer care, we're getting full-on russian gulog. >> soviet style gulog health care. >> it's wrong. >> the american people are telling us, please don't pass this bill. >>> all this says to me, ken, is that those guys think the gulogs were way more awesome than they were. >> exactly. i was wondering what the crown jewel of socialism is? sounds like a monarchy to me. >> crown jewels -- >> yeah. >> it's like saying that -- having czars is very communist. >> czars are bad. >> czars, communists, you guys know what happened? isn't the teens -- all right. thank you very much. i'm going to have some celebratory barbecue in your name on here? >> please

for example, i know of a meat packing plant in waterloo iowa where i once taught school used to pay them the equivalent of $15 per hour to american workers and then discovered that they could hire illegal mexican labor for $9 an hour so they are interested in the status quo. and in maintaining its. and i am sure that there's a lot of people in the mexican political and social elite who just love exporting what could be a potential -- potentially explosive social problem. >> thank you. gentlemen? margaret, you wanted to add? >> in terms of people benefiting from the current policy, we have very large corporations like boeing, which is being paid millions and millions of dollars to the effect these border walls and faulty virtual tower is that so far -- we are projecting i think 6.7 billion we want to pay to put virtual towers all the way across the southwest border. so far i don't even know the numbers are. i have it written down some place that we've put a lot of money into this already and they don't work but it's almost like on some level of you want to look at the economic benefits in

senators on this side of the aisle said this is hopefully the president's waterloo. they want to kill health care reform. it is clear they want to kill health care reform. the other side has said repeatedly in campaign statements in the other body, they want to repeal health care reform. they orchestrated legislatures to repeal health care reform. each amendment offered here is intended -- the presiding officer: the gentleman's time is expired. mr. baucus: -- that's why each amendment should fail. the presiding oicerthe clerk will call the roll. mr. reid:? majority leader. -- mr. reid: mr. president? the presiding officer: majority leader. mr. reid:. mr. reid: i direct this through the chair to my distinguished colleague, the republican leader. all time is expired. under the rules in the senate, we start our vote-athon now, as the republican leader knows. i would ask my friend, is it the desire of the minority that there would be time before each amendment and a response to that? mr. mcconnell: i would say to my friend the majority leader, since the voting will all o

. >> rose: (laughs) someone said this might be your waterloo.t happened was you were wellington and not napoleon. >> exactly. i think it all worked out better than anticipated. but way back in the spring senator demint said if we can defeat obama on health care, his presence, he'll be crippled and we'll benefit that from that. we don't think that way. we want to move this country forward and we're willing to work with them to do it. >> rose: does this do anything to change-- let's assume it was an attitude, this is our opportunity to stop the president and we're not going to play any... we're not going to participate by offering up our own proposals, our goal here is to stop the president perhaps, because, honestly we disagree with what he's trying to do but we want to stop him and therefore we're not going to get into a negotiation about our proposals. >> yeah. >> rose: has that changed for the future? >> by the way, i have less concern or objection to efforts to stop the president when there are principled disagreements. what i object to is st

junior senator from south carolina famously said if we're able to stop obama on this, it will be his waterloo, it will break him. even in the face of that, we said nonetheless, that's just one person. we're going to have an open and inclusive process. many critics have said democrats pursued inclusion and bipartisanship to a fault. they criticized us for consuming many months negotiating with republicans, accepting their amendments, accommodating their ideas and objections, even in the teeth of their public declarations that they intended to kill the bill. for the record, i am proud of the fact that we went the extra mile to include republican senators and to incorporate their ideas and input. it was the right thing to do, even if the hand of cooperation and bipartisanship that we extended was rejected. mr. president, with passage of the patient protection and affordable care act, the 111th congress has made history. just as previous congresses did in 1935 by passing social security and 1965 passing the law creating medicare. each of those bills marked a giant step forward for the american pe

it will, by and large, be a lot of the president's waterloo. i think a lot of democrats understand that. i give credit to abc's report which said the republicans and insurance industry will attack this hard. they've joined together to protect the status quo and american health care. and i think the democrats need to realize there's some political value in taking this on. they haven't done a very good job of finding this issue. not to use a sports metaphor here, but we're in overtime in this hockey game. >> and, matthew, the democrats who are pushing for passing this, say once it's past, the congress will get it, they'll get a huge benefit? >> well, i think the benefits of this bill, if you look at the specifics aren't going to take place for many years. i think the problem for the administration is, even if they pass this bill, they don't want to spend months trying to sell an unpopular bill. that's the catch 22 situation they're in. they think they have to pass the bill but they don't want to spend time talking about this bill. >> and, james,

what happened over the course of the health-care debate, over there were saying this would be the waterloo -- stop this at all costs and all the agenda of the president -- i think even lukewarm statements are a step in the right direction. >> to what extent is the administration joining the chorus of those who chant "drill, baby, drill"? >> i would say the comprehensive approach is more drill where it is responsible. invest in clean energy and create jobs for the future. i know that does not fit on a t- shirt, but that is what president obama thinks is the right direction. >> is it the plan to expand oil and gas leases throughout the atlantic ocean? i read a figure of 160 million acres of ocean that would be available for new drilling. >> i do not know the specifics on acreage. i think some of your colleagues are going through some of those particular >> looking at this friday, the jobs report is coming out. the analysts so far seem to success -- seemed to suggest this will show job creation for the second time since the recession started. will the white house stop the jobs plans or are yo

captain gavin wilson is the executive officer of the training team from the first scots, the waterloos before. you've seen them fight, can they carry the fight to the enemy? >> i think they certainly can. we've been doing a bit of continuation combat. i'd be more than happy to partner with them. >> some of your soldiers are going to be out there with them? >> we'll be handing them over, which makes the training we're doing all the more important to get it right. >> your regiment had a great anniversary. >> yesterday we had the 377th anniversary, us being the oldest regiment in the british army. >> congratulations. >> thank you very much. >> thank you for all you're doing. anybody at home? >> yeah. i'd like to say hi to my fiance, hi, nikki. >> you're a hero as well as colonel zeman's wife and family and all those who serve out here. gretchen, back to you. >> gretchen: all right. thank you for introducing those patriots to us. appreciate it. >> steve: 25 before the top of the hour. we've got other headlines on this monday. several suspects are due in court this morning after f.b.i. age

said about no child left behind, this is going to be -- we're going to make this president bush's waterlooally some who said that. we had tough times getting legislation through, especially when congress became so divided. remember, when president bush was in office, the senate switched sides. it went from republican control to democratic control in may or june of the first year of his presidency. that did change things. it meant we had to negotiate with different players to try to get the tax cuts through. so it happened. but i think the president has a responsibility not to practice arrogance, but to exercise leadership and governance and emphasis on governance. so far, we haven't seen president obama exercise governance. >> andy card, thanks very much. jonathan capehart is not happy with what you've had to say, but we'll talk about it. it's how some republicans feel, it's been arrogant. >> that's how they feel. you know, there are democrats who can say president bush acted arrogantly during his eight years of -- >> oh, here we go. we have to go. andy card, thanks very much. we'll talk t

that said that the only waterloo that anyone is going to have to deal with are the republicans.nificant reform that we've accomplished, the fact that we put patients and their doctors back in the driver's seat and not insurance companies, the fact that we're really aggressively addressing the deficit. at the end of the day, consumers are going to realize that this was a really good thing to do. and to be honest with you, i dare the republicans to repeal this. because this is significant reform. that the american people are not going to want to give up over the in connection few months when we're able to talk to them about what we've done. >> is this, does that send chills up your spine? attorney generals who are filing suit, should they be bolstered about i that comment? that dare? >> carl, we could have done better. i tried from the very beginning to make a bipartisan effort in this, with my background in health care. i did reach across the aisle. we did try to get some common-sense activity going back and forth and it didn't happen. and what we have now is a partisan complex b

i would say senator demand -- senator demint, who thought of this as the president's waterloo. you have heard the president say this. there were people more interested in creating a political atmosphere that benefits them rather than dealing with the problems that threaten the hopes and dreams of the american people. >> do you include john maynard -- john boehner in that? >> i would include anybody who is not moving us forward. >> do you know what the president thinks about nato? >> i do not. i was in meetings. i think they talk about a number of issues. i will try to get a better reading. >> you used the phrase "all this done"-- meaning final congressional action? >> i think i said this morning that we believe the house can act by the time the president leaves for his trip on march 18. >> that is not the final congressional action. >> i am not a parliamentarian. the senate, the house -- i think the next series -- obviously, the senate has work to do, too. i am not absolving them from getting what they need to do done. when i said march 18, it is a time that we believed was doa

republicans must oppose this plan at all costs and that its defeat will be president obama, quote, waterloo, end of quote. the debate we are going to have is simple. you are going to be on the side of the patients or on the side of big insurance companies. you are going to be on the side of the insurance companies who don't want to discriminate them because of pre-existing conditions or on the side of the status quo and the special interests. let me close with one example. eight states including north carolina and the district of columbia do not have laws that specifically bar insurance companies from using domestic violence as a pre-existing condition to deny health coverage. let's just think about that. in 2010 in the united states of america, a woman could be denied health care because she's gotten beat up by a husband or a boyfriend. that's wrong. that's unconscionable. that has to change and we are going to change it. i urge my colleagues to do what's right, stand with the american people who are sick and tired of waiting for congress to act on health care. vote no on the previous ques

saturday in between, i had an opportunity to attend a light show called the home improvement show in waterloo. you walk around and you talk to these vendors, small-businesspeople. you kind of look at what do they expect congress to do about creating jobs. i never got anything positive about something we might do, but i got a lot of ideas that they want us to do that said you've got to give us some certainty. you know what they quoted? they quoted this big tax increase coming up at the end of this year at some of that uncertainty. you know, they quoted the cap-and-trade tax that possibly could pass the senate. and then they quoted -- they quoted the potential cost to small business, because the health care reform bill. and they said just take all of those potential things out of the picture, and we'll start hiring. but it's the uncertainty that's out there of what congress is going to do to us that's keeping us from hiring people. i want to go back to the nfib survey. when business are asked what the single-most important problem facing their business is, the answer is: lack of sales. that's i