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Pence Calls Pelosi 'Un-American' Comment Offensive

Pence Calls Pelosi "Un-American" Comment Offensive

AUGUST 10, 2009

Washington, DC - U.S. Congressman Mike Pence, Chairman of the House Republican Conference, responded today, on Fox News' America's Newsroom, to Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D-CA) and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer's (D-MD) op-ed in USA Today in which they described opposition to a government takeover of health care as "un-American:"

Excerpts below:

Fox News Anchor Megyn Kelly: Thank you. He is literally pulled over, that is how important he is treating this issue, on his way to his own town hall to speak with us about this. The House Speaker and the House Majority Leader are not sparing any words, not mincing words here Congressman. This is what they say: "An ugly campaign is underway, not merely to misrepresent health-care legislation, but to disrupt public meetings and prevent members of congress and constituents from conducting a civil dialogue." And then she goes on to say that these disruptions are occurring because opponents are afraid not just of differing views but of the facts themselves. "Drowning out opposing views is simply un-American."
Your response, sir?

Congressman Mike Pence: Well, I think I, like most Americans, would find that kind of characterization of citizens exercising their First Amendment rights to be offensive. There is nothing more American than letting your elected representatives know how you feel about important issues facing the nation. Let me also say Megyn, that the thing that is most offensive to me is the ongoing suggestion by Democrat leadership and this Administration that there is some sort of a campaign under way to generate turnout at these town hall meetings. I expect there are some organizations that are encouraging people on both sides of the aisle. But the truth is, that even though the media and the national press continue to seemingly just focus on Democrat town hall meetings, as I told you all last week, we have had hundreds of people turned out at our town hall meetings here in the Hoosier state. Republicans and special interests are not turning out people to come to my town hall meetings. These are Hoosiers, these are average Americans that are concerned about this long litany of borrowing and spending and bailouts and government takeover of one industry after another. This government takeover of health is just the last straw for many Americans.

 

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Congressman Pence: The American people are rejecting a government takeover of health care and I think Democrats from the White House to the Congress are desperate. They are trying to change the subject. Frankly, this kind of attitude about Americans exercising their First Amendment right I think is going to have the opposite effect. Again, I think suggesting that it is "un-American" to express your opinion to your elected official, there is nothing more American than that Megyn.

 

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Congressman Pence: There is nothing more precious to all of us and our families than their health care and their well-being. The fact that this Administration and this Congress continue to push through what will amount to a government takeover of health care, despite the strong objections of a growing number of Americans, is regrettable. I do believe that at the end of the day, it is going to become very obvious, even to many Democrats in Congress, that this is not some campaign, it is not some "un-American" effort. The American people want us to lower the cost of health care, they want to lower the cost of health insurance, but they don't want us to throw out the fundamental foundation of our private health insurance system to do it and they don't want a government takeover. My hope and prayer is that that message will get through and when we come back in September we will find a bipartisan way to go forward without a government takeover.

Note: To watch the full interview, click here.