24 Dec 09: The Senate passed its version of health care reform today in its first Christmas Eve vote since 1895. This self-imposed rush to a vote by an artificial deadline capped weeks of secret partisan meetings.
President Obama’s promise for “transparency” in the legislative process was broken – not only were “We the People” locked out of the process, but so were the Republican legislators. President Obama referred to the legislation today as “health insurance reform.” This is far from the overall “health care reform” that he had promised to deliver. The legislative process was seriously flawed, including not allowing legislators time to read what they were voting on. Because of this flawed process, what was finally voted on had very little in common with the legislation’s original purpose.
When I am in Washington, I will work to ensure that the legislative process is fair and responsive to the people. I will work to truly represent my constituents. I will be available to receive comments and I will act on them. There is no room for partisan politics. Compromise is important, but it cannot be used to violate the U.S. Constitution or personal integrity.