SALON

Wednesday, Sep 30, 2009 9:25 PM UTC

Grayson digs in deeper

The Florida Democrat, who said the Republican healthcare plan is "die quickly," won't apologize

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Topics: Healthcare Reform, U.S. House of Representatives, War Room, Alan Grayson, D-Fla.,

House Republicans wanted Rep. Alan Grayson, D-Fla., to apologize for saying the GOP healthcare reform plan is “don’t get sick,” and if you do get sick, “die quickly.” And Grayson did head back to the House floor on Wednesday to discuss his remarks — but the apology the congressman made is probably not what his Republican colleagues had in mind.

“I would like to apologize — I would like to apologize to the dead,” Grayson said, citing a recent study that showed almost 45,000 Americans die each year in part because of a lack of health insurance. After discussing the study, he continued:

I think we should do something about that, and the Democratic healthcare plan does do something about that — it makes healthcare affordable for those who can’t afford insurance, and it saves these people’s lives. Let’s remember that we should care about people even after they’re born.

So I call upon the Democratic members of the House, I call upon the Republican members of the House, I call upon all of us to do our jobs for the sake of America, for the sake of those dying people and their families. I apologize that we haven’t voted sooner to end this holocaust in America.

One House Republican leader had planned to introduce a resolution condemning Grayson, but then opted to wait to see if he’d apologize. It’s hard to imagine that statement will mollify them.

Alex Koppelman is a staff writer for Salon. More Alex Koppelman.

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On March 21, 2010, the House voted to approve a healthcare bill intended to overhaul the system and guarantee Americans access to health insurance. The vote was 219 to 213. Problem solved? Hardly.

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