Randy Neugebauer isn't sorry

The House Republican who yelled "Baby killer!" at Bart Stupak says he'll keep fighting the healthcare bill

Published March 23, 2010 8:56PM (EDT)

The House Republican who yelled, "Baby killer!" in the middle of the healthcare reform debate Sunday night, Randy Neugebauer, wants the world to know he isn't sorry.

"I spoke very passionately, because I did not believe what was going on was right for America," Neugebauer says in a new video posted on his campaign Web site, featuring him and his wife standing in front of a fireplace, as soft music plays in the background. "You know what? I'm never going to quit speaking on behalf of the unborn ... and I will continue to speak with the same passion that I spoke last night. Maybe in a little bit different form, but still with the same intensity."

On Tuesday, Neugebauer also posted a note on the conservative blog Red State (all typos -- like "Democrat's" -- are in the original): 

I am Randy Neugebauer, the Congressman who said the Democrat’s health care bill is a baby-killer. Now, Democrats are demanding that I apologize for it. I think Red State is a good place to respond to that request, and Erick Erickson was kind enough to allow me to do so.

While the floor of the House was the wrong place to shout out my objection, the fact remains that this legislation will kill babies. And yet, in the face of bi-partisan opposition, Democrats passed the bill anyway.

We now have a clear mission. We must fight like the lives of our children depend upon it. They do. I will fight to repeal this bill. Will you?

Neugebauer isn't in any danger of losing his seat in his conservative West Texas district; the national Democratic Party didn't even realize the party has a candidate running there, and Neugebauer has more than $600,000 more in the bank than his challengers do. But he'll still wind up raking in plenty of dough as a result of his outburst -- after all, Joe Wilson did the same thing after he yelled, "You lie!" at President Obama last fall.

"House Republicans continue to reach new lows as they engage in shameless and dishonest fearmongering," said Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokesman Ryan Rudominer. "There is no line they won’t cross if they think it will appeal to right wing extremists."

Watch the video here:


By Mike Madden

Mike Madden is Salon's Washington correspondent. A complete listing of his articles is here. Follow him on Twitter here.

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