Republicans Rally Resistance to Health Care Bill, as House Vote Nears

From FoxNews.com - November 05, 2009

Republicans host a rally against Democrats' health care reform, calling on those who attend to track down their elected representatives in Congress and put pressure on them to think twice about voting for the more than $1 trillion health care overhaul. As a crowd of protesters shouted "kill the bill," House Republicans on Thursday rallied opposition against the Democrats' health care legislation, even as President Obama touted two major endorsements from doctors and seniors groups. The president interrupted the daily press briefing Thursday to note that the American Medical Association and AARP had just endorsed House Democrats' health care plan. "This is no small endorsement," Obama said of the AARP's backing. "They know it's a good deal for our seniors." At the same time, Republicans decried the bill on the steps of Congress in a last-ditch bid to derail or at least delay the legislation heading toward a possible vote Saturday. Thousands of protesters arrived by bus for the rally, which the GOP is calling an emergency "House Call." The event drew the conservative "tea party" activists but unlike past rallies was officially sanctioned by House Republicans. Click here to view the slideshow. Republicans want those who attend to track down their elected representatives in Congress and put pressure on them to think twice about voting for the more than $1 trillion health care overhaul pushed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. "They're going to listen," said Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., who originally called for the rally. "The biggest voice in the United States is your voice." Republicans were formally unveiling their version of a health care reform bill Thursday. They are looking to reprise the kind of grassroots resistance that boiled up during the August recess at town hall meetings across the country. That resistance seemed to temper Democrats' ambitions for health care reform and just about dash any hope for passing a government-run insurance plan as part of the package. But just a few months later, both the House and Senate have included so-called public options in their bills. Bachmann said before the rally that the "lessons" of the town halls have been lost. "Republicans are in the minority, but a minority in Congress plus the American people equals the majority," Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind., told Fox News Thursday. Actors Jon Voight and Jon Ratzenberger stirred up the crowd in the early afternoon. Ratzenberger warned about "socialism" creeping in, as Voight decried the "radical Chicago tactics" of the Obama administration. Meanwhile, nine protesters were arrested in a Senate office building for unlawful entry, according to the U.S. Capitol Police. [CLICK HERE TO READ MORE]