A speech stuck on 'repeat'
By Dana Milbank
WashPost
Thursday, October 22, 2009
If he were a runner, he would do ultramarathons. If he were a swimmer, he would cross the English Channel. If he were a baseball player, he would be Cal Ripken.
Mitch McConnell is none of those things. But on Wednesday, the Republican leader of the Senate accomplished a feat of endurance no less impressive: He delivered his 50th floor speech since the beginning of June denouncing Democrats' health-care reform plans.
These speeches, about 44,000 words in all, test the outer limits of human stamina. Ninety-four times he warned of the evils of a "government-run" system, according to a Washington Post analysis. Forty-seven times he warned of a "government takeover" of the same. Fourteen times he railed against the Democrats' nefarious "experiment." Thirty-seven times he spoke the phrases "higher taxes" or "raise taxes," and at least 19 times he used the words "slash Medicare" or "Medicare cuts."
Perhaps more accurate than saying that McConnell gave 50 health-care speeches would be saying that McConnell gave the same health-care speech 50 times, with minor changes. And this in itself is a major achievement: Only a disciplined and well-conditioned public orator could repeat himself so often without injury.
(Original here.)
WashPost
Thursday, October 22, 2009
If he were a runner, he would do ultramarathons. If he were a swimmer, he would cross the English Channel. If he were a baseball player, he would be Cal Ripken.
Mitch McConnell is none of those things. But on Wednesday, the Republican leader of the Senate accomplished a feat of endurance no less impressive: He delivered his 50th floor speech since the beginning of June denouncing Democrats' health-care reform plans.
These speeches, about 44,000 words in all, test the outer limits of human stamina. Ninety-four times he warned of the evils of a "government-run" system, according to a Washington Post analysis. Forty-seven times he warned of a "government takeover" of the same. Fourteen times he railed against the Democrats' nefarious "experiment." Thirty-seven times he spoke the phrases "higher taxes" or "raise taxes," and at least 19 times he used the words "slash Medicare" or "Medicare cuts."
Perhaps more accurate than saying that McConnell gave 50 health-care speeches would be saying that McConnell gave the same health-care speech 50 times, with minor changes. And this in itself is a major achievement: Only a disciplined and well-conditioned public orator could repeat himself so often without injury.
(Original here.)
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