Republican Randy Neugebauer’s “baby killer” outburst has irked those who say they are concerned about the “decency of Congress.” On the other hand, his voters are delighted.
“Liberates and the left may not like what I am doing now. But they are not my electorate,” Neugebauer said. “I’m an old boy from West Texas and if you want to play hard, I can play hard. If you want to play hard, I can play hard.”
When Neugebauer shouted “baby killer” over Rep. Bart Stupak’s “concessions” on Obamacare, it was quickly interpreted as an insult directed at Stupak himself. Therefore, Neugebauer apologized to Stupak and explained that his words concerned the bill itself. Stupak accepted the apology.
That wasn’t enough for House Democratic Whip James Clyburn. On Monday, Clyburn urged Neugebauer to apologize to the full House.
“[Neugebauer] it has to go well,” Clyburn told reporters, referring to the part of the House where lawmakers make speeches. “He violated the decorum of the House of Representatives… It was inappropriate.”
West Texans aren’t really known for their appreciation of Washington’s political decency.
“For the most part, people here support it,” said one West Texan, speaking about the local response to the Neugebauer outbreak. “It’s kind of standard orthodoxy. There is a deep distrust of every big government and every Democrat.”
In other words, Neugebauer probably did exactly what his voters wanted.
“If he headed toward Houston in San Antonio, it could have hurt him. But West Texas is run by a very conservative bloc,” said Michael Weaver, a Dallas resident who volunteered for the Dallas County Republican Party. “If the congressman representing my district did the same, I would fully support him.”
Neugebauer is taking advantage of the momentum and sticking to his gun, staunchly defending his approach to Stupak’s switcharooski. That’s reasonable, he said, given the convoluted approach to passing Obamacare and the way debate has been stifled in the process.
“I’m not ashamed of what I said, because what I said was true,” he said. “If we are going to make change in Congress, we are going to have to have members of Congress who will stand up and take a tough stand.”
Neugebauer said his statement, while audacious, showed the seriousness of Sunday’s deliberations in Congress.
“On Sunday, we had a rule that allowed for about two hours of debate on the most important provisions that many MPs will vote on in their lives,” Neugebauer said. “Why should Nancy Pelosi silence me?”
In addition to admonishing Neugebauer, Clyburn also called on Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) to “rein down” his caucus, complaining about other GOP members who cheered anti-Obamacare protesters who mocked Stupak. Boehner was generally icy towards Clyburn.
