The Stakeholder

WATCH: Chairman Van Hollen Discusses Health Reform on Fox News Sunday

Posted by Brandon English
Nov 09, 2009

On Fox News Sunday, DCCC Chairman Chris Van Hollen and Republican Congressman Mike Pence debated health reform and this past Tuesday's election results.

WATCH:

Caught on Camera: Mike Pence Admits NJ and VA Races Decided on Local Issues, President Obama Inherited Economy in Shambles

In his comments, Pence admitted this past Tuesday's VA and NJ gubernatorial election results were decided on local issues and that President Obama inherited an economy in shambles from Republicans.

Ryan Rudominer, National Press Secretary, DCCC: "House Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence is correct that it was Republicans who pushed our economy over a cliff and left President Obama an economy in shambles. So now the question becomes, instead of sitting on the sidelines and rooting for failure, when will House Republicans actually work with Democrats to clean up the mess their backwards Right Wing ideology created?"

Excerpts from this morning's interview:

MIKE PENCE: Chris is absolutely right. The economy was in shambles when this president came to power... [Fox News Sunday, 11/8/09]

MIKE PENCE: Now, Ill stipulate, Chris, that all politics is local. People are voting on local issues in those [NJ and VA gubernatorial] races... [Fox News Sunday, 11/8/09]

DCCC CHAIRMAN CHRIS VAN HOLLEN: Im talking about 2008 election, the 2008 elections, when President Obama and the larger majority went into Congress. You know, with all due respect to Mike and his party, when President Bush -- and they had a lock on the Congress.

They did nothing about these issues, these rising costs, the fact that insurance companies could essentially abuse consumers. They did nothing about it.

And people back in 2008 said its time to step up on some of these issues. And thats what we did last night.

And I would point out that in terms of the elections last Tuesday, there were only two races in the country where what were doing in Congress at the federal level was at the center of debate, and those were the two congressional races. Both members of Congress won. Both of them voted yes last night on health care reform, so... [Fox News Sunday, 11/8/09]