WASHINGTON — Abilene Congressman Randy Neugebauer said he was sitting in the House on Sunday evening among the Texas delegation when he realized something terribly upsetting, leading to his shouting, “It’s a baby killer,” while Rep. Bart Stupak spoke on the House floor.
Neugebauer’s deeply held anti-abortion convictions made him feel intensely disturbed about the way the Democratic agreement came about that won the Michigan Democrat’s vote and pushed the legislation toward passage.
“We had let the unborn children be used as a piece of brokering for this deal,” the Republican from Lubbock said in a telephone interview Monday.
Neugebauer’s outburst referred to the Democratic agreement, not Stupak, he said in a statement released Monday afternoon.
“While I remain heartbroken over the passage of this bill and the tragic consequences it will have for the unborn, I deeply regret that my actions were mistakenly interpreted as a direct reference to Congressman Stupak himself,” Neugebauer said in a statement.
Stupak was “very gracious” when Neugebauer called him later to apologize, Neugebauer said in a telephone interview Monday.
“We had a nice conversation, and we have moved on,” Neugebauer said.
Stupak, one of the longest Democratic holdouts, pushed for restrictions on using federal funds for abortion before he would give his party’s leaders his pivotal vote.
Stupak dropped his opposition to the reform bill after reaching an agreement with President Barack Obama: Stupak’s yes vote in exchange for an executive order saying taxpayer funding couldn’t be used for health care plans covering abortion.
An executive order is cold comfort to Neugebauer, who voted against the health care legislation Sunday night along with all the other House Republicans.
“The problem with executive orders is they can be revoked,” Neugebauer said. “That left the door open for taxpayer-funded abortions down the road.”
He was in favor of Stupak’s language to head off federally funded abortions and would have liked to have seen it as an amendment to the legislation, Neugebauer said.
Neugebauer, one of the most conservative members of Congress, has promoted legislation such as a measure to require presidential candidates to produce their birth certificates to prove U.S. citizenship.
His identity as the “baby killer” shouter was unknown to the public until he issued a statement Monday afternoon.
Before Neugebauer’s afternoon news release admitting his outburst, the general consensus was that someone had called Stupak a baby killer.
Big Country Congressman Mac Thornberry said he at least heard parts of Neugebauer’s outburst, but he was sitting several seats away.
It was late at night, emotions were running high, and there was lots of shouting going on, Thornberry said.
“It was clearly the wrong thing to do,” Thornberry, a Republican from Clarendon, said. “But he’s taken responsibility, and that’s the way you should handle it.”
Thornberry said Neugebauer shouldn’t face any censure or discipline for his outburst.
“We should just move on,” he said.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer has indicated he’s not interested in censuring Neugebauer.
Big Country Congressman Mike Conaway said he was surprised Neugebauer was responsible for shouting while Stupak was speaking on the House floor.
“Randy’s a pretty calm guy, but he obviously holds life issues very strongly as we all do and apparently got caught up in the moment,” Conaway, a Republican from Midland, said.
Conaway said he was in the cloakroom when Neugebauer shouted the comment and didn’t hear it.
McMurry University political science professor Paul Fabrizio said he’s “just amazed” at Neugebauer’s comment.
“He comes across as really sort of a mild-mannered congressman,” Fabrizio said.
“I think he’s reflecting the passions of the pro-life side who feel that if it’s not in the legislation itself, it’s not going to hold the same weight as an executive order,” the professor at the Abilene university said. “He was just letting his passion, his frustration, his belief to get the better of him.”
Congress is set up with rules to control behavior, Fabrizio said.
“They know that there’s going to be passions, but they try to control that through what you say and what you don’t say,” Fabrizio said. “For him to go beyond that shows a lack of discipline on his part.”
Neugebauer said he has received an outpouring of support from constituents affirming his anti-abortion stance.
On Monday afternoon the telephones never stopped ringing in his Washington congressional office.
Staff members had difficulty finding a moment to get up for a glass of water or to eat lunch because of the constant calls, most of which sounded positive.
The national spotlight also was shining unrelentingly on Neugebauer.
Video camera-toting journalists from CNN and the networks were camped outside his office in the Longworth House Office Building on Monday afternoon, yanking their cameras up to point at the elevator every time it dinged.
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Comments » 35
laj writes:
I support RAnd 100%. I cannot believe what is beling said, "he is a rather calm guy, I am surprised for his outburst." We are talking about killing babies!
Would we applaud those who were voting on Hitlers ultimate solution and kept quiet, mild. Doesn't someone have the backbone to stand up and say "enough is enough"
Thank you Randy for telling Democrats what they are. It is shameful more did not join you.
isis2010 writes:
The man is obviously an idiot who doesn't know how to conduct himself in public. And how ridiculous to shout such a comment when a fellow right to lifer, who had managed to get an executive order passed for their side, was speaking. But, what can you say about someone who is holding up legislation that can provide healthcare to people currently suffering from lack of care. Try to find a doctor who will see you in Abilene if you have no insurance. Of course, they are only interested in the right to life of unborn fetuses, not sick children or elderly who can't get the care they need
DDog writes:
Mid-day yesterday, House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) told his Republican caucus that he wanted them to "behave like grown-ups" as the process drew to a close.
The advice was not taken to heart. While Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) was delivering a speech, it sounded like a Republican lawmaker yelled, "Baby killer!" When a Democrat shouted back, "Who said that?" no Republican answered.
But in the wake of Rep. Joe Wilson's (R-S.C.) presidential heckling last year, and Republicans' apparent abandonment of any sense of decorum, it was hard not to wonder: who did say that?
Today, our own (well, ok, he's from Lubbock) Rep. Randy Neugebauer (R) fessed up.
If this is the way the GOP chooses to conduct itself it will continue to be a national embarrassment. If Republicans would at least try to, in Boehner's words, "behave like grown-ups," our discourse might improve, at least marginally.
LoneStar_Pride writes:
The man is not an idiot. You are not suffering from lack of health care. You can go to a doctor at anytime. You just want someone else to pay for it. Seems like people are suffering from lack of want to work to pay for their own health care. There are plenty of doctors who will see you if you do not have insurance. Take the time and call around. I have done it. It was cheaper as well. Just had to pay up front. Perhaps if people didn't have 4 cellphones and 250 channels of programming they could afford a decent health insurance policy.
itlldo#314136 writes:
"You Lie!" He should be waterboarded.
zuzu writes:
Shame on Noogybooger. He has lowered himself to the level of right wing whacko.
rvrm1969#215582 writes:
I'm proud of Randy! He spoke up in a time of complete silence among his side of congress. And I'll believe the "executive order" business when I actually see the contents and a signature.
ropers40 writes:
The marble is starting to crack around the Lubbock socialite.
DFowl writes:
I'll give him a pass on this one. Heck Ranchero has called us worse.
Alanonymous writes:
I'm sure everyone who writes in these comments has acted impulsively on their emotions from time to time. The fact that Representative Neugebauer did this on the House floor is why it is getting attention. All of us need to learn how to control our emotions. Somthing that I found to be an awesome tool in helping in this field is The Peaceful Solution Character Education Program. www.peacefulsolution.org
texasobserver writes:
It all goes back to "depends on who's doing what". Had this been a Democrat who shouted out in congress, he would have been dragged outside and hanged. President, oops, Vice President Cheney's outburst was okay because he was just being a man's man. Whoever that other repub was that shouted "You lie" while the President was speaking, was just overcome with emotion also like Noogie.
Noogie's comment: "He was in favor of Stupak’s language to head off federally funded abortions and would have liked to have seen it as an amendment to the legislation," Neugebauer said, was an outright lie. He would not have voted for anything Stupak said because Stupak is a Democrat.
Conaway and Thornberry were "safely" out of hearing range.
miaree9 writes:
I said yesterday that I did not vote for Randy and that I thought his behavior was an embarrassment to Texas, but that just means he has joined the ranks of with many elected officials as well as thousands of private citizens who acted in all sorts of embarrassing ways last year because of politics. Many of them said equally stupid things in public. Some have done the gracious thing and apologized as Randy has done; some have not. It's a new day folks, let's put it in the past and move on. If our nation continues to struggle with itself so viciously over political ideology, our union is likely to get ever 'less perfect' rather than more so. :-(
curly writes:
Randy has apologized for his outburst, he has not apologized for his passion-I like that!
I did not vote for Randy; however, I have the opportunity to have had some dealings with him on governmental and business issues and have found him to be very professional and and knowledgeable. He has represented me well. I will support him on this.
Need to send Obama, Polosi, and Reed a 'thank you' note for crippling the Democratic party for years to come. Send Biden the 'foot in mouth award' for his comments to Israel.
The coming demise ,of the Democratic party, is unfortunate-we need a strong 2 party system.
DFowl writes:
Curly I believe it is the republican party that is dead in the water now.
harmony writes:
Did y'all know that Massachusetts Republican Scott Brown is Pro Choice? I wonder if Randy would call him a baby killer too?
DB writes:
HE'S A JERK.
jimmypickens#228217 writes:
Well done, Congressman Neugebauer! Your passion to save innocent, unborn children is laudable. To those of you who support the killing of America's future generations that will be saddled with the cost of this abomination, I have nothing but contempt.
izitdtruth writes:
Sure, Rep. Randy was stupid for saying what he did when he did it, but at least it WAS the truth! These "pro-life" congressmen who had their arms twisted by Nancy and the boys so badly that they could not pick up their own hamburgers and eat them fell for a bill-of-goods as phony as the folks who presented it to them. I challenge any of you BHO backers---those of you with your collective eyes still closed as to what is happening to our great country---to state to us ONE campaign promise that BHO has actually kept!
While we are talking about stupid, there were 219 (220) Reps. on Sunday nite who voted for this mess. These egotistical, "know-what's-better-for-you-than-you-do", suckers will see what the American people have to say about what they have done in November. They will be joining the ranks of the unemployed, which is where their focus should have been in the first place.
curly writes:
DFowl, only time will tell, but it appears to me some irreparable damage has been done with the mechanics of how this all came about. I know you keep up with this, but I just realized the IRS is the enforcer, that will not set well with most Democrats or Republicans. As more and more of the details unfold, I think more and more Dems will become less enchanted with this bill and will jump ship. The Repbs will always be against it, and the Independents, and Libs will not warm up to the Dems on this. So my analysis is-no other party is going to warm up to the health care bill, or Bidens comments, but I believe many Dems will bail--that leaves the Democratic party, as we know it, with some long term problems.
JMHO only time will tell for sure. This win for the Dems seems very hollow to me-many of the Pro-active Dems I have talked to were opposed to this bill, but took the "we gotta do something" approach.
We will see-if I were a Democrat running for office, I would start looking at my 'hold' card.
dps writes:
What is the difference between our tax dollars paying for abortions, or our tax dollars killing women and children in war on a daily basis? Or our tax dollars being used to subsidize farmers not to grow crops and children dying all over the world of starvation? Or our tax dollars supporting the overthrow of small governments where families are destroyed and killed in the name of progress?
I know that killing is wrong at any level, but we all look like hypocritical fools when hold one thing up and ignore the death we are supporting elsewhere.
itlldo#314136 writes:
The Republicans are would rather vote down health care and let children die than have them aborted? How about the child that died from an infected tooth because his family couldn't afford heath care. Hypocrites.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/...
unsub writes:
"Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master" --> George Washington
laj writes:
For those who are NEW to this post, most of the negative comment come from liberal, socialist, Obamanites who hate Randy. They have been writing for years.
Come November we are going to see a major change in government. I know I have never contributed or been active in a campaign, and now I am. I am going to be very active. I believe there are tens of thousands of others just like me. Now that Obama's brown shirts are bankrupt, they will not be intimidating people.
itlldo#314136 writes:
Go for it laj! Good luck with the party of "NO".
KenNoisewater writes:
laj, you forgot to mention that they are God-haters as well. This nation will not improve and more importantly, will not be blessed by God the Father Almighty until we humble ourselves before Him, admit our sins, and become again the Christian nation we used to be.
rfamily04 writes:
This morning during the bill signing Biden tossed out an "f-bomb" while the mics were on. Is anyone making him apologize for his "passionate outburst"?? No. So then get OVER this comment and move on. Apologies were made, that's that. The Democrats are pushing this and keeping in the light because they are royally screwed come November and they want to hold ANY thing they can againt the Republicans right now. Good luck with that.
LastThroes writes:
It would take a real man to apologize on the House floor, the same place where he made the insulting comment. It's not surprising the congressman refuses to do so.
Stratman writes:
Neugebauer is a classless jerk. The abortion stir over this bill is nothing but the Greed Obsessed Party's attempt to scare people about this bill. The classless way the republicans have carried on, you would think it requires every women in America to have at least 2 abortions per decade. Idiotic nonsense.
Republicans, with the shouting, tea-bagging and lies have shown just how little respect they deserve civilized society.
blueevo writes:
You tell 'em. He ought to act more like Patrick Kennedy and Joe Biden.
I would have said more than that. Good job Randy.
blueevo writes:
Wow!!! what depth, are you a Philosophy professor?
blueevo writes:
Abortion is not the only issue and I do not want my dollars spent on them. You mentioned civilized society? Government involvement in the auto industry, banking, housing, healthcare, and if you read enough, they also want to take over the student loans. That is not civilized society, it's communism/socialism/obamaism. Obamanation is working right into China's hand.
DFowl writes:
wow! both sides.
Katrina writes:
laj are you mad....calling democrats baby killers yourself...why haven't the republicans ever done anything about abortion...they hold the majority in the supreme court and have held the majority for enough years now to have changed Roe vs Wade if they wanted to...but their all talk and no walk...they too are baby killers....if you want to judge people....or should you obey God's commandments not to judge....whatever, Randy N is doing this for publicity...anyone with common sense know this...
Katrina writes:
KenNoisewater now your calling all democrats God haters....are you still not over the election...how do you survive around all these God haters....now you know how to break commandments of Gods will or do you read the Bible....or just pick and choose your scriptures...like most of your ilk......with this much hate you hold in your heart you must ask God for forgivness....or are you above all that....one of his disciples....
ropers40 writes:
Now if that remark is not calling the kettle black then I dont know what is, you are nearly always the first one to spew venom when it comes to the president or democrats or liberals.
I will go back and say this again, if it were not for liberals there would not be any Social Security, Medicare, and many of other programs that everyone has profited from.
I am sure laj someone in your family or you have been helped by what liberals have done.
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