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What is at stake in the debate over health care is more than the mere crafting of policy. The issue is now the identity of the Democratic Party.

I think the idea of participating in your own health care and being responsible to the extent you can be of your own health, it seems to me a lot like self-reliance and individual responsibility. This cuts through the partisan divide.

Of course, plenty of people don't think that guaranteeing affordable health insurance is a core responsibility of government.

I don't know if there is a Democrat who necessarily doesn't believe health care is a right instead of privilege. There is a significant between us and the Republican Party on that issue.

When I came to Congress, like our first panel, small business people, 64 percent of the people had health insurance. We'd buy it. Now, we're down to about 34 percent. That's why we have to do something on health care in this country because the cost is killing us.

Everyone should have health insurance? I say everyone should have health care. I'm not selling insurance.

I don't know of a Democrat - whether they're a conservative, a centrist or a liberal Democrat - that doesn't think that it's important to have quality jobs that pay decent wages so that families can support themselves, so that they can have the dignity of being able to afford health care, put money aside for pension, buy a home.

Instead of forcing everyone to buy health insurance, Congress should pass a law protecting the uninsured from being charged more than the insurance companies are for a given service.

I think the Democratic Party is about family, about unity, about bringing people together. We're all in this together. We're all trying to rebuild the economy together.