the buzz log
A Moving Story Catches Searches
Today's health care summit featured a little bit of everything. There was bickering, and there were promises of compromise. There was also a moment of genuine surprise, when Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y., told a heartbreaking story about an elderly American.
In a room full of Republicans and Democrats, Rep. Slaughter took the floor and told the group about a woman from Buffalo, New York. The woman, who Rep. Slaughter represents, cannot afford dentures. "I even had one constituent—you will not believe this, and I know you won't, but it's true—her sister died. This poor woman had no dentures—she wore her dead sister's teeth, which of course were uncomfortable, did not fit. Did you ever believe that in America that that's where we would be?"
The anecdote caught a lot of buzz. Depending on your politics, the story was either a poignant example of how desperate the need for health care reform has become, or just a "sob story."
Regardless, Web searches on "louise slaughter" and "louise slaughter speech" both surged into breakout status. Below, you can watch the moment that accomplished the unthinkable: It got politicians to listen, even if just for a few moments.
Video provided by ABC News...