Two words, repeal Obamacare. That is our motion. That is what we are here to debate.

I'm John Donovan of ABC News. We are at the Skurball Center for the Performing Arts

at New York University. We're another debate from intelligence-squared U.S.

And to debate this motion, we have a congressman, presidential advisers, and a man who has written

more about the topic than anybody. I think we can say literally. And in this debate,

we want you to listen carefully, because you, our live audience, you act as our judges.

By the time this debate has ended, you will have been asked to vote two times, once before

the debate and once again afterwards, and the team that has been most persuasive, that

has changed most of your minds, will be declared our winner.

So on to round one. Our motion is repeal Obamacare. And first, to argue for this motion,

for repeal, I'd like to introduce John Shaddig. A congressman from Arizona, let me say that

former congressman, after eight terms, decided to step away from the job, which is not something

that a lot of people in your position. Actually, you tried twice. The first time your

fellow Republicans asked you not to leave, finally, you got away, John. And they liked your

rhetoric, which included on this topic a reference to the Obama Reform Program as Soviet-style

gulag health care. I want to say come now. Do you stand by that?

No, I think that it is a part of the dialogue that you try to get attention, and that was

an attempt to gather attention. And it worked. We'll see what else you have to say tonight.

Ladies and gentlemen, John Shaddig. Thank you very much, John. And thank you to the audience.

You play a key role here tonight. And most of all, I want to thank my debate partner,

Douglas Holtz-Akin, former CBO director, and a senior policy adviser, Senator John McCain.

Let me begin, however, by refuting two arguments. First, supporters of Obama care will say that

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