Political Quotes

“I thank you very much, Congresswoman Schakowsky, and thank you for that terrific description of the history of Medicare. This has been a Democratic program for more than 43 years now. As Representative Schakowsky just said, I get the same thing: if I can just live long enough to get the Medicare. And I remember as you were saying that an experience I had. I had visited a carpenter who had become ill with cancer and he wanted me to stop by and see him. This was maybe 10 years ago. He was bedridden, very, very sick. He was about 60, no longer able to work, and his wife was about the same age. And he said, I have just got to hang on long enough so that my wife can get to Medicare. Otherwise, she will have nothing, and she is a diabetic. We have got about 45,000 Americans that are dying every year because they don't have health care and because they haven't been able to live long enough to get to Medicare. Medicare is a program that the Democrats have fought for, have fought very vigorous battles in this Chamber against the Republican Party. You mentioned Newt Gingrich, who was right out front about the Republican goals in the 1990s to destroy Medicare. Well, we are here to protect Medicare.…”