Sherrod Brown: “the Republicans have just never really liked Medicare. Medicare was enacted in 1965, despite the overwhelming opposition…”

“the Republicans have just never really liked Medicare. Medicare was enacted in 1965, despite the overwhelming opposition of Republicans in Congress. Only 13, fewer than 10 percent, only 13 of the 140 Republicans in the House in those days backed Medicare. Bob Dole voted ``no.'' Gerald Ford voted ``no.'' The soon-to-be minority leader, John Rhodes, voted ``no''; Strom Thurmond voted ``no,'' Donald Rumsfeld, a Member of Congress then, all leaders in their party, in the Republican Party, voted against the creation of Medicare. They were unapologetic at the time. Most of them are unapologetic about their opposition and their willingness to undercut Medicare today. Senator Bob Dole, 20 years later as a candidate for President representing the Republican Party, told a conservative group called the American Conservative Union, he said, ``I was there, fighting the fight, one of only 12 voting against Medicare.'' Actually, I do not know where he came up with 12, there were many more than that, but one of a few, he said, voting against Medicare. The Reagan administration some years later led the first substantive swings at Medicare.”