Political Quotes

“I had a sense of deja vu last night. The President, at one point in his speech, related to health care and said: And, I might say, employer-based private insurance for every American was proposed 20 years ago by President Richard Nixon to the United States Congress. It was a good idea then, and it is a better idea today. I say deja vu, because I was the Senator that introduced that bill for President Nixon and carried that bill 20 years ago. It was defeated by an interesting combination of both the right and the left. The right not liking the employer mandate; the left wanting national health insurance. Together, they succeeded in killing the bill. But I agree with the President. It was a good idea by President Nixon, and it is a good idea today. I would say to the President, he will find Republicans who will work with him if--if--there is not imposed an immense Government bureaucracy and if there is no Government monopoly through which you must purchase your insurance. But can we agree with him that there should be universal coverage, that everyone should be covered? You bet we can. Can that be phased in overnight? Maybe not. Maybe we have to do it over 1 year, 2 years, 3 years, 5 years. But we will agree with him on universal coverage. We will. Will we agree that there should be no exclusion for a preexisting illness? We will. Will we agree that you ought to be able to keep your coverage when you change jobs? You bet.…”