20 memorable quotes from the 25 day health care debate

Was it only 25 days? It seems much longer....

From the Senate Republican Communications Center:

1. SEN. BEN NELSON (D-NE): “My Vote Is Not For Sale Period.” (“Nebraska's Nelson: An Undecided Man In The Middle,” The Associated Press, 12/16/09)

2. SEN. DICK DURBIN (D-IL): “I Would Say To The Senator From Arizona, That I’m In The Dark Almost As Much As He Is. And I’m In The Leadership.” (Sen. Dick Durbin, Floor Remarks, 12/11/09)

3. SEN. JOE LIEBERMAN (I-CT): “I Wonder If I Could Ask Unanimous Consent For Just An Additional Moment.” SEN. AL FRANKEN (D-MN): “In My Capacity As Senator From Minnesota, I Object.” LIEBERMAN: “Really? Ok. Don't Take It Personally.” (Sens. Lieberman & Franken, Floor Remarks, 12/17/09)

4.SEN. MAX BAUCUS (D-MT): “I’ll Just Read. This Is From Wikipedia. It May Not Be Accurate.” (Sen. Baucus, Floor Remarks, 12/3/09)

5. SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV): “If They Don’t Have Something In It Important To Them Then It Doesn’t Speak Well Of Them.” (“Public Option Tensions Linger,” Politico, 12/22/09)

6. SEN. ARLEN SPECTER (D-PA): “I Came To This Caucus To Be Your 60th Vote.” (“Senate Health Bill Unlikely To Include Medicare Buy-In,” Washington Post, 12/15/09)

SEN. ARLEN SPECTER (D-PA): “I Will Not Be An Automatic 60th Vote.” (“Specter: I’m Not An Automatic 60th Vote,” Politico, 4/28/09)

7. SEN. ROLAND BURRIS (D-IL): If “It Does Not Have A Public Option In It, I Will Not Vote For It.” (“Burris Threatens To Filibuster Health Care Without Public Option,” The Huffington Post, 12/9/09)

8. SEN. BOB CASEY (D-PA) On Medicare Advantage Cuts: “We’re Not Going To Be Able To Say ‘If You Like What You Have, You Can Keep It’ … And That Basic Commitment That A Lot Of Us Around Here Have Made Will Be Called Into Question.” (“Obama’s Planned Medicare Cuts Distress Some Democrats,” Bloomberg, 12/3/09)

9. SEN. MARY LANDRIEU (D-LA): “Yes, We’ve Had To Raise Some Taxes And Fees To Pay For This Bill.” (CSPAN’s Washington Journal, 12/22/09)

10. SEN. SHELDON WHITEHOUSE (D-RI): “They Have Ardent Supporters Who Are Nearly Hysterical At The Very Election Of President Barack Obama: The ‘Birthers,’ The Fanatics, The People Running Around In Rightwing Militias And Aryan Support Groups.” (Sen. Whitehouse, Congressional Record, S.13570, 12/20/09)

11. SEN. KENT CONRAD (D-ND) On The CLASS Act: “‘A Ponzi Scheme Of The First Order, The Kind Of Thing That Bernie Madoff Would Have Been Proud Of,’ And He Vowed To Block Its Inclusion In The Senate Bill.” (Proposed Long-Term Insurance Program Raises Questions,” The Washington Post, 10/27/09)

12. SEN. DICK DURBIN (D-IL): “It Will Be On The Internet 72 Hours Before We Take A Vote.” (ABC's "This Week," 12/20/09)

13. SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT): “The Insurance Companies Are Going To Make Out Like Bandits. The Drug Companies Are Going To Make Out Like Bandits … No Question About That. This Is Not A Strong Bill.” “(Sanders: ‘Big Money Interests Control’ Congress,” The Hill, 12/22/09)

14. SEN. MAX BAUCUS (D-MT): “I Can't Do The Correct Math.” (Sen. Baucus, Floor Remarks, 12/4/09)

15. SEN. DICK DURBIN (D-IL):“The Establishment Of Social Security. … I Remember Those Days.” "It is a step consistent with the establishment of Social Security, which finally took the worry away from seniors and their families about what would happen to grandma and grandpa when they stopped working. I remember those days.” (Sen. Durbin, Floor Remarks, 12/11/09)

“The Social Security Act (Act of August 14, 1935) [H. R. 7260]” (“The Social Security Act Of 1935,” Social Security Website, Accessed 12/11/09)

16. SEN. TOM HARKIN (D-IA): “I Have Said Many Times That The Two Biggest Winners Under Our Health Care Reform Bill Are Small Businesses And The Self-Employed.” (Sen. Harkin, Congressional Record, S.11852, 11/20/09)

17. SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV): “The American People Don't Get Weekends Off From This Injustice.” (Sen. Reid, Floor Remarks, 12/5/09)

SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV): “I See No Reason To Punish Everybody This Weekend.” “I had one senator come to me and said that she hadn't been home now in two or three weeks and it was not a good situation. … I see no reason to punish everybody this weekend.” (Sen. Reid, Floor Remarks, 12/09/09)

18. SEN. MARY LANDRIEU (D-LA): “The Fact Of The Matter Is, And I Know People Don't Believe This, But I Can't Be Bought.” (“Sen. Landrieu On Healthcare Vote: ‘I Can’t Be Bought,’” The Hill’s “Briefing Blog,” 12/22/09)

19. SEN. MAX BAUCUS (D-MT): Bill Will Cost “2.5 Trillion.” “Just for a second -- health care reform, whether you use a ten-year number or when you start in 2010 or start in 2014, wherever you start at, so it is still either $1 trillion or it's $2.5 trillion, depending on where you start…” (Sen. Baucus, Floor Remarks, 12/2/09)

20. SEN. ROLAND BURRIS (D-IL): “Twas The Night Before Christmas And All Through The Senate.” (Sen. Roland Burris, Congressional Record, S. 13721, 12/22/09)

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