2013 N.J. Special Senate Election Debates: on Health Care


Cory Booker: ObamaCare needs to be improved, but is helping people now

Booker applauded Obama's Affordable Care Act--better known as "ObamaCare"--and chastised Republicans in Washington for fighting it to the point of forcing a partial shutdown of the federal government. He said the health care overhaul is helping people who have children with diseases that would have been denied coverage under the old system. "ObamaCare needs to be improved, and what we should be doing in Washington is working together (on it)," Booker said. "These are real people's lives."
Source: Newark Star-Ledger coverage of 2013 N.J. Senate debate Oct 5, 2013

Steve Lonegan: ObamaCare is an absolute train wreck

Booker applauded Obama's Affordable Care Act--better known as "ObamaCare"--and chastised Republicans in Washington for fighting it to the point of forcing a partial shutdown of the federal government. He said the health care overhaul is helping people who have children with diseases that would have been denied coverage under the old system. "ObamaCare needs to be improved, and what we should be doing in Washington is working together (on it)," Booker said. "These are real people's lives." But Lonegan praised Republicans for "holding the line on Obamacare's assault on our freedom" and stressed the need to repeal the law. "This bill is an absolute train wreck," Lonegan said. "If it needs to be improved, why is it being forced down the throa
Source: Newark Star-Ledger coverage of 2013 N.J. Senate debate Oct 5, 2013

Cory Booker: Control healthcare cost; no comment on single-payer

Source: Politico.com coverage of 2013 N.J. Senate debate Aug 6, 2013

Rush Holt: Supports universal single payer system, like VA system

Pallone touted his work getting the new health care law passed into law. But Holt and Oliver both said it should have gone further, and that they would prefer a single-payer system. "A universal single payer system is not pie in the sky. We have it. That's what the VA is. That's what Medicare is," Holt said.
Source: Star-Ledger coverage of 2013 N.J. Senate debate Aug 5, 2013

Steve Lonegan: Repeal ObamaCare; no middle ground on defending liberty

The pair [of GOP candidates] were more often in agreement than not, leaving little to set them apart. Both want to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Both favor private health centers to care for infirm indigents, both repeatedly used the word "liberty," as something to protect and expand by limiting government.

Lonegan expressed unwillingness to bend. "There is no such thing as a middle ground with the liberal left," Lonegan said. "And there is no middle ground on defending individual liberty. I will not compromise on it.'"

Lonegan later walked back his rhetoric somewhat by saying there were ways to work together with those with opposing views without compromising core principals.

Source: Maplewood Patch coverage of 2013 N.J. Senate debate Jul 31, 2013

  • The above quotations are from 2013 New Jersey Special Senate Election Debates.
  • Click here for definitions & background information on Health Care.
  • Click here for other issues (main summary page).
  • Click here for more quotes by Cory Booker on Health Care.
  • Click here for more quotes by Steve Lonegan on Health Care.
Candidates and political leaders on Health Care:

Retired Senate as of Jan. 2015:
GA:Chambliss(R)
IA:Harkin(D)
MI:Levin(D)
MT:Baucus(D)
NE:Johanns(R)
OK:Coburn(R)
SD:Johnson(D)
WV:Rockefeller(D)

Resigned from 113th House:
AL-1:Jo Bonner(R)
FL-19:Trey Radel(R)
LA-5:Rod Alexander(R)
MA-5:Ed Markey(D)
MO-9:Jo Ann Emerson(R)
NC-12:Melvin Watt(D)
SC-1:Tim Scott(R) 		Retired House to run for Senate or Governor:
AR-4:Tom Cotton(R)
GA-1:Jack Kingston(R)
GA-10:Paul Broun(R)
GA-11:Phil Gingrey(R)
HI-1:Colleen Hanabusa(D)
IA-1:Bruce Braley(D)
LA-6:Bill Cassidy(R)
ME-2:Mike Michaud(D)
MI-14:Gary Peters(D)
MT-0:Steve Daines(R)
OK-5:James Lankford(R)
PA-13:Allyson Schwartz(D)
TX-36:Steve Stockman(R)
WV-2:Shelley Capito(R) 		Retired House as of Jan. 2015:
AL-6:Spencer Bachus(R)
AR-2:Tim Griffin(R)
CA-11:George Miller(D)
CA-25:Howard McKeon(R)
CA-33:Henry Waxman(D)
CA-45:John Campbell(R)
IA-3:Tom Latham(R)
MN-6:Michele Bachmann(R)
NC-6:Howard Coble(R)
NC-7:Mike McIntyre(D)
NJ-3:Jon Runyan(R)
NY-4:Carolyn McCarthy(D)
NY-21:Bill Owens(D)
PA-6:Jim Gerlach(R)
UT-4:Jim Matheson(D)
VA-8:Jim Moran(D)
VA-10:Frank Wolf(R)
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Page last updated: Dec 05, 2018