This Week In Quotes: March 19 Through March 24

26 Mar, 2010 by John Hawkins

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This is a big f***ing deal! — Joe Biden

I can’t imagine that a Republican Congress is going to give this president the money to begin this process. — John Boehner on health care

This health care bill would ruin our country. — John Boehner

Look, the people who are opposing this are holding tea parties. The Democrats are holding a Kool-Aid party. This is political Jonestown. — Pat Caddell

Under several clauses, the good and welfare clause and a couple others. All the scholars, the constitutional scholars that I know — I’m chairman of the Judiciary committee, as you know — they all say that there’s nothing unconstitutional in this bill and if there were, I would have tried to correct it if I thought there were. — John Conyers

Since arriving in Canada I’ve been accused of thought crimes, threatened with criminal prosecution for speeches I hadn’t yet given and denounced on the floor of the Parliament (which was nice because that one was on my “bucket list”). Posters advertising my speech have been officially banned, while posters denouncing me are plastered all over the University of Ottawa campus. Elected officials have been prohibited from attending my speeches. Also, the local clothing stores are fresh out of brown shirts. Welcome to Canada! — Ann Coulter

I would like to know when this sort of violence, this sort of protest, has been inflicted upon a Muslim – who appear to be, from what I’ve read of the human rights complaints, the only protected group in Canada. I think I’ll give my speech tomorrow night in a burka. That will protect me. — Ann Coulter

You didn’t see the Phoenix rising out of the ashes Geraldo, you saw the constitution burned by the Democrats in the House of Representatives tonight. — Tom DeLay

The harsh fact of the matter is when you’re passing legislation that will cover 300 million American people in different ways, it takes a long time to do the necessary administrative steps that have to be taken to put the legislation together to control the people. — John Dingell

I’ve talked to liberals who seem to understand this: The reckoning is coming, they allow, and the theory of health care reform has always been to get everybody inside the barrel before it goes over the falls. (I’d lay good money that this is Peter Orszag’s view of the matter.) But seen in this light, the health care victory looks less like the dawn of a bold new era, and more like the final lurch forward before a slow retreat. Liberals have finally captured Moscow, you might say; now they have to hope that it turns out better for them, and for America, than it did for Napoleon. — Ross Douthat

There ain’t no rules here, we’re trying to accomplish something. . . .All this talk about rules. . . .When the deal goes down . . . we make ’em up as we go along. — Alcee Hastings

Many of these MSMers fretting over the rise of the fanatics use the term “Tea Baggers,” which is itself an assault on civil discourse. Or they sneer at rallies which require actual commitment of time and resources, or at hand-made signs that suggest a familiarity with the Federalist Papers. They find red-white-and-blue clothing amusing. Then they turn to cluck at how standards of debate have declined in the House. Very amusing. — Hugh Hewitt

In these long and bloody 63 years, the Palestinians have not once accepted an Israeli offer of permanent peace, or ever countered with anything short of terms that would destroy Israel. — Charles Krauthammer

Interesting week. A study in contrasts. The Israelis announce the construction of a bunch of houses for a few Hasidim in Jerusalem. The administration issues a condemnation and then a barrage of threats against Israel.

Same week, the secretary of state in Moscow gets slapped in the face as she is standing there, and the Russians announce that the they’re going to complete a nuclear power plant in Iran contrary to American requests – Iran, a country that is the chief exporter of terror according to our own State Department – and her response is: Nothing. — Charles Krauthammer

I know Bibi Netanyahu and I am going to call him and tell him there’s an easy way to fix this. Change the name of (Israel) to Iran and problem solved. — Rush Limbaugh

I was one of those who wrote an obituary for the pro-life Democrat. But it’s not something I’m happy about. There’s no room in the national Democratic party today for such a creature with any self-respect. But I like competition, and I don’t think the demise of the pro-life Democrat is a good thing at all for America or human life. — Kathryn Jean Lopez

I am saddened that the year-long debate on health reform has resulted in legislation that is too expensive, contains too many special deals, does not contain health care costs and will result in increases in health insurance premiums and therefore I will vote against the legislation.”

Health care affects every Utahn in different but profoundly important ways. Controlling rising health care costs, increasing quality and value and improving access to health care and to affordable health insurance coverage remains critical to me. But the wrong kind of reform–reform which increases health care costs– will leave our nation worse off. — Jim Matheson

I know how the “tea party” people feel, the anger, venom and bile that many of them showed during the recent House vote on health-care reform. I know because I want to spit on them, take one of their “Obama Plan White Slavery” signs and knock every racist and homophobic tooth out of their Cro-Magnon heads. — The Washington Post’s Courtland Milloy

In days gone by, intelligent people liked to say that they voted for the person, not the party. Now those who say this are fooling themselves. There is only party! The most conservative Democrat is way to the left of the most liberal Republican. — Dick Morris and Eileen McGann

It’s a baby killer — Shouted by Rep. Randy Neugebauer, at Bart Stupak, on the floor the Senate.

Win or lose, I hope pro-lifers understand the special importance of defeating the ex-pro-lifers who will have voted for the bill. — Ramesh Ponnuru

First of all, then we have to say the American public overwhelmingly voted for socialism when they elected President Obama. Let’s not act as though the president didn’t tell the American people – the president offered the American people health reform when he ran. He was overwhelmingly elected running on that and he has delivered what he promised. — Al Sharpton

Arrest that war criminal! — Cindy Sheehan on Barack Obama

You can have Euro-sized entitlements or a global military, but not both. What’s easier to do if you’re a democratic government that’s made promises it can’t afford – cut back on nanny-state lollipops, or shrug off thankless military commitments for which the electorate has minimal appetite? — Mark Steyn

The most likely future is not a world under a new order but a world with no order – in which pipsqueak states go nuclear while the planet’s wealthiest nations, from New Zealand to Norway, are unable to defend their borders and are forced to adjust to the post-American era as they can. Yet, in such a geopolitical scene, the United States will still be the most inviting target – first because it’s big, and second because, as Britain knows, the durbar moves on but imperial resentments linger long after imperial grandeur. — Mark Steyn