Eric Kleefeld April 26, 2010, 11:39 AM

It’s been nearly three whole weeks since Republican Senate candidate Sue Lowden advocated using the barter system to lower health care costs and talked about how folks in her grandparents’ generation would pay a doctor with a chicken. But chicken references remained part of the Nevada Senate race this past weekend, with Lowden joking about it and the Dems continuing to pounce.

The subject did not come up at this past Friday’s Republican primary debate, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports. But Lowden did make a sly reference to it, in a question over whether the candidates would repeal the newly-enacted health care legislation.

“I’ve become an expert in health care in case you didn’t know,” Lowden quipped.

Also over the weekend in Nevada, the Clark County (Las Vegas) Democrats held their convention, with speakers making fun of Lowden’s proposals. For example, a man dressed up in a chicken outfit danced to the tune of the Hall and Oates song, “Out of Touch.”

Democratic Rep. Shelly Berkley remarked: “What the heck was she thinking?”

And one out-of-state visitor, Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA), also joined in. “When you don’t have access to health care, you have to go through health insurance companies,” Cantwell said. “Ever try to barter with an insurance company?”

Lowden first suggested barter as a good way to lower health care costs three weeks ago. She spelled it out further a week ago. “Let’s change the system and talk about what the possibilities are. I’m telling you that this works,” Lowden said. “You know, before we all started having health care, in the olden days, our grandparents, they would bring a chicken to the doctor. They would say I’ll paint your house.”

2010 elections, Barter, NV-SEN, Senate '10, Sue Lowden