“When President Obama and Congress return next month to confront tough choices on health reform, will Sen. Edward Kennedy's death be the catalyst for finally achieving what he called the cause of his life, health care for all? It's possible, but we don't know yet exactly how.” –Politics Daily
The recent news of the death of Massachusetts Senator Edward M. Kennedy, whom at the age of 77 lost the battle against brain cancer late Tuesday night, has impacted millions beyond belief. He was the last surviving brother of one of the most dominant families in American politics, a man who will be remembered as one of the most effective lawmakers in history, recognized as “The Lion of the Senate.”
To much dismay his death has left an even bigger concern unresolved, the struggle for a healthcare reform, to which he referred to as “the cause of his life.” Kennedy passed away and will no longer participate alongside the Democratic Party as they enter a new phase to witness the final judgment. Before Kennedy died, the party had a 60-vote majority in the Senate, just enough to stop a ‘filibuster’ from the Republican Party. Now that number is down by one to 59 votes. However, Massachusetts loyal Democrats are attempting to persuade their opposition to grant a request Mr. Kennedy made, in which he urged that Governor Deval Patrick, a Democrat, were allowed to appoint a temporary successor upon his death, to assure the state’s representation in Congress would not be interrupted. The temporary senator would only serve until a special election in January and would not run for permanent seat. Yet not many seem to favor the idea.
But can the Democrats afford to operate with 59 votes as opposed to its original 60?! Not really, 1 sole vote makes a significant difference especially in these cases says Norman Ornstein, a congressional scholar at the conservative American Enterprise Institute, when “So many of these votes may come down to one vote." So the big question is should Massachusetts go for five or six months without a senator?! If so, then who would take the blame if Kennedy's health care vision fails by one vote?!
Much more, a ‘multitude’ of people are urging that the reform be passed quickly as a tribute to Kennedy, in respect to his dedication and long fought dream for the healthcare reform. Now this is a crucial time for Obama, he has quite a lot on his plate at the moment, including education, war, both energy and financial reforms, and healthcare. Now on the health reform he will have to step up, take a stronger leadership and decide whether he will only proceed with the support of the Democratic Party or reach some kind of common ground with the Republicans. Will he ‘invoke’ Kennedy’s memory during the discussion of the issue and if so how much?! "Obama is certainly in a position to make that a stronger factor. But you have to be careful how you use that. If it's too blatantly political, you lose people instead of gaining them” said a Democratic strategist.
So finally, I guess my strongest curiosity is: Will Kennedy’s principles and vision of America influence the Healthcare Reform even after death?!
The recent news of the death of Massachusetts Senator Edward M. Kennedy, whom at the age of 77 lost the battle against brain cancer late Tuesday night, has impacted millions beyond belief. He was the last surviving brother of one of the most dominant families in American politics, a man who will be remembered as one of the most effective lawmakers in history, recognized as “The Lion of the Senate.”
To much dismay his death has left an even bigger concern unresolved, the struggle for a healthcare reform, to which he referred to as “the cause of his life.” Kennedy passed away and will no longer participate alongside the Democratic Party as they enter a new phase to witness the final judgment. Before Kennedy died, the party had a 60-vote majority in the Senate, just enough to stop a ‘filibuster’ from the Republican Party. Now that number is down by one to 59 votes. However, Massachusetts loyal Democrats are attempting to persuade their opposition to grant a request Mr. Kennedy made, in which he urged that Governor Deval Patrick, a Democrat, were allowed to appoint a temporary successor upon his death, to assure the state’s representation in Congress would not be interrupted. The temporary senator would only serve until a special election in January and would not run for permanent seat. Yet not many seem to favor the idea.
But can the Democrats afford to operate with 59 votes as opposed to its original 60?! Not really, 1 sole vote makes a significant difference especially in these cases says Norman Ornstein, a congressional scholar at the conservative American Enterprise Institute, when “So many of these votes may come down to one vote." So the big question is should Massachusetts go for five or six months without a senator?! If so, then who would take the blame if Kennedy's health care vision fails by one vote?!
Much more, a ‘multitude’ of people are urging that the reform be passed quickly as a tribute to Kennedy, in respect to his dedication and long fought dream for the healthcare reform. Now this is a crucial time for Obama, he has quite a lot on his plate at the moment, including education, war, both energy and financial reforms, and healthcare. Now on the health reform he will have to step up, take a stronger leadership and decide whether he will only proceed with the support of the Democratic Party or reach some kind of common ground with the Republicans. Will he ‘invoke’ Kennedy’s memory during the discussion of the issue and if so how much?! "Obama is certainly in a position to make that a stronger factor. But you have to be careful how you use that. If it's too blatantly political, you lose people instead of gaining them” said a Democratic strategist.
So finally, I guess my strongest curiosity is: Will Kennedy’s principles and vision of America influence the Healthcare Reform even after death?!
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