The death of longtime Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy has become a rallying cry and prompted many democrats to urge policy makers to seek a new tone in the debate on health care. Kennedy, who was known for his ability to reach across the aisle, was a champion of health care reform for many years.
Those in favor of the reform are hoping that the late senator’s spirit of bipartisanship will transform the bitter debate, but some think the senator’s death is being exploited.
We look at sources from MSNBC, FOX News, and The New York Times to examine what effect Ted Kennedy’s death will have on health care reform.
Democratic Senator Tom Udall of New Mexico told MSNBC that it will be hard to overcome Kennedy’s absence, but hopes his death may be a catalyst for reform.
“Well I think first of all it’s going to create a big void. I mean he was such a great leader, he was a great legislator, he pulled people together, he worked with all sides. Not having him there is going to be very very difficult. But what I hope is that we’re inspired by his life and all of the work he did on health care. That we’ll take this occasion and the impetus of this occasion and really do something great for the nation.”
The New York Times quotes West Virginia Senator Robert C. Byrd, who goes as far as asking the Healthcare bill named after the Late Senator.
“[Hopefully] when legislation has been signed into law, [it] will bear his name for his commitment to insuring the health of every American.”
FOX News takes a different look at the issue. Neil Cavuto asks whether Democrats might have taken the rally cry too far, and Dennis Kucinich of Ohio cautions against the misuse of Ted Kennedy’s legacy.
“We have to be very careful that his passing isn’t seen as an opportunity to appropriate his memory for a specific course of action at this time.”
The debate over health care has been heated over the past few months, especially at controversial town hall meetings throughout the country. FOX News asks town hall protester Ana Puig to weigh in on the issue.
“I think that the far left is using emotion they’re not using principle. I think that most people agree and believe that senator Kennedy was about defending the constitution of the U.S., that he was about all the liberties and freedoms this country has to offer. And quite honestly if the majority of Americans are against this bill I don’t believe senator Kennedy would want to have his name associated with it.”
Jack Cafferty of CNN examines not what senator Kennedy would have wanted, but if his death will have any impact at all on the health care debate.
“But Not everybody is so sure Kennedy’s death is going to make any difference on the health care debate. One top republican tells the New York Times, the fight, which pretty much has been suspended with the president on vacation this week, will likely “pick up right where we left off in a week or two.”
What do you think? Will senator Kennedy’s death foster the spirit of bipartisanship and change the course of health care reform, or will the debate continue down the same bitter path that has shrouded the issue up until his passing?
