It is to bad that Teddy Kennedy isn't around to see last Sunday, the day that the haters, the Republicans, who tried to bully, scare and manpulate a victory. The fear mongering feel flat and they were defeated last Sunday.
Here is his son Patrick's summary of the event which was e-mailed to me on Monday, the day after the victory.
Last night marked a victory that has been a long time coming. Longer than the last year, since the White House Forum on Health Care Reform, that health care reform has dominated the public discourse. Farther back than the efforts during the ‘90s, the failure of which resulted in record numbers of uninsured and premiums doubling over the last decade. It even predates my own father’s lifetime commitment to extend the opportunities he was afforded in life to each of his fellow citizens. It is since Teddy Roosevelt in 1912, that the people of this country have fought to provide quality, affordable health care for all Americans. We have finally reached that day.
Last night was a victory for the many tireless champions of health care reform. My father, of course, was but one of them, committed to fighting for those whose voices would not be heard. It is a victory for people like Martin Luther King, Jr., who stood up to remind us, “Of all forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane.”
But most importantly, last night was a victory for each and every American who will now be treated with the dignity and respect that comes with the equality of opportunity that affordable access to quality health care provides. It is a victory for the estimated 32 million of our friends and neighbors who will now have access to health care because of this legislation. It is a victory for the millions of Americans who have been discriminated against in the past, denied coverage by an insurance company because they have a pre-existing condition. It is a victory for the millions who have been dropped from their policy when they got sick. It is a victory for the millions who face bankruptcy and financial turmoil even though they have health insurance, because they reach an annual or lifetime cap. It is a victory for the small business owners who have been unable to provide their workers with health insurance or remain competitive, and who will now receive tax credits to help them afford to provide coverage for their employees.
I have been proud to serve the people of Rhode Island the last 16 years, helping to lead the effort in the House of Representatives to take control of our nation’s health care system away from insurance companies and put it back the hands of patients and their doctors. Though I wish my father could been here in body as well as spirit, I could not be more pleased that this effort, to reform our nation’s health care system, was accomplished during my tenure here. There will be many more fights down the road that we must win, starting with the necessity for the United States Senate to adopt the improvements to the health care reform legislation included in the Reconciliation Act. I have every faith that the Senate will act swiftly to accept these changes so that at long last we can better provide quality, affordable health care to all Americans.
Thank you,
Patrick J. Kennedy
Member of Congress
The list below are the cowards who voted with their fellow losers...
Democrats who voted against the health care bill included the following Congressmen and Congresswomen:
Rep. John Adler (N.J.)
Rep. Jason Altmire (Pa.)
Rep. Michael Arcuri (N.Y.)
Rep. John Barrow (Ga.)
Rep. Marion Berry (Ark.)
Rep. Dan Boren (Okla.)
Rep. Rick Boucher (Va.)
Rep. Bobby Bright (Ala.)
Rep. Ben Chandler (Ky.)
Rep. Travis Childers (Miss.)
Rep. Artur Davis (Ala.)
Rep. Lincoln Davis (Tenn.)
Rep. Chet Edwards (Texas)
Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (S.D.)
Rep. Tim Holden (Pa.)
Rep. Larry Kissell (N.C.)
Rep. Frank Kratovil (Md.)
Rep. Dan Lipinski (Ill.)
Rep. Stephen Lynch (Mass.)
Rep. Jim Marshall (Ga.)
Rep. Jim Matheson (Utah)
Rep. Mike McIntyre (N.C.)
Rep. Mike McMahon (N.Y.)
Rep. Charlie Melancon (La.)
Rep. Walt Minnick (Idaho)
Rep. Glenn Nye (Va.)
Rep. Collin Peterson (Minn.)
Rep. Mike Ross (Ark.)
Rep. Heath Shuler (N.C.)
Rep. Ike Skelton (Mo.)
Rep. Zack Space (Ohio)
Rep. John Tanner (Tenn.)
Rep. Gene Taylor (Miss.)
Rep. Harry Teague (N.M.)
I am watching FOX News right now and the conservative gang is freaking out about the bill which is in its final stages and how the fall will be payback for the Republicans. In political terms, Republicans face strong crosscurrents. Polls suggest that a sizable part of the nation is unenthusiastic about the bill or opposed to it. Conservatives see it as a strike at the heart of their small-government principles, helping to explain why Republicans are optimistic that they will make gains in the midterm elections in November. It is only fitting that the Republicans find themselves again being portrayed as the party of no, associated with being on the losing side of an often acrid debate and failing to offer a persuasive alternative agenda. On a certain level, I do have to take a wait and see appoarch on this bill but in lack of an alterniative, this is great. The Democrats have to be given credit for coming up with a solution, attempting a bi partasin solution and coming up with and creating a law. The Republican's have only complained, contributed nothing but hard feelings and disontent and inspite of their boasts of victory for available polictical positions, I doubt it.
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