Democrats Waste No Time Politicizing Ted Kennedy’s Death
My hopes that Ted Kennedy’s death wouldn’t be politicized were obviously short-lived. Today the Wall Street Journal reported that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sent an email to reporters not long after Kenney passed away, calling for passage of health care reform. Her message stated, “Ted Kennedy’s dream of quality health care for all Americans will be made real this year because of his leadership and inspiration.”
SEIU president Andy Stern issued a similar statement. Stern requested, “Let us continue his cause. Let us take action this year to pass health care reform. And let us continue to build Kennedy’s vision of America.”
The WSJ also included another request from House majority whip, James Clyburn, who said, “As we move forward with health reform legislation, his absence will be palpable. But let us use his inspirational words as our guide, to rise to our best ideals and finally provide decent quality health care to all Americans as a fundamental right, not a privilege.”
Democrat Senator Chris Dodd also called for Kennedy’s death to cause health care opponents to step back and approach the debate in a quieter manner.
Out of respect for the mourning Kennedy family and a deceased man, now is not the time for me to discuss Ted Kennedy’s legacy. As stated in my previous post on Kennedy’s passing, now is not the time to criticize Kennedy’s legacy. Instead, it’s a time to offer our prayers and condolences to a fellow American family dealing with the loss of their family member. However, when I wrote the first post announcing Kennedy’s death, I struggled about whether or not to include the remarks about my hopes that Democrats would not decide to turn his passing into a political tool. As the post reveals, I did decide to include my concerns and today those concerns prove to be well-founded.
The Democrats’ decision to view their colleague’s death as a chance to build support for their health care reform proposals which have become increasingly unpopular with voters shows the Democrat leadership as the political opportunists they are. Wielding their fellow Democrat’s memory as a bludgeon against political opponents only desecrates any fond memories they may hold for him.