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<\/a>Over the weekend, United States Senator Edward \u201cTed\u201d Kennedy was laid to rest next to the graves of his two legendary brothers. While I admit that I didn\u2019t watch much of the news coverage I heard that a great many Democrats and even a few Republicans gave speeches about how great Ted Kennedy was both as a United States Senator and as a compassionate human being.<\/p>\n
One of the speeches that I did hear was from one of Teddy\u2019s relatives (I think it was his nephew Joe) who told a story about how often times people would come up to him and praise \u201cUncle Teddy\u201d and talk about how he saved their lives by paying their healthcare bills. For 40 years, Ted Kennedy has fought in the Senate for Universal Healthcare. He wrote, \u201cEvery American should be able to get the same treatment that U.S. senators are entitled to. This is the cause of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ted Kennedy died in the midst of our nation\u2019s greatest Healthcare debate. The fact is that the American people lost this debate before we even got to the podium. From day one, Medicare for all, Universal Healthcare was taken off the table in favor of a compromise with the Health Insurance Industry called \u201cThe Public Option.\u201d Now due to the poor efforts of the President and the rest of the Democratic Party, even this Public Option is now at risk. The rest of the various Health Reform bills have been gutted by gutless politicians afraid of the massive power of the powerless Republican Party.<\/p>\n
I think it is time to take the \u201cPublic Option\u201d off the table and in honor of the Lion of the Senate we need to put Medicare for all back on the table. Let Kennedy\u2019s death be a rallying cry for the \u201ccause of his life,\u201d Medicare for all. It is time to forget about compromising with Republicans who don\u2019t even know the meaning of the word. It is time for the President to put his foot down and start to put some real pressure on Democrats who have been bought by the insurance companies. It is time for President Obama to use his political capital while he still has political capital to use.<\/p>\n
Any Democrat or friend of Senator Kennedy who doesn\u2019t support Medicare for all is just pissing on his grave. It is easy to make pretty speeches about how great Kennedy was, but it is much harder to adopt his cause and help to pass it in his name. Ted Kennedy died and the \u201ccause of his life\u201d is about to die with him. If any Democrat really cares about Kennedy, they will fight to make his dream a reality. To do otherwise is an insult to the man who fought right up to his last days “that we will break the old gridlock and guarantee that every American\u2026will have decent, quality health care as a fundamental right and not just a privilege.”
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