McCain: Kennedy's Absence Is Damaging Health Care's Prospects

Health care legislation would be in a "very different place today," if Senator Ted Kennedy, (D-Mass) were healthy enough to participate in negotiations, Kennedy's longtime colleague and occasional foe, Sen. John McCain, (R-Ariz.), said on Sunday.

In an appearance on "This Week with George Stephanopoulos," McCain said that the Massachusetts Democrat, stricken by brain cancer, was "as close to being indispensable as any individual I've ever known in the Senate." Without him, McCain added, the health care debate had stagnated far more than had he been in the chamber.

"He had a unique way of sitting down with the parties at a table and making the right concessions, which really are the essence of successful negotiations," McCain said. "So it's huge that he's absent, not only because of my personal affection for him, but because I think the health care reform might be in a very different place today."

Kennedy has reportedly kept on top of health care legislation's progress in Congress from his family compound in Hyannis Port. This past week, the longtime Senator wrote a letter to Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and the state legislature, urging the institution of a succession process whereby the Governor would be allowed to make an immediate Senate replacement until the state could hold a special election. The Boston Globe reported that state lawmakers have coolly received the proposal, with Republicans claiming it to be a partisan power grab.

Comments

[LondonTownNY]

John "Maverick" McCain stood against everything progressive that Ted Kennedy spent his life fighting for. Whereas Kennedy concerned himself with the powerless, those without any political leverage, money or access, McCain concerned himself only with the interests of or the constituents of the powerful in society. McCain is an American Aristocrat, Child of the Military Industrial Complex, a Neocon to the core, masquerading as something different.McCain's "Maverick" brand is but a fiction created by his handlers and friends in the mainstream media to explain away his hypocrisy, to allow him to continue to maneuver politically in a shape shifting fashion in a dynamic world, to insure his legacy, solidify his brand so that he can continue to be an effective and credible voice for corporate militarism and rally against progressive ideals, all while appearing to care about the little folks. He is neither a Republican or a Democrat, he is a Kleptocrat who lives a life of an American Aristocrat while posing as the ordinary man, military war hero. He wears the cloak of the old sage, non partisan diplomatic voice, although his life work embodies standing against Progressive interests, like honoring MLK, Jr. Day as a Holiday in Arizona. One need only to look at the terrible plight of Arizona's Dineh Navajo for the answer. To the Dineh McCain is the devil. That McCain thrusts himself front and center in honoring Kennedy is not in honor of Kennedy but for his own political gain.

[jemborg]

R.I.P. Ted.

[MadJeffersonian]

So now that Senator Kennedy has died, you, Senator McCain, should do everything you can to get healthcare reform passed. In other words, shut up and get out of our way.

[tekjensen]

R.I.P. Senator Kennedy. Hopefully we can get health care done even if you're not here to see it.

[nini516]

McCain what ever happened to "Country First". We the people pay your healthcare insurance, why can't any of you guys return the favor, or pay for your own like the rest of America?

[MoeJava]

mccain IS a war hero and also a very rich man. he could easily "opt out" of his government benefits and rely instead, on his wife's money to purchase needed healthcare.
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not everyone in America can afford to do so, but he could.
most of us have to juggle food, car insurance, property taxes, kids' school clothes and mortgage payments, and with ever-escalating insurance costs, something gets missed. especially if you have lost your job or are currently under-employed.
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people go to sleep hungry and/or skip buying heating oil for their homes, because there is more month than money.
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IMHO mccain should really do his part to lessen the deficit and spend his family money on healthcare premiums. set an example for those already flush with money, instead of relying on government run healthcare.
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republicans always trumpet about government intrusion into their lives, leading us into "socialism", but i guess getting his free healthcare is the prime objective.
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they diss people who "chose" to buy their luxuries and not buy healthcare - mccain is a sterling example of this type of folk..
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advance apologies to the Vets out there, but few are as ultra privileged as mccain
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[HSans]

HLL writes: Incredible that McCain said Kennedy was a great leader and without him the Health Care was lost. Hello. Are you not a Senator, Mr. McCain? Can you not lead? Thank the Lord McCain/Palin were not elected.

These were exactly my thoughts when I heard this from McCain's mouth. If he really respects Sen Kennedy that much and honours his opinion on health care that much, I suggest he step into the breach and start to support affordable, quality health care for ALL Americans. And then actively support the legislation and vote accordingly!

In this way, Sen McCain will demonstrate that which he prides himself on - being a leader and a man of honour. But to me he demonstrated, by selecting Sarah Palin as his running mate in the 2008 Presidential elections, that he strictly acts out of self interest and what he believes will advance his standing in his own eyes.

I don't care what he says or which words he uses, he has demonstrated that he acts out of the lowest of motivations - self-interest. Always.

[Albertmum]

It's positively horrifying where we would be today if he had won. I wonder if he'll just apply the nuclear power theory to everything that needs to be fixed.

[HLL]

Incredible that McCain said Kennedy was a great leader and without him the Health Care was lost. Hello. Are you not a Senator, Mr. McCain? Can you not lead? Thank the Lord McCain/Palin were not elected.

[RustyPatina]

McCain's brand of negotiating: It's all about YOU making concessions.

[AntonioSosa]

Thinking Americans know that we are BROKE and that we must not allow Obama to continue STEALING from our children and grandchildren to implement despicable scams like Obamacare and cap and trade.

Obamacare has nothing to do with improving or expanding health care. It's just another power grab that will further destroy our health care, destroy our economy, steal money from our children and grandchildren, multiply our deficit, and enslave us through lies, manipulation, intimidation and coercion.

No wonder the Russians are gloating: “The final collapse has come with the election of Barack Obama. His speed in the past three months has been truly impressive. His spending and money printing has been a record setting, not just in America's short history but in the world. If this keeps up for more than another year, and there is no sign that it will not, America at best will resemble the Wiemar Republic and at worst Zimbabwe. http://english.pravda.ru/opinion/columnists/107459-american_capitalism-0

Fortunately, as we can see in the town halls, most Americans have NOT been dumbed down and they will do whatever necessary to defend themselves, their children and grandchildren from Obamacare and Marxism.

[BuzzingAlong]

BCBS of Michigan reached an agreement with Michigan Atty General Mike Cox to lower its request to raise rates for 163,000 people who buy their own health insurance.

- Family coverage for individual policies will increase $101 a month (rather than the $257 a month as Blue Cross sought)*

- Family coverage for group conversion coverage policies will increase $107 a month ((rather than the $231 a month BC sought)*

- Single person's individual coverage will increase $47 a month (rather thatn the $122 a month sought)*

- Single person's group conversion coverage will increase $53 a month (rather than the $99 a month sought)*

* this is referred to as "BC EASING RATE HIKE".

BC/BS and the Atty General COULD NOT reach an agreement about a 31% requested rate hike that would affect 210,000 seniors with supplemental Medicare plans. We will know after a Sept. 14, hearing.
-----

Re: "Fortunately, as we can see in the town halls, most Americans have NOT been dumbed down and they will do whatever necessary to defend themselves, their children and grandchildren from Obamacare and Marxism".

Are these the intelligent, educated Americans we see carrying signs saying Obama is Hitler? This only shows that these are very ignorant, low info people who have no historical knowledge and are carrying these signs because they were TOLD to do so.

Wonder how many of them have actually read, or can even understand what is proposed in the health reforme debate? Let me take a guess.

[austin4]

Are you really that S. U.T.P.ID? Or did you get a 5 year old to write that for you?

[AntonioSosa]

Thank you for the insults, austin4! Coming from Obama’s ACORN operatives or lemmings, any insults are welcome and further demonstrate that Obamacare is part of the Orwellian future that Soviet defector Yuri Bezmenov warned us about.

In 1985, Bezmenov told us that our enemies were working hard at brainwashing us (dumbing us down) and would succeed if we did not defend our principles: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/k6KUDv1wzraWhwlBt1

The dumbed down are obviously unable to understand that Obamacare will further contribute to “the American descent into Marxism,” which “is happening with breath taking speed, against the back drop of a passive, hapless sheeple…” http://english.pravda.ru/opinion/columnists/107459-american_capitalism-0

Fortunately, as we can see in the town halls, most Americans have not been dumbed down and they will do whatever necessary to defend themselves, their children and grandchildren from the abomination of Obamacare.

[NotesFromME]

What is clearly demonstrated from the town halls is that there are a plenty of ignorant lunatics on the right with the same amount of self control as a two-year old. Tantrums and screaming about Hitler, birth certificates and "death panels" says much more about their emotional instability and susceptibility to lies and corporate sponsored propaganda than it does their understanding of the issues on healthcare.

The current budget with the trillion dollar shortfall is BUSH's last budget--the major factor in the deficit is the lack of revenues because Bush economic policies and corporate greed destroyed the economy. Bush's last budget projections for the "out years" showed trillion dollar deficits well into the future.

You idiots have no idea what Marxism is other that "something I don't like." Considering your comments it is really pretty loony for you to quote Pravda, the former Communist Party newspaper. They have been predicting our downfall under each of our leaders since 1917. They had no credibilty then, and none now.

[judesuper]

Did you stand up and shout when the bushies borrowed trillions on unnecessary war?

Um, how about when bushie borrowed trillions for welfare for the rich, ie, tax breaks?

How about when bushie borrowed hundreds of billions to give to his contributors, blackwater and halliburton?

I see and hear all these whiners and have to think to myself, when did good, smart American people get so stupid and selfish?

[jemborg]

I'm pretty insulted at the suggestion that as an freedom loving Australian, who's country has associated itself with many of the USA military ventures in all good faith including Iraq, should be considered a Stalinist lackwit because we have had universal healthcare for near 30 years.

What utter paranoid lunacy.

[KarateKid]

McCain's PRESENCE is damaging the health care's prospects.

[usefulidiotsontheleft]

Check out the attached Death Plan that can kick you off without notice!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlHxPqC0_Fc&feature=channel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlHxPqC0_Fc&feature=channel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nUcneStdrM&feature=channel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOOfQOwcdBY&feature=channel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G44NCvNDLfc

Kindest regards from Fly Over Country!

[davidallan]

I talk to a very nice Cuban American lady, very republican,totally anti-communist, who didn"t vote for Obama because he would turn the country communist. Her husbands hero -Rush Limbaugh. Her cousin gets cancer and has no insurance, everything gets taken care of by Medicaid. Cousin appears to be in remission, everything great, but don't let the government get involved in health care for the rest of us. It boggles the mind

[nini516]

I want to hear nothing from Mr. "The fundamentals of the economy are just fine".
And the man that brought Sarah Palin's hateful campaigning to the lower forty.
I've lost ALL respect for the man!!

[austin4]

Sadly enough so has his Daughter

[Taciturn]

Classic McCain -- using his apparent affection for Teddy to give the appearance of really caring about health care reform. If he really cared about reform, he'd be hunkering down in the cloakrooms and hallways of the Senate to get a good reform bill passed to honor his good friend Sen. Kennedy.

[RobertHenryEller]

McCain admitted that he did not understand economic issues very well, and proved it, in case there were any doubters.

And you expect him to be any better at understanding health care? (Which is an economic issue.)

Thanks, but I'd just as soon McCain be as far away from such important decisions as possible.