Breaking: Kennedy Returns to the Senate for Medicare Vote; Cloture Passes 69-30

[kpete]

Breaking: Kennedy Returns to the Senate for Medicare Vote; Cloture Passes 69-30
by Transplanted Texan, Wed Jul 09, 2008 at 05:04:07 PM EST

From The Hill:
http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/kennedy-returns-to-decide-medicare-vote-2008-07-09.html

Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) returned to the Senate Wednesday to cast the decisive vote on stalled Medicare legislation, making his first appearance in the chamber since he was diagnosed two months ago with brain cancer.

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Update <2008-7-9 17:13:21 by Jonathan Singer>: I'll be putting up some extended thoughts on the vote in a few minutes, but for those who haven't yet had a chance to see it, Think Progress has posted video of Kennedy's very emotional return to the Senate.

Update <2008-7-9 17:19:21 by Transplanted Texan>: The cloture vote was 69-30, so quite a number of Republicans flipped. The roll call vote is now available on Senate.gov. First Read has Kenendy's statement:

I return to the Senate today to keep a promise to our senior citizens -- and that's to protect Medicare. Win, lose or draw, I wanted to be here. I wasn't going to take the chance that my vote could make the difference. Medicare should not be a partisan issue. Illness and age know no party boundaries. The 44 million Americans who rely on Medicare to meet their health care needs are both Democrats and Republicans. Like all Americans, they have worked hard all their lives. They've raised their families. They've built our towns and cities and farmed the land. They've served in our military.

We owe them so much for the part they have played in making America a great country. So today I proudly cast this important vote for them -- a vote to keep the Medicare program strong and effective for the future.

http://www.mydd.com/story/2008/7/9/1747/85686

[Cleita]

1. Bless him.

As a senior I was really worried.

[Frustratedlady]

2. Super. I was just asking yesterday if anyone had heard anything on Ted.

You can't keep a good man down. I wish him the best of luck.