Senator Kennedy Approves

[babylonsister]

Senator Kennedy Approves
posted by John Nichols on 01/09/2009 @ 12:31pm


Edward Kennedy, the liberal lion of the Senate who for so long has struggled against the reactionary Republicans and disappointing Democrats to defend the rights of working Americans, opened Friday's hearing on President-elect Obama's nominee to serve as Secretary of Labor with the enthusiasm of a man who has passed through the wilderness of the Bush-Cheney years and arrived anew on the high ground of civil society.

"This is not an ordinary hearing, because we do not live in ordinary times," the senator from Massachusetts told members of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions who had gathered for the confirmation hearing of California Congresswoman Hilda Solis. "American families are suffering in ways we haven't seen in many years. And the crisis is growing worse every day."

In remarks prepared for the Solis hearing, which the ailing senator went out of his way to chair, Kennedy said:

Every morning working families wake up to more bad news. More jobs lost. More pensions gone. More dreams that disappear.

Just this morning, we learned that we lost another 524,000 jobs last month. That is not just a number. It is families like Paula Stein's. Paula worked hard for 30 years. A year ago, she lost her job. Now she can't find work.

She struggles to pay her bills. She stopped taking her medication because she can't afford it. She almost lost her home. Paula played by the rules. She took care of her family. And now everything is gone. Her dignity. Her pride. Her life savings. All gone.

The sad fact is that Paula is not alone. There are millions more Americans just like her. Men and women who can't sleep at night. Parents who look into their children's eyes wondering if they can make it through another day.

They wonder how can we afford health care? How can we pay the rent? How can we put food on the table?

Throughout our history, Americans have come together in times of crisis. Our neighbors, our families, our communities, our churches all pitching in.

But we need leadership in our government, too. We need leaders who understand what working families are facing in today's economy.

I believe that Hilda Solis is just such a leader. She comes from a working family. Her parents sacrificed to give her greater opportunity.

Throughout her career, Hilda has given back to her community and to her nation. She has fought for working families all her life.

In the California Senate and now in Congress, she has been a voice for the voiceless with a true passion for fairness and justice. For her dedication and leadership, she received the Profile in Courage Award. No one could be more deserving of that great honor.

The task before us is great. But Hilda Solis has overcome great challenges all her life. I have no doubt that she can do it again to help our families reclaim the American dream.

Hilda, I thank you for answering the President-Elect's call to serve our country.

more...

http://www.thenation.com/blogs/state_of_change/395327/senator_kennedy_approves?rel=hp_blogs_box

[Fire1]

1. k&r. Thank you for posting. I can relate.

[1776Forever]

2. Thank you Ted! This is what it means to be a liberal! As JFK said so eloquently...

Sen. John F. Kennedy
Acceptance of the New York Liberal Party Nomination
September 14, 1960

What do our opponents mean when they apply to us the label "Liberal?" If by "Liberal" they mean, as they want people to believe, someone who is soft in his policies abroad, who is against local government, and who is unconcerned with the taxpayer's dollar, then the record of this party and its members demonstrate that we are not that kind of "Liberal." But if by a "Liberal" they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind, someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions, someone who cares about the welfare of the people -- their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil rights, and their civil liberties -- someone who believes we can break through the stalemate and suspicions that grip us in our policies abroad, if that is what they mean by a "Liberal," then I'm proud to say I'm a "Liberal."

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/presidents/35_kennedy/psources/ps_nyliberal.html

[babylonsister]

3. Thank you. What an excellent quote. You need to go post that by

its onesies. Very nice.

[Forkboy]

4. I love Ted.

Whatever flaws he has he's ALWAYS fought for the workers and everyday people.