What Would Teddy Want? Martha Coakley to lose?

[Pryderi]

Would Teddy have knocked on doors for her? Phonebanked? Or, would he pouted and folded his arms and refused to lift a finger for her?

[ddeclue]

1. Teddy Kennedy would have put PRINCIPLE above PARTY and would have been for SINGLE PAYER HEALTH CARE.

:P

[Pryderi]

2. Yeah. Because he was such a wide-eyed idealist and refused to make any compromises.

[rox63]

4. Actually, I think Teddy would have voted for the bill as it stands

Yes, he really wanted single-payer. But he was always willing to compromise to get at least part of what he wanted. Don't forget, he also supported HCR in Mass (aka Romneycare), even though it was similar to what's being proposed in Congress. And he supported NCLB. I think there are some folks here who are forgetting that.

[Pryderi]

5. deleted

[Sebastian Doyle]

8. If Teddy were still with us, this bill would have never reached this level of absoulute suckage.

And for anyone to advocate for this piece of shit in his name, is a cruel sick joke that mocks his memory and his life's work.

If Harry Reid had a fucking spine, he'd trash this shit bill, substitute Teddy's 2007 Medicare for All bill, and serve notice that anybody who voted against it might as well be taking a huge shit on Teddy's memory.

Because that's exactly what they have done by calling this pathetic bill "health care reform".

[Pryderi]

12. I don't think so. Kennedy recognized the wisdom of half a loaf being better than none...even a

quarter loaf.

[karynnj]

16. Ted Kennedy led the initial work on the HELP bill that never was SP

Look at what he did on SCHIP. The original bill that Kerry and he wrote in 1996 was a national plan and it was an entitlement. In 1997, with something like 55 Republicans in the Senate, this would never fly. He took the basic ideas and much of the language and made big concessions to get Hatch to co-sponsor it. It changed to allow each state to design their own plan and many states (TX) really underused it. It also was not an entitlement and had to be renewed every 5 years.

Yet that bill was the biggest expansion in federal support of healthcare since the 1960s and a bill Kennedy was very proud of. I agree that Kennedy would put country over party, which I would hope most or all our leaders would, but here it is the choice of aiming for the best achievable plan versus something that even if it should be the obvious choice is a quixotic quest given political realities.

[TexasObserver]

3. Teddy would be aghast at the thought of his seat going to the GOP.

He'd be getting out the vote for the party.

[Pryderi]

13. Rove, Limbaugh, and Beck would love to have Kennedy's hide as a trophy.

[dkf]

6. Teddy would have been aghast at this bill.

He would have made a better bill happen.

[Pryderi]

7. IT'S NO GOING TO HAPPEN IF COAKLEY LOSES! THE BILL HASN'T PASSED

[Learning Nomad]

9. I wish that I lived in your world. n/t

[Learning Nomad]

10. Erroneous post, please ignore.

[Learning Nomad]

11. A couple of people have access to this account. SRY!

[DireStrike]

14. Unrec for use of the word pout.

Insulting people is a good way to convince them of things, I find.

[Pryderi]

15. I call 'em like I sees 'em.

[jgraz]

17. No, he would have posted flamebait on DU attacking anyone who disagreed with him

Oh wait... that was you.