Comments on: Le Lion est Mort http://witnessla.com/national-politics/2009/admin/le-lion-est-mort/ street news, views and stories of justice and injustice Sat, 11 Feb 2012 23:12:43 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: nancita http://witnessla.com/national-politics/2009/admin/le-lion-est-mort/comment-page-1/#comment-169944 nancita Fri, 28 Aug 2009 21:24:38 +0000 http://witnessla.com/?p=7547#comment-169944 AMEN, SISTER! AMEN, SISTER!

]]> By: reg http://witnessla.com/national-politics/2009/admin/le-lion-est-mort/comment-page-1/#comment-169679 reg Wed, 26 Aug 2009 17:24:13 +0000 http://witnessla.com/?p=7547#comment-169679 I only saw Ted K once "live", during the Obama primary in an African-American church. It was like watching a piece of history. Like you I've always had conflicted feelings about the guy, but it was apparent that he'd truly given his public self over to fulfilliing the best of the RFK/JFK legacy. (That's not a very consistent legacy in itself - "RFK/JFK" - but the Bobby of '68 was one of the country's greatest losses in our history, IMHO. I think much of the ensuing quarter century of political horror shows - from Nixon to Reagan - could have been avoided.) His role in the Obama election was a nice cap on his political career. And as you say, effective health care reform would be the only tribute to the man that matters. I'm thinking, frankly, that if there's any sense of integrity or empathy among the waffling cluster of Dems, this might turn out not to be the loss of one vote on the Senate floor, but a window of opportunity for some of their more deft comrades - and the President - to firm up a few stragglers and pass a strong bill that includes a cost-containing public option. The eulogies to the last Kennedy should, consistently, remind the country of why health care reform is essential (frankly, for "budget-hawk" as well as moral and public health reasons.) I put up a couple of major obits - the definitive NYT, McClatchy and the UK Guardian ("warts and all", Brit style) - at BH, linked at "reg". I only saw Ted K once “live”, during the Obama primary in an African-American church. It was like watching a piece of history. Like you I’ve always had conflicted feelings about the guy, but it was apparent that he’d truly given his public self over to fulfilliing the best of the RFK/JFK legacy. (That’s not a very consistent legacy in itself – “RFK/JFK” – but the Bobby of ‘68 was one of the country’s greatest losses in our history, IMHO. I think much of the ensuing quarter century of political horror shows – from Nixon to Reagan – could have been avoided.) His role in the Obama election was a nice cap on his political career.

And as you say, effective health care reform would be the only tribute to the man that matters. I’m thinking, frankly, that if there’s any sense of integrity or empathy among the waffling cluster of Dems, this might turn out not to be the loss of one vote on the Senate floor, but a window of opportunity for some of their more deft comrades – and the President – to firm up a few stragglers and pass a strong bill that includes a cost-containing public option. The eulogies to the last Kennedy should, consistently, remind the country of why health care reform is essential (frankly, for “budget-hawk” as well as moral and public health reasons.)

I put up a couple of major obits – the definitive NYT, McClatchy and the UK Guardian (“warts and all”, Brit style) – at BH, linked at “reg”.

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