COVERITLIVE.COM

8:05	Fred Barbash-Moderator - Good morning. We invite your individual thoughts, comments and tributes on the death of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy. All posts should include your name.

8:15	[Comment From Jen] We knew this was coming but it's still sad and wrenching. Rest in peace Ted Kennedy.

8:16	[Comment From Tom G.] He was my Senator and a good one. They will not see his like in the Senate again.

8:20	[Comment From Laura] Ultimately, fate, flaws, and events kept him from the Presidency but at the same time gave the Senate and the country his extraordinary leadership.

8:20

[Comment From Eddie Reeves]
In 1993, I was a Hill staffer on the House side working for Congressman J.J. "Jake" Pickle, the third-ranking member of Ways and Means. We were working feverishly on the ill-fated Clinton Administration effort to reform health care, and I was leaving a meeting on the Senate side in the Russell building when Senator Kennedy got into the elevator with me. I shook his hand and told him how honored I was to meet him, etc., and, to my surprise, he stopped as we exited the elvator and talked to me for at least five minutes, asking me about my background, my aspirations and telling a couple of stories about my boss Mr. Pickle. As we parted, he said "Keep fighting. A policy that is right morally won't be wrong politically forever." I have never forgotten that admonition.

8:21

[Comment From Kathy]
A true statesman and public servant who fought tirelessly for civil rights, education rights, and health care rights. There could be no greater tribute to him than the passage of national health care. I pray his colleagues will honor him with the passage of a health care bill that will provide coverage to EVERY American. Rest in Peace Teddy. Those of us left here on earth will continue the struggle for equal rights for All. My prayers go out to his family, friends, and all Americans who depended on his great leadership.

8:31	[Comment From Astrid] I admired him because he stood up proudly as a liberal--without running from the label, but rather extolling it.

8:44	[Comment From Bruce] He fought the good fight--and often won. He was a man of true conviction. He was unafraid. He was human but overcame his troubles and in so doing set an example for all of us.

8:46

[Comment From David Yellope]
A flawed man, but despite all that, a great man. It's kinda funny, that a man who could be viewed as so divisive, (how much money did the Republican Party fundraise by saying "Save the Country from Ted Kennedy"?), but for all the major bills he got passed.. every single one of them had a major Republican sign on to it.

9:45

Fred Barbash-Moderator - This from Andy Stern, President of SEIU:
In Senator Kennedy's America, every family has access to affordable healthcare, every worker has a paycheck that supports their family and a secure retirement, every child has a right to a quality education, and every immigrant can achieve the American Dream.

"Senator Kennedy spent his entire adult life, through tragedy and triumph, in pursuit of this America. From his first major speech in support of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to his last vote on President Obama's economic recovery plan, his vision of a more perfect nation never wavered.

"Because of Senator Kennedy, millions of children have access to healthcare, crucial immunizations, Head Start programs, and grants and loans to make college more affordable. Unemployed workers have access to COBRA and low-income mothers are able to get food, healthcare and other resources for themselves and their children. People with disabilities are treated with respect and dignity and workers are protected by an adequate minimum wage.

"Senator Kennedy's America is our America. It is the America of the nurse in Pittsburgh, the janitor in Miami, and the child care provider in Maine. It is the America that SEIU members continue to fight for. And Senator Kennedy stood beside us in that fight longer than anyone else.

"Senator Kennedy stood with SEIU members on countless picket lines and contract negotiations. He stood with millions of hardworking immigrants and SEIU members to call for comprehensive immigration reform in 2005. He stood with workers fighting for a voice on the job by championing the Employee Free Choice Act. And until his final days he stood with SEIU healthcare workers and other workers to win access to affordable healthcare for all Americans.

"Thirty nine years ago, Senator Kennedy introduced his first bill to overhaul our nation's broken healthcare system and provide affordable coverage to all Americans. We stand closer now than ever before to achieving what Senator Kennedy called the cause of his life.

"Let us continue his cause. Let us take action this year to pass healthcare reform. And let us continue to make Kennedy's vision for America a reality."

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