Jimmy Carter: Ted Kennedy Killed My Health Bill

CNN.com:

The late Sen. Ted Kennedy is widely hailed for devoting his political career to the cause of providing health care to all Americans. But in an interview set to air on 60 Minutes Sunday, former President Jimmy Carter says Kennedy is the one to blame for delaying legislation to provide such care. 

"The fact is that we would have had comprehensive health care now, had it not been for Ted Kennedy's deliberately blocking the legislation that I proposed," Carter told CBS correspondent Lesley Stahl. "It was his fault. Ted Kennedy killed the bill."

Carter said Kennedy blocked the bill out of spite in advance of the Massachusetts senator's unusual, yet ultimately unsuccessful 1980 bid to unseat him.

"He did not want to see me have a major success in that realm of life," Carter said.


Kennedy at the time was pressing for a health care program run by the federal government, comparable to the so-called "public option" that many progressives fought for last year. Carter preferred to enact smaller changes over time to improve the existing health care system, similar to the legislation signed by President Obama in March. In the end, both of their plans failed to gain traction and the issue was put on the back burner when Ronald Reagan was elected president.

The liberal myth of Ted Kennedy The Great Crusader gets exposed for the BS that it really is.

Bill Maher Goes After Obama For Oil Spill, Ted Kennedy For Chappaquiddick

Shocker. Wonder who spiked Maher's kool-aid?

Politiks As Usual: In The News 2/15/10

ClimateGate: What Did Phil Jones Actually Admit? Was He Correct?

Counterterrorism Czar Brennan Draws Fire For Comments On Gitmo Recidivism

General: U.S. 'Deeply Regrets' Afghan Civilian Deaths

Is This Former Stay-at-Home Mom Our Greatest Security Threat?

The ACLU Giveth, The ACLU Taketh Away

The Re-Invention Of Mitt Romney

Actress Anne Hathaway Leaves Catholic Church To Media Cheers

Is The 'Gay' Fix In On Prop. 8?

Cheney: Biden 'Dead Wrong' On Al-Qaida Threat

Rep. Patrick Kennedy 'Taking A New Direction,' Leaving Congress

Cut From "American Idol", But Thrilled For Chance To Spread Pro-life Message

Desperate Obama To Campaign For Martha Coaxley In Bid To Keep 'Ted Kennedy's Seat'

NYTimes.com:

In a last-ditch effort to avert a debacle for the Democrats, the White House announced that President Obama would campaign here on Sunday for Martha Coakley, the Democratic Senate candidate, amid growing signs that the race for Edward M. Kennedy’s Senate seat has become too close to call.

With a new Suffolk University/7 News poll showing the race in a virtual tie, the announcement is fraught with political peril for Mr. Obama — particularly if Ms. Coakley loses the seat to the Republican, State Senator Scott Brown. Nonetheless, the president’s advisers concluded that Mr. Obama’s fortunes were already tied to the outcome of the race, so there was no reason to keep him away from Massachusetts.

The special election for the seat is on Tuesday. Several polls in recent days indicated that Ms. Coakley was losing an earlier lead, and the Suffolk poll showed Mr. Brown with 50 percent of the vote and Ms. Coakley with 46 percent, a result within the poll’s four percentage point margin of sampling error.

Mr. Obama has already urged Democrats to the polls in a video message and recorded telephone messages. But with his principal domestic policy initiative at stake — Mr. Brown has already said he would be the 41st and crucial vote against the health care bill — the president decided to risk embarrassment and hit the stump.

Wow, but I guess Barry was left with no choice but to help this chick out. Martha Coakley's taken this whole race for granted, making a half-hearted effort to campaign for a senator's seat because she's a Democrat. Too bad for her, we're in 2010, not 2009....liberals can't blame George W. Bush for everything anymore, Americans aren't seeing any "change" (much less "hope) and this race has a lot riding on the line, more specifically Barry's legacy. Only problem here is that someone may need to remind Barry that he's nowhere near as popular as he was a year ago. Indeed, the Teleprompter-In-Chief's reassured charm and smugness isn't working on Americans anymore, just ask outgoing governor Jon Corzine, who Barry pushed for heavily to get re-elected in liberal New Jersey last month, and still lost. Now Obama's faced with the risk of totally humiliating himself if somehow Scott Brown beats Coakley next week, his whole presidency goes in the mud, much less no more health care reform. Funny that.

Rep. Senate Candidate Scott Brown On How Health Care Has Become Main Issue In Race Against Martha Coakley

"Well, with all due respect it's not the Kennedys' seat, and it's not the Democrats' seat, it's the people's seat." - Line of the Year

Politiks As Usual: In The News 9/28/09

Unemployment Rate For Young Hits 52.2 Percent

Bill Clinton Changes Mind On Gay Marriage, Echoes "Right-Wing" Conspiracy

Social Security Swamped By Early Retirement Claims From Seniors

Dozens Of Pastors Challenge IRS Rules

Def. Sect. Robert Gates: Mistake To Set Afghan Withdrawal Timelines

NYTimes Admits It Blew ACORN Story

Mike Huckabee Shows Republicans The Way

ABC Serves Up 'Family' With PC Message, More Pro-Gay Propaganda

Mass. Democrats Make A Hash Of The 17th Amendment

Dramatic Increase In Americans Declaring No Religion

Finally Exposed: The Scientific Impossibility Of Evolution

Poll: Big Majorities Say Objective Media Is Dead & That Media Back Obama

Curt Schilling For Ted Kennedy's Seat?

AP:

Former Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling said Thursday the chances of him running to replace Democrat Edward M. Kennedy in the U.S. Senate are "slim to none" but he will not rule it out.

The three-time World Series champion said he retired from baseball in March to spare his family the downside of the public spotlight. He has also invested millions in his fledgling video-gaming business, 38 Studios.

Yet the 42-year-old told a Boston radio station that Massachusetts is in "desperate" need of fresh political blood.

"This state, next to Illinois, is probably looked on as one of the most corrupt, laughable political scenes in the nation, and it should be just the opposite," he said during one of his regular appearances on WEEI-AM, a sports radio station. "I think there's so much broke here, that the fixing piece, I don't think you'd have to look very hard to pick up the pieces of debris and start to reform and fix it."

While Schilling has never run for or held political office, he said it's an asset because he's unencumbered by special interest connections.

"My credentials are that I have no baggage," he said.

During his baseball career Curt Schilling was well-known for being a big game pitcher who often spoke out of both sides of his mouth. So who knows how serious he is about going after Kennedy's chair. But one thing's certain: Curt Schilling is hella popular in Massachusetts and he or just about anybody would be a better replacement for Ted Kennedy than any choice made by woefully incompetent Kennedy groupie and radically-Left Gov. Deval Patrick.

Unlike Liberal Media, Ted Kennedy Thought Mary Jo Kopechne's Death Was "Inexcuseable"

So he claimed in his memoirs:

Sen. Edward M. Kennedy wrote in a memoir being published this month that he made terrible decisions after the 1969 car crash that killed Mary Jo Kopechne, but said he was never romantically involved with her and was haunted by that night for his entire life.

He also wrote in "True Compass" that he accepted the conclusion that a lone gunman assassinated his brother President John F. Kennedy.

The memoir is to be published Sept. 14 by Twelve, a division of the Hachette book group. The 532-page book was obtained early by The New York Times and the New York Daily News.

In it, Kennedy said his actions on Chappaquiddick Island on July 18, 1969, were "inexcusable." He said he was afraid and "made terrible decisions" and had to live with the guilt for more than four decades.

Kennedy drove off a bridge into a pond. He swam to safety, leaving Kopechne in the car.

Kopechne, a worker with slain Sen. Robert F. Kennedy's campaign, was found dead in the submerged car's back seat 10 hours later. Kennedy, then 37, pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident and got a suspended sentence and probation.

After Ted Kennedy's passing the liberal media tried to paint him as a saint, whitewashing his legacy while treating Mary Jo Kopechne's death as nothing more than a blip on the screen that got in the way of Kennedy possibly becoming President. Indeed, the leftist Huffington Post writer Melissa Lafsky even went so far as to callously suggest that Kopechne may've thought her being left to die was "worth" Kennedy's future work. But if his memoirs are to be taken factually, funny that Ted kennedy turns out to be a much more honest person than the people who worshipped him.

Democrats Use Ted Kennedy's Funeral To Push Healthcare Reform, Use Kids As Props

These bastards have no shame, none whatsoever:




Americans clearly don't like Obama's and the Left's proposals on healthcare reform and that point needs to be emphasized by conservatives. Then too the fact that the Left, and their minions in the press are using Kennedy’s death to force passage of ObamaCare is reprehensible. No bill should be passed for someone’s memory. And the more the Left continues to go down this route, the more they're guaranteed to turn people off.

Liberal Media Ignores Obama Insults At Ted Kennedy

Not always the bosom buddies they want you to pretend they were:

As President Obama continues to bask in the reflected glow of late Sen. Ted Kennedy's veneration, the serious run-in that Obama had with Kennedy – which nearly cost him his endorsement – has been widely overlooked.

The tiff first came to light in the Boston Globe's extensive biography, Last Lion: The Fall and Rise of Ted Kennedy.

It seems that in 2003 Obama, then a little-known Illinois state senator, uttered one of his infamous, off-the-cuff gaffes -- on camera.

Speaking to a gathering of AFL-CIO members, Obama said Democrats needed to "get some backbone" and reject the Medicare prescription-drug benefit bill that recently had been introduced. Not surprisingly, Obama thought the reforms the bill offered weren't drastic enough.

As told in Last Lion, Obama urged union members: "We've got to call up Ted Kennedy and say, 'Ted, you're getting a little old now, and you've been a fighter for us before. I don't know what's happening now. Get some spine and stand up to Republicans.'"

That an unknown Illinois rabble-rouser would dare to berate Kennedy on his signature issue of healthcare reform -- in front of a union meeting no less – apparently drove Kennedy to distraction.

So five years later, when Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin started lobbying Kennedy to endorse Obama over Hillary Clinton, Kennedy made him sit down and watch the video of Obama shooting from the lip.

Of greatest interest to historians, however, may be Durbin's account of Obama's reaction.

"I didn't say that," Obama insisted when Durbin told him why Kennedy was upset.

"Barack," Durbin replied, "it's on the video."

Desperately needing the mainstream acceptance a Kennedy endorsement would bring, Obama had no choice: He visited the Senate's liberal lion and personally apologized.

"It was a stupid thing to say," Obama told Kennedy, according to the Globe's account.

Ted Kennedy Liked To "Joke" About Mary Jo Kopechne's Death

Sick:

Mark Hemingway at the Corner followed up on an item at Jules Crittenden's blog late last night.

What perked Hemingway's interest was Mr. Crittenden's relay of the following yesterday concerning an exchange during NPR's Diane Rehm Show:

Newsweek’s Ed Klein (told interviewer) Katty Kay about Kennedy’s love of humor. How the late senator loved to hear and tell Chappaquiddick jokes, and was always eager to know if anyone had heard any new ones. Not that Kennedy lacked remorse, Klein quickly added, seeming to intuit that my jaw and perhaps those of other listeners had just hit the floorboards. I gather it was a self-deprecating maneuver on Kennedy’s part, exercised with the famous Kennedy charm, though it sounds like one of those “I guess you had to have been there” things.

Hemingway went and listened. There is a 1:40 YouTube posted of what he heard.

Here is the transcript of that clip, without wrap-up niceties:

Kay: Ed Klein, that's what I'm hearing today, that people are sad at his passing, and yet celebrating this huge life and its huge long list of accomplishments.

Klein: I think he'd be the last person who would want us, those he's left behind, to, um, be, uh, morose and, and full of bathos. I think he, he --

Kay: He would come in with a big guffawing laugh and make us laugh too.

Klein: He would, yes. You're so right, he would. And he'd probably have a joke to tell as well.

Kay: At his own expense.

Klein: Well y'know, he, I don't know if you know this or not but, one of his favorite topics of humor was indeed Chappaquiddick itself. And he would ask people, "have you heard any new jokes about Chappaquiddick?"

I mean, that is just the most amazing thing. It's not that he didn't feel remorse about the death of Mary Jo Kopechne (background music begins building), but that he still always saw, um, the other side of everything and the ridiculous side of things, too.

Kay: Ed Klein, former foreign editor of Newsweek, and author of a new book on Ted Kennedy.

Beyond observing that a post-mortem observation such as this about a conservative would be front-page and top-story material almost anywhere and everywhere, I would rather not comment on this, as it pretty much speaks for itself. I don't want that to stop others, not that I could.

Bill O'Reilly Speaks The Truth On Ted Kennedy's Legacy

Like night following day, the liberal media is literally gushing over the life and legacy of late Senator Ted Kennedy. Thank goodness, we have O'Reilly and FOX to give us a more fairer assessment of the "liberal lion":

Mitt Romney To Run For Ted Kennedy's Senate Seat?

USNews.com:

Though it may be hard to see at first, the passing of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts may have a profound impact on 2012's race for the GOP presidential nomination.

Back when Sen. John F. Kerry was his party's presidential nominee, the Massachusetts Legislature—which is overwhelmingly dominated by Democrats—changed the law to require that a special election be held after a vacancy occurs in one of its U.S. Senate seats rather than allow Republican

Gov. Mitt Romney to make an appointment if Kerry had won.

The law is still that way today. (As he lay dying, Kennedy asked the state's political leaders, now that a Democrat was the commonwealth's chief executive, to revert to the previous method of picking a replacement.) And that means voters in Massachusetts will go to the polls, unless the law is changed soon, sometime in the next few months to pick a replacement for Kennedy.

Surprisingly enough, this brings things back full circle to Romney, who up to now has been busy laying the groundwork for another presidential bid in 2012. It would be an intriguing thing if, after waiting a day or two out of respect for the late senator, Romney were to downshift and announce he will be a candidate in the upcoming election to fill Kennedy's vacant Senate seat.

Such an announcement would likely be embraced immediately by the Republicans, who would like almost nothing more than to deny Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada his new, hard-won, 60-vote, filibuster-proof majority. As a self-funding candidate who has already been elected once statewide, Romney has nearly 100 percent name ID. And, in an environment where President Obama seems to be dragging the Democrats down, he would be a serious threat to the Democratic hegemony in Massachusetts's congressional delegation. Meaning Romney likely would win.

If he did, Romney would then have a platform to actually introduce legislation modeled on the proposals he put forward as a presidential candidate in 2008 and planned to put forward in 2012. No guesswork. No empty rhetoric. Real ideas, on the Senate floor, that could be evaluated, debated, and perhaps even voted on.

From the Senate floor, Romney could show his fellow Republicans, and the country, just what kind of president he would be. How he would approach national problems. As an added political benefit, it would give him the opportunity to establish true conservative bona fides allowing him to finally overcome the suspicions many conservatives in the GOP's primary electorate still harbor about him. Rather than tie him down, Romney could actually use the Senate seat to lock up the GOP nomination in 2012.

Romney had a great term as governor of Massachusetts, but I don't see him going for a Senate seat what with presidential prospects still in the air.

Ted Kennedy R.I.P.

Never liked the man, rarely agreed with his policies, much less the Left's whitewashing of his legacy. But we're better than them...so respect due to his courage in battling brain cancer and prayers to his family and loved ones for thier loss.

40th Anniversary Of Mary Jo Kopechne's Death Passes With Little Mention From Liberal Press

Ailing "liberal lion" Ted Kennedy is using his battle against brain cancer to make emotional pitches for health care reform. And the media is playing right along with him as both ABC and NBC have enlisted Kennedy for support in lieu of Barry's quest to socialize the health care industry. It's no secret that liberals has been in love with Kennedy for years, long portraying the man as devoted to service, while arrogantly dismissing the fact that 40 years ago Ted Kennedy left a friend to die:

"She would’ve turned 69 on July 26. She probably would’ve been married, had children, and maybe even grandchildren. But because of Senator Ted Kennedy’s actions 40 years ago today, Mary Jo Kopechne’s life and potential were extinguished along with what little integrity Kennedy had left."

Thus begins Sean O'Donnell's column, "Remembering Ted Kennedy's drive on Chappaquiddick 40 years ago today". Sean is the Baltimore Republican Examiner, and his articles are always well worth a look.

The aspect of the case that has always bothered many Republicans is the craven hypocrisy exhibited in this case by Kennedy and his many supporters. There are many aspects of the Kopechne case that appear to show criminal acts, and yet the power and money of the Kennedy family was wielded in a way that seemed to cover up an investigation that anyone other than Ted Kennedy would have had to endure. Kennedy is touted by his supporters as the "liberal lion", always on the side of the powerless, and yet, when the situation involves someone who is truly powerless, Kennedy's actions reveal him to be the most cynical and calculating of all politicians.

Ted Kennedy Uses Matthew Shepard To Push 'Hate Crimes' Bill

WorldNetDaily.com:

A bill that would provide federal money to train law enforcement officers to identify and criminally prosecute speech and thought offensive to homosexuals has been introduced into the U.S. Senate, matching a House-approved bill that critics fear will be used to crack down on biblical teachings.

The proposal, from Democratic Sens. Edward Kennedy and Patrick Leahy, aligns with H.R. 1913, which was approved in the U.S. House yesterday.

It denies protections to classes of citizens such as pastors, Christians, missionaries, veterans and the elderly that would be granted to homosexuals and those with gender issues.

It it named the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act after a Wyoming homosexual who was killed in a horrific robbery and beating in 1998.

It also provides money "to improve the education and training

of local officials to identify, investigate, prosecute and prevent hate crimes."

Kennedy described "hate crimes" as "especially poisonous."

"They are acts of domestic terrorism that target whole communities, not just individuals," he claimed. "This bill will bring greater protection to our citizens and much-needed resources for state and local law enforcement to fight these vicious crimes."

Well, this was bound to happen: use of the Matthew Shepard hoax to expand Hate Crime legislation. Rep. Virginia Foxx recently got into some hot water with liberals for daring to mention that Shepard's homosexuality had nothing to do with his being killed (a point that was confirmed by a ABC News report several ago). And the gay lobby has been exploiting Shepard's death for awhile, practically turning the kid into a martyr, just so the likes of Ted Kennedy can attempt to silence Christians. Amazing.

Caroline Kennedy Takes Herself Out Of Senate Bid

NYTimes.com:

Caroline Kennedy has withdrawn from consideration for the vacant Senate seat in New York, according to a person told of her decision.

On Wednesday she called Gov. David A. Paterson, who will choose a successor to Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton. Her concerns about Senator Edward M. Kennedy’s deteriorating health (he was hospitalized after suffering a seizure during President Obama’s inaugural lunch on Tuesday ) prompted her decision to withdraw, this person said. Coping with her uncle’s condition was her most important priority, a situation not conducive to starting a high profile public job.

Mr. Paterson had indicated to her that the job was hers if she would accept it, the person said.

She was planning to issue a statement on Wednesday evening.

Good. She wasn't at all qualified to be Senator, sounded like a second-grader when she spoke publicly and came out of nowhere so she sneak in on the back her last name, a surname that's inexplicably treated like its royalty by liberals. But then it's outrageous that Caroline Kennedy was even considered for the job, New Yorkers should remember that when David Paterson comes up for re-election.

Caroline Kennedy Has No Business Being Senator Of New York

Liberals are gushing about Caroline Kennedy's interest in replacing Hillary Cilnton in the New York State Senate. Why? Because she's a Kennedy, that's why. And according to liberals, as long as you're a Kennedy you have a right to whatever it is you want:

While Caroline Kennedy is maintaining her public silence about whether she wishes to succeed Senator Hillary Clinton, her uncle, Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts, has been working behind the scenes on her behalf, according to Democratic aides.

In recent days the Massachusetts senator has called Gov. David A. Paterson and Senator Charles E. Schumer, as well as Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey, who took over last month as head of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee when Mr. Schumer stepped down.

Mr. Kennedy’s message, according to Democratic aides who were not authorized to discuss the conversations, is that Ms. Kennedy — backed by the Kennedy family’s extensive fund-raising network — would have the wherewithal to run back-to-back costly statewide races without having to seek help from Mr. Paterson or Mr. Schumer.

The ability to raise significant money is a key concern for Mr. Paterson, who has been deluged from every direction by politicians interested in the seat, which the governor is expected to fill early next year. Whoever is chosen will have to run in 2010 and again two years later.

Efforts to reach Ms. Kennedy on Monday were unsuccessful. A spokesman for Senator Kennedy declined to comment.

Funny how the liberal press never seems to be able to bring up what Mary Jo Kopechne's family thinks about the great Kennedy legacy. Surely they remember Mary Jo? The young lady and ol' family friend of the Kennedy's who was left to die in Cowardly Lion Ted's submerged car in a freezing river one July night of 1969. Boy would political news aficionados like myself just love to know what a member of the Kopechne family thinks about the Kennedy legacy. But getting back to Caroline Kennedy's bullshit bid to serve as Senator of New York Via Handout...Governor Paterson needs to simply say no.

By rejecting Kennedy Paterson will be sending a strong message that basically says that just because you happen to be a member of some political dynasty doesn't give you a pass when you've never run for political office in your life. And that just because you were born with unlimited money and power to get whatever you want in life doesn't mean that you can just call up one day and entitle yourself to a Senate seat. I'm sure that if he looks hard enough David Paterson can find someone much more qualified and deserving of Hillary's seat. Because by appointing Caroline Kennedy to a Senate seat, Patterson would be disgracing himself along with the entire state of New York.

Politiks As Usual: In The News 5/19/08

Mike Huckabee Says He Wants To Be McCain's VP

Florida, Michigan Can't Save Hillary

John McCain Rebuffs Dr. James Dobson: Will Evangelicals Bolt?

Texas Megachurch Minister Caught In Internet Sex Sting

Barack Obama Looking Past Hillary To Battle McCain

Gay Marriage Opponents Vow To Fight Calif. Ruling; Gay Rights vs. Democracy

Ted Kennedy Awaits Results On Seizure

GOP Struggles To Reinvent Without Losing Itself

31,000 Scientists Who Reject Global Warming To Be Named Monday

"Indiana Jones" Debut Survives Cannes Critics

Politiks As Usual: In The News 5/12/08

Ted Kennedy Says No To Obama-Hillary Ticket

"I Heard That Obama Is A Muslim And His Wife's An Atheist"

Study: Stay-at-Home Mom Worth Nearly $117,000 A Year

As Losses Mount, GOP Begins Looking In The Mirror

U.S. Aid Flight En Route To Myanmar

The Ultimate Conservative Nightmare?

Michigan Supreme Court Rules Governments, Universities Can't Give Gays Health Benefits

R. Kelly's Pornography Trial Is Set To Begin In Chicago