Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Another Kennedy Loss

Edward Kennedy died late Tuesday night at home in Hyannis Port on Cape Cod, his family said in a statement. A malignant brain tumor was diagnosed in May 2008.

It is a sad time. Ted Kennedy was a strong, courageous man.

By the time of his death in Hyannis Port at the age of 77, he had 46 working years in Congress, time enough to leave his imprint on everything from the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act of 2009, a law that expands support for national community-service programs. Over the years, Kennedy was a force behind the Freedom of Information Act, the Occupational Safety and Health Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act. He helped Soviet dissidents and fought apartheid. Above all, he conducted a four-decade crusade for universal health coverage, a poignant one toward the end as the country watched a struggle with a brain tumor.

AP on comments by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger:

Schwarzenegger says he and his wife, Maria, are "immensely saddened" by the death of her "Uncle Teddy."

In a statement issued hours after the Massachusetts Democrat succumbed to brain cancer, the pair said he "was the rock of our family."

Kennedy's death came just two weeks after that of Maria Shriver's mother, Eunice Kennedy, one of the senator's siblings. He had attended her wake but was noticeably absent from her funeral, even though it was held near his Cape Cod home.

The governor said he has "personally benefited and grown" from Kennedy's experience and advice.

He also says the senator "taught us all that public service isn't a hobby or even an occupation, but a way of life."

On the political side:

Unlike most states, a successor to fill Sen. Edward Kennedy's seat in the Senate will be chosen through a special election, not by the governor.

Massachusetts law requires a special election for the seat no sooner than 145 days and no later than 160 days after a vacancy occurs. The law bans an interim appointee.

In a letter to state legislators, Kennedy asked that the governor be allowed to name an interim senator. The governor is a Democrat, which would guarantee any appointee would help maintain the party's 60-vote majority.

The request is critical to maintaining Democratic votes on health-care legislation that is moving through Congress and that has been a lifelong pursuit for Kennedy.

In the letter, dated July 2 and released Aug. 20, Kennedy also supported a special election. Such a contest likely will dramatically increase the number of competitors and create a political "domino" that could reach the precinct level of the Bay State, says Fred Bayles, director of Boston University's statehouse program.

Labels: ,

  • Written by: Christy
    • | 9:21 AM | 0 comment(s)!