The American Spectator : The Spectacle Blog : The Ted Kennedy Approach to Health Care

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The Spectacle Blog

The Ted Kennedy Approach to Health Care

By W. James Antle, III on 8.27.09 @ 11:57AM

Over on the main site, Jeffrey Lord argues that conservatives would not be honoring Ted Kennedy by letting the Democrats ram through a health care bill. Another point to consider is that this is not the approach Kennedy himself usually used in passing important legislation, especially on health care. He preferred to find at least a small number of Republicans in order to pass an incremental bill in a bipartisan way -- see Kennedy-Kassebaum and his partnership with Orrin Hatch on SCHIP.

That's not to say Ted Kennedy wouldn't have preferred the biggest-government health care plan possible, or even that his incremental pieces of legislation were good policy. But people talking about the Ted Kennedy way are ignoring a lot of what made him not just a liberal ideologue but also a successful legislator.

View all comments (10) | Leave a comment

Tim| 8.27.09 @ 2:35PM

Ted Kennedy's healthcare, blah, blah. How about Ted Kennedy's (death) tax break? The Kennedy's will be benefitting from it just before it , um, expires. In honor of Ted they should extend it...

Indiana Alex| 8.27.09 @ 3:34PM

The American Aristocracy know how to avoid death taxes, which his how the Kennedy money had stayed in the family for so long.

More money for me and less for thee.

Alan Brooks| 8.27.09 @ 3:47PM

There is something to be said for health care for the unborn.

Alan Brooks| 8.27.09 @ 3:50PM

Aristocracy? well, better the rich run our lives than Commies. or Fascists.

there is no good democracy, just democracy better than the nightmarish alternatives.

MattSwartz| 8.27.09 @ 6:59PM

The Ted Kennedy approach to Health Care?

Do you mean that now everyone gets to fly in the world's leading specialist on an afternoon's notice when they have a stroke at 77?

And then take over a wing of the hospital and bring in a big screen in order to hold a lobster feast for everyone while they convalesce?

Sign me up. The Ted Kennedy plan sounds amazing.

Alan Brooks| 8.27.09 @ 9:18PM

Health care? if politicians don't use coke then they'll stay healthier.

Alan Brooks| 8.27.09 @ 9:20PM

...snorting coke does not lower the cost of health insurance.

MattSwartz| 8.27.09 @ 11:18PM

Health care? if politicians don't use coke then they'll stay healthier.

Politicians have to look good, though.

Cocaine keeps you slim and does wonders for the skin. You've never seen a cokehead with pimples, I guarantee it.

yeswecan | 8.28.09 @ 7:38AM

Rep.Roy Blunt from Mo. introduced an amendment to the Obamacide health plan that said Rep.,Sen.,People,would all get the same health care.It was kicked out immediately.So Ted Kennedy's way can go to hell with him.

MattSwartz| 8.28.09 @ 9:13AM

I'm not implying anything about Kennedy and Cocaine. I don't know anything about that, and I don't want to drop any innuendo on the recently departed.