Kennedy´s Death May Mean Difficulties For Democrats To Pass Healthcare Legislation

During a period approaching 50 years, the late Senator Edward F. Kennedy worked without success to promote legislation that would function to reform the healthcare system and ultimately hopefully ensure coverage for every American.
According to one veteran political analyst, it is with great irony that his death may have brought about a change in tactics that possibly will help to reach the goal that he was unable to attain in life.

Norman Ornstein, an analyst with the American Enterprise Institute, recently told CNN that the departure of Kennedy may in fact have the effect of increasing the chance that a more sweeping healthcare bill may be achieved.

As Congress makes preparations to reconvene and resume the fight with regard to President Obama's number one domestic priority,
Democratic leaders are beginning to show concern over the ultimate effect of Kennedy's passing.

Kennedy was the chairman of the very important Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, and was the source of a potential 60th Democratic vote, that could be used to break any Republican attempt at a Senate filibuster.

In addition to this he was known as a highly valued negotiator, one who was able to craft compromises with political opponents no matter how difficult the issues.

Former presidential candidate and Senator from Arizona, John McCain describes him as having a unique way of being able to sit down with the opposing parties at a table and bring about the needed concessions, which really is the very essence of being a successful negotiator. Senator McCain was speaking on ABC's "This Week" program.

Publicly at least, the White House appears to be still pressing for a bipartisan compromise. There is a group of six Senate negotiators, three of whom are Democrats and three of whom are Republicans, which is working on a bill that would be able to win the sufficient numbers of votes from both sides of the aisle.

But Orenstein argues that Kennedy's death has the possibility of changing the Democratic calculations on how to advance from this point onward.

He says that the possibility that the Democrats have of passing a bill with 60 votes at this point, would require compromises and getting support from Republicans, and that the chances of this coming about have just dropped. He says that without Kennedy, the total Democratic votes available comes to 57 senators. There are two independents, Senators Joe Lieberman of Connecticut and Bernie Sanders from Vermont, who caucus with the Democrats.

There is one Democrat, and that is 91-year-old Senator Robert Byrd from West Virginia, who has health problems and who may not be able to play a role in the health care debate. Because the current law in Massachusetts does not allow for the state's Democratic governor to select an interim replacement for Kennedy, a special election is required to replace him and that will not take place for several months yet.