Breaking: Kennedy Returns to the Senate for Medicare Vote; Cloture Passes 69-30

by Transplanted Texan, Wed Jul 09, 2008 at 05:04:07 PM EST

From The Hill:

Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) returned to the Senate Wednesday to cast the decisive vote on stalled Medicare legislation, making his first appearance in the chamber since he was diagnosed two months ago with brain cancer.

Huzzah for the bill, huzzah for Senator Reid's refusal to cave to the Republicans, and a triple huzzah for Senator Kennedy's strength and health!

Update [2008-7-9 17:13:21 by Jonathan Singer]: I'll be putting up some extended thoughts on the vote in a few minutes, but for those who haven't yet had a chance to see it, Think Progress has posted video of Kennedy's very emotional return to the Senate.

Update [2008-7-9 17:19:21 by Transplanted Texan]: The cloture vote was 69-30, so quite a number of Republicans flipped. The roll call vote is now available on Senate.gov. First Read has Kenendy's statement:

I return to the Senate today to keep a promise to our senior citizens -- and that's to protect Medicare. Win, lose or draw, I wanted to be here. I wasn't going to take the chance that my vote could make the difference. Medicare should not be a partisan issue. Illness and age know no party boundaries. The 44 million Americans who rely on Medicare to meet their health care needs are both Democrats and Republicans. Like all Americans, they have worked hard all their lives. They've raised their families. They've built our towns and cities and farmed the land. They've served in our military.

We owe them so much for the part they have played in making America a great country. So today I proudly cast this important vote for them -- a vote to keep the Medicare program strong and effective for the future.




Tags: Medicare, Ted Kennedy (all tags)

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Re: Breaking: Kennedy Returns (2.00 / 3)

Forgive the non-weekend post, but I'm a big Kennedy fan and had to rush the word out. How exciting!


The Wayward Episcopalian
by Transplanted Texan on Wed Jul 09, 2008 at 05:04:44 PM EST

Re: Breaking: Kennedy Returns (none / 0)

The Kennedy news is great ... Reid is a caver though


John McCain: Bush right to veto kids health insurance expansion
by Calvin Jones and the 13th Apostle on Wed Jul 09, 2008 at 05:11:24 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Breaking: Kennedy Returns (none / 0)

Generally, yes, but he didn't back down this time. It would have been very easy for he and Baucus to find their 60th vote if they had agreed to allow GOP amendments, but they refused.


The Wayward Episcopalian
by Transplanted Texan on Wed Jul 09, 2008 at 05:26:29 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Breaking: Kennedy Returns (2.00 / 1)

almost poetic that he should be able to return for this vote...hope he has a few more in him, but right now he needs his family


by zerosumgame on Wed Jul 09, 2008 at 05:22:01 PM EST
[ Parent ]

very important (none / 0)

Here is the Obama statement, provided for the sake of encouragement after his FISA betrayal.

"Today, the U.S. Senate took a major step forward in addressing the needs of seniors and military families all across this nation.  At a time when doctors are facing double digit increases in the costs of providing care, I am proud to have joined with my colleagues to stop a devastating cut in physician reimbursement that would have caused them to shut the door to many Medicare and Tricare beneficiaries.  John McCain has said that he would have opposed this bill, demonstrating yet again that he's more than willing to put the interests of the health insurance industry over our nation's 44 million seniors and 9 million uniformed service members," said Senator Barack Obama.


John McCain is a Bush ally on Social Security.
by John DE on Wed Jul 09, 2008 at 05:07:05 PM EST

Re: very important (none / 0)

There are appropriate Diaries for this...


"harlequin speech of suicide, demanding instantaneous lobotomy"
by nogo postal on Wed Jul 09, 2008 at 05:12:02 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: very important (none / 0)

Please explain how Obama's statement on the Medicare bill is inappropriate for a diary on the Medicare bill.


"Another problem we have...is that in election years we behave somewhat as primitive peoples do at the time of the full moon." --Harry Truman
by Steve M on Wed Jul 09, 2008 at 05:14:07 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: very important (none / 0)

Yes, and this would be that diary. Read before posting please.


"Who are you for? That is the wrong question. It should be who is for you?" HRC
by skohayes on Wed Jul 09, 2008 at 08:10:57 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Kennedy Returns (none / 0)

A Little more good news.  


by NewOaklandDem on Wed Jul 09, 2008 at 05:09:23 PM EST

McCain Unable to Continue Funding Blockade (none / 0)

A few days ago I wrote a diary about how McCain recently blocked this bill, by attending a fundraiser in Ohio and thereby preserving a Republican filibuster (his was the decisive vote that could have overcome that filibuster).  Well, today McCain is once again in Ohio, missing out on the FISA and Medicare votes, but this time cloture passed, 69-30.


by rfahey22 on Wed Jul 09, 2008 at 05:10:14 PM EST

Re: McCain Unable to Continue Funding Blockade (none / 0)

69 votes? That's great! I'm still waiting for senate.gov to post the roll call, but if we can sustain those votes, it'll be not just filibuster-proof but veto-proof.


The Wayward Episcopalian
by Transplanted Texan on Wed Jul 09, 2008 at 05:11:46 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: McCain Unable to Continue Funding Blockade (none / 0)

That's what I heard secondhand, I could be wrong.


by rfahey22 on Wed Jul 09, 2008 at 05:13:49 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: McCain Unable to Continue Funding Blockade (2.00 / 1)

Wait, 69-30, really?  That's NINE votes (not counting Reid or Kennedy) that flipped from the previous cloture vote.

Sounds like a heck of a lot of cowardly Republicans who were happy to filibuster the bill when they could get away with it, but once the die was cast they didn't want to go on record as being against the Medicare bill.  I sure hope we manage to hang that earlier filibuster around their necks.


"Another problem we have...is that in election years we behave somewhat as primitive peoples do at the time of the full moon." --Harry Truman
by Steve M on Wed Jul 09, 2008 at 05:13:25 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Breaking: Kennedy Returns to the Senate for Me (none / 0)

Cloture failed on this bill on June 26 by a vote of 59-39 (60 votes are needed), with Kennedy and McCain absent.  So that's pretty neat that they arranged to bring it up again with Sen. Kennedy there this time.  Hope he is doing well.


"Another problem we have...is that in election years we behave somewhat as primitive peoples do at the time of the full moon." --Harry Truman
by Steve M on Wed Jul 09, 2008 at 05:11:21 PM EST

Re: Breaking: Kennedy Returns to the Senate for Me (none / 0)

He came down specifically for this vote. He wasn't supposed to return until September. This really speaks to his convictions, methinks!


The Wayward Episcopalian
by Transplanted Texan on Wed Jul 09, 2008 at 05:16:17 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Breaking: Kennedy Returns to the Senate for Me (2.00 / 1)

I am pretty sure Sen. Kennedy's conviction on issues like Medicare is beyond question regardless.


"Another problem we have...is that in election years we behave somewhat as primitive peoples do at the time of the full moon." --Harry Truman
by Steve M on Wed Jul 09, 2008 at 05:30:02 PM EST
[ Parent ]

God Bless Ted Kennedy (2.00 / 3)

Imagine how this country would be if every Democrat had the courage and commitment he had.


by ArkansasLib on Wed Jul 09, 2008 at 05:11:45 PM EST

Re: Breaking: Kennedy Returns to the Senate for Me (none / 0)

Screw Mitch..


"harlequin speech of suicide, demanding instantaneous lobotomy"
by nogo postal on Wed Jul 09, 2008 at 05:12:44 PM EST

Re: Breaking: Kennedy Returns to the Senate for Me (none / 0)

woah! even Cornyn voted yea.


by alyssa chaos on Wed Jul 09, 2008 at 05:26:46 PM EST

Re: Breaking: Kennedy Returns to the Senate for Me (2.00 / 2)

Guess who's up for election in November?

I hope Noriega finds a way to let people know that Cornyn voted to filibuster the bill once, then cravenly switched his vote in order to appear pro-Medicare once the Democrats found enough votes to win.  No way should he be allowed to get away with this stunt.


"Another problem we have...is that in election years we behave somewhat as primitive peoples do at the time of the full moon." --Harry Truman
by Steve M on Wed Jul 09, 2008 at 05:29:33 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Breaking: Kennedy Returns to the Senate for Me (2.00 / 1)

Cornyn lost some major endorsment mojo over that original vote, so I'm sure word will get out.


The Wayward Episcopalian
by Transplanted Texan on Wed Jul 09, 2008 at 05:31:39 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Breaking: Kennedy Returns to the Senate for Me (none / 0)

I want to see a political cartoon that shows Kennedy, a giant, towering over the 9 despicable, cowardly, lower-than-snail-slime Republifucks who switched their votes only when they realized cloture was inevitable.

My how these people disgust me. I should be mellowing as I get older. Why is my loathing for Mitch McConnell way more than what I felt for Nixon?


by Bob Miller on Wed Jul 09, 2008 at 06:12:59 PM EST

Re: Breaking: Kennedy Returns to the Senate for Me (none / 0)

Nixon was worse, but McConnell stands at a time when less does more.


The Wayward Episcopalian
by Transplanted Texan on Thu Jul 10, 2008 at 09:49:04 AM EST
[ Parent ]

69-30 (none / 0)

I like that the only Senator who didn't vote was McCain, way to not do your job.  This is the guy Republicans think will "be ready on day one"?


by goodleh on Thu Jul 10, 2008 at 12:56:01 PM EST

Re: 69-30 (none / 0)

I don't think he's voted since January.


The Wayward Episcopalian
by Transplanted Texan on Thu Jul 10, 2008 at 06:01:57 PM EST
[ Parent ]


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