The Mudflats

The blogosphere is full of tributes to Senator Ted Kennedy today. The left is mourning. Some on the right are not. Ted Kennedy was a consummate negotiator. He never gave up without a fight, and he knew what was right. He lived a life of privilege, fiercely devoted to serving those who did not. I was reading the comments from Sarah Palin’s facebook page, and over on Fox News. I wondered to myself how it was possible that the very people that Kennedy fought for all his life, to give them a living wage, and to give them the same health care he enjoyed as a U.S. Senator could be full of such vitriol.

And something else hit me. In between all the “may he rot in Hell” entries, there were some commenters who worried that his death would cause the liberals to get off the couch and take action for health care reform. And I think opponents of reform should be worried. Whenever there is a death, people struggle for meaning, and the strong ones realize that the only way through grief is to make that death mean something – to take its tragedy and turn it into something hopeful. Each death is a gift. It forces us to stand back and look at our life as a fragile, fleeting thing that may end at any moment. It forces us to be grateful for all those things we didn’t think about the day before. It allows us to see things as they are, even if only for a while. Every day on Earth is a blessing and a unit of time that is full of potential to make it better, even for those people who work against us, and against their own self interest.

Ted Kennedy’s death marks the end of an era. But when eras end, new ones begin. Let’s take the best of what Ted Kennedy was and bring it forward. Every one of us needs to do something. In action there is comfort, and in fighting to make things better, there is meaning.

Our congressional delegation is getting ready to return to the belly of the beast.  They will be leaving the states of the people they represent, and heading off to work in the big marble bubble of Washington, D.C. We need to send them off with a clear message from their constituents.  Doing nothing about health care reform is not an option.  Accepting a bill without a STRONG public option is not an option either.  If you are in Anchorage, click HERE for details on a public event taking place on September 3, from 6-8pm.  Circle your calendar, and bring friends.

From Senator Begich’s office:

Sen. Begich believes it’s time to cut through the fog of misinformation surrounding health reform. Here’s what the bills pending in Congress won’t do:   legalize euthanasia, dismantle Medicare or come between you and your doctor. That’s the senator’s message in a guest column being distributed to Alaska newspapers as opponents of reform use scare tactics. Sen. Begich believes change is necessary because the status quo is unacceptable. U.S. health spending accounts for more than a 6th of all economic output and, if unchecked, is projected to eat up one-third of the economy for the next generation. Despite all this spending, 47 million Americans don’t have health insurance, including 116,000 Alaskans. The senator favors reform with these provisions: no discrimination for pre-existing conditions; no outrageous out-of-pocket expenses; no cost-sharing for preventative care like checkups; no dropping of coverage for the seriously ill; no gender discrimination; no annual or lifetime caps on coverage; and young adults will continue to be eligible for family coverage through age 26. Senator Begich will next hear from Alaskans in a Fairbanks health care reform public meeting Sept. 26.

He has stopped short of saying that he will only support a bill with a good public option and has cast himself in the “Maybe” column.  I was at his Town Hall meeting about health care back in June.  That’s when the people who showed up actually cared about health care reform, and the room wasn’t populated by those instructed to show up andt shout down debate. He asked people in the audience to raise their hands if they wanted a bill with a public option.  Over 90% of the people in the room raised their hands. I know he got the message once and it was loud and clear, but we need to give it to him again.  So show up at the meeting in Anchorage on September 3, or the meeting in Fairbanks on September 26, email, make a phone call, and make sure you are counted.

Senator Begich has said before that he doesn’t like to make decisions right away. He enjoys maximizing the debate and hearing from as many people as possible. He wants us to participate in our government. Let’s not disappoint him because I’m sure he’s hearing from the other side.

If you’re not in Alaska, send your representatives off with a message too. If you’ve done it already, then choose one of the wafflers and contact them. You may not live in their state, but they are making life and death decisions for you and your family. Click HERE to find out where your Senators stand. If they are going to vote for a public option, contact them anyway and thank them. They are surely hearing from the Town Hall Teabaggers. If they are “maybes” or “nos” watch that video of Ted Kennedy again and ask them if they accepted the government health care that came with their Senate Seat and if it’s working out for them. We hired them. If it’s good enough for them, it’s good enough for us.

So take Ted Kennedy’s gift. It’s the last one he’ll ever give us, and if it causes the change I think it can, it may be his greatest one.

“This is the cause of my life – new hope that we will break the old gridlock and guarantee that every American – north, south, east, west, young, old – will have decent, quality health care as a fundamental right and not a privilege.”

UPDATE:

Senator Kennedy’s last wish, which he wrote to the Massachusetts Legislature recently was that the Governor be allowed to appoint a temporary senator to fill his seat when he passed.  Keeping a strong progressive voice in that Massachusetts Senate seat will be critical to the health care debate, and there are those who will seek to put roadblocks up and keep the seat vacant for the next five months.  Please click HERE and sign a petition to the Massachusetts Legislature asking them to fulfill the Senator’s last wish.