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Posts Tagged ‘Senator Kennedy’
January 22nd, 2010 at 2:56 am
What a Difference a Week Makes
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One only has to go back to the first of the year to find conservatives distraught by the leftward lurch of Washington (if not the country).

What a difference the last week has made. A relatively conservative Republican won the Massachusetts U.S. Senate seat previously held by Ted Kennedy, the health care bill seems to be dying, the Supreme Court struck a stirring blow for free speech by eviscerating much of McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform, and now comes word that Ben Bernanke may not have the votes to be confirmed for another term as Chairman of the Federal Reserve.

Conservatives shouldn’t expect this good luck streak to continue unabated. The next year will be filled with contentious battles. Even a big Republican win in this year’s midterm elections won’t inexorably alter political reality. As the sudden reversal of fortune for Democrats show, big wins can be squandered quickly. Republicans will have to develop a positive alternative to the Obama Administration and the Democrats in Congress if they plan to consolidate their gains and be competitive in the 2012 presidential election.

There’s still much work to be done. But this week has been a good start.

September 24th, 2009 at 12:05 pm
60 Democratic Senators
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If you count Senator Robert Byrd, who is recovering in the hospital from a fall, Democrats now have a “filibuster proof” 60-seat majority in the U.S. Senate.

Today, as expected, Governor Deval Patrick (D-MA) picked Paul Kirk Jr. to serve as a temporary replacement for Senator Kennedy.  Kirk, like most of the rabble on the Hill, is a lawyer and once served as a health care lobbyist.  He will be sworn in this Friday.

Presumably, Kirk will have the easiest job in the Senate.  When a cloture motion is filed by the Democrats, vote for it.  Nice job to have if you were fortunate enough to work for Senator Kennedy and be well connected in the Bay State.

August 26th, 2009 at 11:11 am
Senator Edward M. Kennedy

Regardless of one’s political affiliation or ideology, today’s news of Senator Edward M. Kennedy’s passing is upsetting.   Kennedy, an unapologetic liberal — indeed, an icon on the Left –served more than 40 years in the United States Senate and was a fearsome advocate for the causes he took on.   Indeed, in the heat of more than a few legislative battles over the years, many in the center-right community found themselves cursing his name, while at the same time wishing he played for our team.

When I sat down this morning to write this post, I must confess that I was lost for words.  Then I stumbled upon Bill Bennett’s words on NRO’s The Corner.  Bennett wrote:

He assaulted our causes and nominees with vigor and rancor. Still, in his day he was a powerful orator — and historians will mark his speech to the 1980 Democratic convention as a high water mark and example. To his supporters, I simply give them his words, and leave the rest to historians:For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die.’ To the American Left, he was their lion. To the American conservative movement, he was our bane. But today, we put the politics aside and wish him and his family God’s peace.

R.I.P. Senator Edward M. Kennedy.