Odessa78
06-28-2012, 04:56 PM
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi on Thursday credited the late Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) with driving the success of the Democrats' healthcare law – even from his grave.
The California Democrat said Kennedy — who died of brain cancer in August 2009, months before the law passed — provided the inspiration for Democrats to continue fighting for the reforms, which the Supreme Court largely upheld Thursday in the face of constitutional challenges.
"I knew that when he left us he would go to heaven and help pass the bill," Pelosi told reporters in the Capitol. "And now he can rest in peace. His dream for America's families has become a reality."
After the ruling was announced, Pelosi said she called Vicki Kennedy, the senator's widow, as well as former-Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.), the late senator's son, to thank them "for the important role that he played — a lifetime of commitment — to making healthcare a right, not a privilege, in our country."
"He called it the great unfinished business of ... our society," she said.
Pelosi: Ted Kennedy helped pass health law from heaven, can now rest in peace - The Hill's Video (http://thehill.com/video/house/235329-pelosi-ruling-is-victory-for-americans)
The California Democrat said Kennedy — who died of brain cancer in August 2009, months before the law passed — provided the inspiration for Democrats to continue fighting for the reforms, which the Supreme Court largely upheld Thursday in the face of constitutional challenges.
"I knew that when he left us he would go to heaven and help pass the bill," Pelosi told reporters in the Capitol. "And now he can rest in peace. His dream for America's families has become a reality."
After the ruling was announced, Pelosi said she called Vicki Kennedy, the senator's widow, as well as former-Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.), the late senator's son, to thank them "for the important role that he played — a lifetime of commitment — to making healthcare a right, not a privilege, in our country."
"He called it the great unfinished business of ... our society," she said.
Pelosi: Ted Kennedy helped pass health law from heaven, can now rest in peace - The Hill's Video (http://thehill.com/video/house/235329-pelosi-ruling-is-victory-for-americans)