ABC Helps Orin Hatch Put Words in Kennedy's mouth "wouldn't want health care bill passed if it wasn't good" -- but Kennedy did think it was good
On ABC's World News, senior congressional correspondent Jonathan Karl stated that "Republicans, even those close to Senator [Ted] Kennedy, are not buying" the argument that health care reform should be passed to honor Kennedy's memory, then aired a clip of Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) claiming Kennedy "wouldn't want it passed if it wasn't good." But ABC did not note that Kennedy voted by proxy to pass the Senate HELP committee's health care legislation -- a bill Hatch criticized -- and advocated for progressive policies included in the bill, such as universal health care coverage and a public plan.
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From the August 27 broadcast of ABC's World News with Charles Gibson:
KARL: The most senior senator, Robert Byrd, said yesterday, "My heart and soul weeps" at the loss of Senator Kennedy and called for naming the health care bill after him, a view widely held among Democrats.
REP. EDWARD MARKEY (D-MA): Senator Kennedy's spirit will infuse the Congress towards the goal of providing coverage for all those people who he cared for.
KARL: The tactic has worked before. After the assassination of John Kennedy, President Johnson invoked his memory to revive the long-stalled civil rights bill.
TAD DEVINE (Democratic strategist): What President Johnson did then, by telling the Congress and the people of America that it was time to finish an unfinished agenda, was exactly the right thing to do. And I think it's the right thing to do again.
KARL: But Republicans, even those close to Senator Kennedy, are not buying it.
SEN. ORRIN HATCH (R-UT): Frankly, I'm getting a little bit upset at some of these people trying to take advantage of this and saying we now have to pass health care reform because of Ted. Well, Ted wouldn't want it passed if it wasn't good.
Kennedy voted for HELP bill, saying he "could not be prouder of our Committee"
Kennedy: "We have done the hard work that the American people sent us here to do." A Senate HELP committee press release announcing its July 15 passage of The Affordable Health Choices Act stated:
"I could not be prouder of our Committee. We have done the hard work that the American people sent us here to do. We have considered hundreds of proposals. Where we have been able to reach principled compromise, we have done so. Where we have not been able to resolve our differences, we have treated those with whom we disagree with respect and patience," Chairman Kennedy said. "As we move from our committee room to the Senate floor, we must continue the search for solutions that unite us, so that the great promise of quality affordable health care for all can be fulfilled."
HELP bill includes public option, requirement that all Americans have health insurance. The bill includes a public option and a mandate that each American is covered by a health insurance plan. According to the press release's summary of the bill:
Shared responsibility requires that everyone -- government, insurance companies, medical providers, individuals and employers -- has a part in solving America's health care crisis. The Affordable Health Choices Act requires those businesses which do not provide coverage for their workers to contribute to the cost of providing publicly sponsored coverage for those workers. It includes an exception for small businesses.
The bill also includes a strong public option that responds to the wishes of the American people to have a clear alternative to for-profit insurance companies. Like private insurance plans The Community Health Insurance Option will be available through the American Health Benefit Gateway, a new way for individuals and small employers to find and purchase quality and affordable health insurance in every state.
Kennedy advocated for passage of HELP bill, called health care for all Americans "the cause of my life"
