Capitalizing On Death

Democrats have a grotesque way of turning the loss of one of their own into an opportunity. And those who depart seem to do so at just the right moment. With the American people furiously and vociferously resisting Obamacare, Democrats may begin calling it "Teddycare", something that the deceased senator unsuccessfully attempted to inflict on the people for over 40 years.

Even as the endless stream of Kennedy accolades rain down on us from all angles, surviving members of Congress and the president are positioning to play on the loss of Teddy in an unsavory display of opportunistic disgrace.

I am reminded of the death of Senator Paul Wellstone in October of 2002, and also of the dreadful "memorial service" the Democrats held in his honor. Struggling to hold onto control of the Senate at that time, and with the election only days away, speakers at Wellstone's memorial hijacked what should have been a somber moment and turned it into a pre-election pep rally.

On November 1st, 2002, Peggy Noonan wrote a story in the Wall Street Journal titled "No Class", in which she speculated on what Wellstone may have thought about that debacle. Written from the perspective of Wellstone's spirit, she had him admonishing those attendees about their judgement, pointing out that in his "new place", perspectives change. One must wonder what Kennedy has learned on his new journey, if anything yet. It's still early.

Aside from the obvious vulgarity in what the Democrats are poised to embark upon, however, is the inevitable tactical blunder in using an ailing and ultimately dead member of Congress in this way. People will understand all too well that Kennedy had the best health care our money could buy, and he still died. Holding him out as the poster child for universal health care will ultimately backfire.

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