Lexington, KY - The news of Senator Edward M. Kennedy's passing is not surprising but still sad for many Americans. On August 26, those of us who worked for Senator Kennedy reached out to current and former colleagues, thinking of our proudest or funniest moments with him. We were privileged to see how hard Senator Kennedy worked, how much he truly cared about important issues, and how he could be larger than life and profoundly personal at the same time. We placed the Kennedy family in our thoughts and prayers, as many did.
Statements of condolences and praise have poured in to Hyannisport from presidents and prime ministers across the globe, and in large part they recognize Senator Kennedy as a dear friend. In a career that spanned decades, Senator Kennedy had the opportunity to build relationships with the powerful and privileged. However, the common thread in virtually every aspect of his work was his tireless advocacy for the least powerful or privileged among us.
He began his career in the Senate fighting to repeal the poll tax. In the '60s, he led the fight for immigration rights for people from places other than Europe, helping America to become the most diverse nation on earth. In 1971, he sought help for the refugees of the Indo-Pakistani war. The next year, he led the development of the Women, Infants and Children program to help hungry families in poverty here at home. The program now serves nearly nine million people. He also fought for amendments to Title IX of the Civil Rights Act, which helped women and girls have equal access to extra-curricular activities in all schools.
In the '80s, he fought to change America's fair housing laws to include people with disabilities. In the '90s, he spearheaded the creation of the Ryan White CARE Act, which provided funding for treatment for people with AIDS and research to fight the disease. He also sponsored the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993, which prevented governments from passing laws that unintentionally interfered with a person's right to free exercise of religion.
In this decade, he fought for pay increases for our armed forces and additional support for military families. A veteran himself, and one who lost a brother in World War II, Kennedy understood more than most how military families bear enormous burdens in silence, and he worked diligently to be their champion.
No single essay can encapsulate the long list of his accomplishments or explain why so many of his colleagues call him "the greatest Senator." So much of what he did consisted of additions and changes to proposals that were flowing through the legislative process. Senator Kennedy's work continues to have an impact on every Kentuckian, every American, every day. His ideas are imprinted on our workplace safety laws, our food safety inspection infrastructure, our civil rights laws, and even our lines of defense against bioterrorism. And despite this nearly endless body of work, there is only one piece of legislation that actually bears his name - The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, which will dramatically expand service and volunteer opportunities for countless Americans.
Of course, the cause of Kennedy's professional life has been health care reform. He fought for funding for community health centers in 1966. He advocated for universal health care as early as 1969. He led the creation of the Children's Health Insurance Program, which has covered more than seven million children and will soon cover more than 11 million children. He wrote the law that makes health insurance more portable if you lose your job, as well as the law that expands Medicaid to cover children with special needs. He wrote legislation to ensure the safety and accuracy of mammograms. He more than doubled the budget of the National Institutes of Health. He wrote the law to address health disparities and provide more resources to areas that need them, including many of the rural areas of Kentucky. Earlier this year, he introduced legislation to comprehensively address cancer treatment and research. He spent the last few weeks of his life working from home, trying to pass legislation that would finally extend health coverage to the millions of Americans that need it but can't afford it.
Senator Kennedy's departure actually leaves the Senate more polarized, not less - despite his public reputation as an outspoken partisan. His proudest accomplishments always included a Republican co-sponsor. His colleagues on the other side of the aisle knew that despite whatever partisan rhetoric was being thrown about, he always provided a backchannel for quiet, good-faith negotiations on policy. Senators McCain and Hatch are already on record saying that Kennedy's presence would have made a health care compromise more likely.
There isn't a single senator - Republican or Democrat - that can fill this void immediately. This means the political parties may be even more entrenched on health care, pension, immigration and labor issues. However, Senator Kennedy was at his core an optimist who never stopped working. It's still possible that the colleagues he left behind in the Senate will continue to follow his lead, look past their differences, and pass the laws so many Americans need and deserve.
David Wescott is a vice president for APCO Worldwide, a global public affairs firm. He spent five years as an aide to Senator Edward M. Kennedy.