Sen. Edward Kennedy's death leads us to reflect on his accomplishments. Bloomberg has some of the details:
....Kennedy was the dominant congressional figure in shaping U.S. health care, civil rights and education policy for decades, working to raise the minimum wage, overhaul immigration laws and allow 18-year-olds to vote....
....Former Senator Birch Bayh, 81, an Indiana Democrat first elected with Kennedy in 1962, said his colleague’s greatest legacy might have been his successful battles to remove obstacles to blacks who wanted to vote....
....Kennedy wrote more than 2,500 bills throughout his more than 46 years in the Senate, with several hundred becoming law, and cast more than 15,000 votes....
How many others can claim such a long list of legislative successes?
From Sen. Kennedy's official Senate website, there is info on Kennedy's Hispanic Legacy:
...In the absence of a national Hispanic political figure during the 45 years Kennedy has served in the Senate, he is the emotionally committed leader who has guided, mentored and fought for Latinos and immigrants. The affection for Kennedy among the Hispanic community and its political leaders runs deep...
....Kennedy’s first speech on the Senate floor was in support of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In the decades since, he has championed voting rights and fought discrimination against Hispanics, blacks, the disabled, gays and the elderly while also working to improve health care, education and labor standards.
Every immigration bill since 1965 has carried his name....
Sen. Kennedy worked hard to produce workable solutions to everyday problems. He helped minorities, women, and the disabled gain an equal share at the table. The unfinished part of his legacy is his work on health care. In his memory, we must pass health care reform.