Chemo Will Keep Kennedy Out of Health Care Debate

(NEWSER) - Would-be health care reformers had a bad day yesterday, hitting a series of obstacles that makes hitting President Obama’s August deadline increasingly unlikely, Politico reports. The Senate Finance Committee said it wouldn’t have a package before the July 4 recess, and the Congressional Budget Office slapped a $1.3 trillion price tag on Ted Kennedy’s version of the bill, far more than most senators are comfortable with. More»

Dodd takes senator's place in meetings

(NEWSER) - Ted Kennedy's absence is being keenly felt as Senate Democrats and the White House prepare to move ahead on health care legislation without him, the Los Angeles Times reports. The senator, whom lawmakers from both sides had hoped could craft a bipartisan compromise, is being treated for a brain tumor and not expected back for another week or two; in the meantime, Connecticut's Chris Dodd is acting as his stand-in. More»

Dems' options if Brown wins not looking good

(NEWSER) - With polls showing the majority of Americans opposed to the Democrats' health care reform bill, a victory for Scott Brown in Massachusetts today could sound the death of the party's yearlong effort at health reform. If Dems try to proceed with the reforms in the wake of a Brown victory, the GOP will have a strong case that a liberal minority is ignoring the will of voters to push its own agenda, the Washington Post reports. More»

Candidates to succeed Kennedy cast selves as deciding vote

(AP) - The race to succeed the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy has turned into a proxy battle over the fate of President Obama's health care overhaul. The contest between Democrat Martha Coakley and Republican Scott Brown has coarsened with a week to go, as the two have cast themselves as custodians of the pivotal Senate vote to determine the bill's fate. More»

Kennedy's death left a void—and no one is stepping up to fill it

(NEWSER) - As Democrats fight among themselves over health care, it’s becoming painfully clear that they lack a clear public leader on the issue, writes Manu Raju for Politico. In part it’s because, with a number of House and Senate committees involved, there are too many cooks stirring the pot, and in part because there’s no Ted Kennedy-esque figure who commands respect. Liberals distrust Max Baucus; Chris Dodd, who stepped in for Kennedy and drafted a competing bill, is more focused on financial reform. More»