Though Rep. John Dingell (D-MI) lost the chairmanship of the Energy and Commerce Committee late last year, he never lost the respect of his colleagues in the House. He was given the honorary title of Chairman Emeritus, and as a lifelong advocate of health care reform, House leaders had planned to ceremoniously name health care reform legislation after him.
With the news of Ted Kennedy’s death, though, he says that’s an accolade he’d be happy to share. “I want a bill,” Dingell insisted to me. “I don’t care who it’s named after. I have great respect for Teddy I would share any honor I get with him and do so happily.”
“You don’t count your chickens before they hatch,” Dingell warned, “and we have to do a bill before we name it after anybody.”
This morning, Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV)–the Senate’s longest serving member–called for health care reform legislation to bear Kennedy’s name.
Dingell and Kennedy go back decades, and would use their clout and negotiating skill to end rail strikes before that authority was taken out of their hands. More recently, though, Kennedy may have saved Dingell’s long political career.
It was 2002 and Dingell was facing a tough primary election against a fellow member of Congress, Democrat Lynn Rivers. Michigan had lost two congressional seats in reapportionment, and the Republican legislature, bent on making sure those two seats belonged to Democrats, all but forced the two to square off for the seat. During that race, Dingell invited Kennedy to speak for him at a dinner event at the Yack Arena in Wyandotte, MI.
Kennedy agreed. On one condition. “Teddy said he’d come but he wanted to bring his dog”–a Portugese Water Dog, which Dingell described as a “remarkable animal.”
Dingell assented, telling Kennedy, “we’ll even arrange a place for the dog in the program.” The above photo was taken at that dinner. Dingell would ultimately prevail with 59 percent of the vote.
