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As the late Senator Ted Kennedy was laid to rest this weekend, Democrats and Republicans are jockeying to interpret his legacy on health care. As debate over the issue continues, Democrats have suggested that the Senator from Massachusetts would have pushed hard for universal care and a public option. Republicans, on the other hand, have been quick to stress compromise as Kennedy’s attribute to remember. Meanwhile, on the issue of single payer reform, a number of Democrats who originally co-sponsored Representative John Conyer’s Bill, HR 676, had pledged not to vote on a similar bill next Congressional session. Locally, as the debate on the issue fluctuates, activist David Busch is unwavering in his water only fast for health care reform. Already on his tenth day, Busch pledges to remain outside the Los Angeles office of Senator Diane Feinstein until legislation on this issue is passed. Though Congress is currently recess, he hopes that health care reform can be passed as soon as early October. Senator Feinstein’s office has previously been the site of protests by advocates for a single payer system.

GUESTS: David Busch, local activist fasting for health care, Sandy Goldfarb, Southern California organizer with California Alliance for Retired Americans