I got this via e-mail earlier this morning:

CPR Suspends Ad Campaign On News Of Senator Kennedy’s Passing, Statement from Rick Scott:

“With the sad news of Senator Kennedy’s passing Conservatives for Patients Rights is immediately suspending our ad campaign for health care reform out of respect to the Kennedy family as well as the Senator’s colleagues and supporters, to whom we extend our condolences. We know the debate will continue – a debate Senator Kennedy embraced with vigor – and we look forward to engaging in the debate in the months ahead. But now is a time for respect, reflection and remembrance. Senator Kennedy’s lifetime of dedicated public service transcended multiple generations. His devotion to many issues and his relentless passion made him a hero to his supporters and worthy adversary to his opponents. His voice and presence will be missed.”

It’s gracious of CPR and Rick Scott to pay their respects to the Kennedys, but that’s another issue entirely.  While Ted Kennedy made health-care reform his signature issue, the debate doesn’t hinge on Kennedy’s presence or non-presence.  It’s not a personal issue at all; it’s a national debate, and it continues today and every day while the ObamaCare proposal remains on the table.  Unless CPR’s ads specifically mentioned Kennedy — and I’m not sure why they would have — there’s nothing at all disrespectful about running them today or any other day, in relation to Kennedy’s death.

Broadcast networks can and will endlessly chew over Kennedy’s life over the next few days, but that doesn’t mean the rest of us can’t stick to business.  Let’s not indulge in the same personality-driven actions of the television stations.  Our health-care debate didn’t depend on Kennedy before now, and the very same issues remain just as vital today as they were yesterday.