« Jon Stewart: cable news a ‘brutish, slow-witted beast’
On the media-whipped PUMA phenom & a one-word directive: CHILL »
Thank You For Everything, Senator Kennedy
I’m more or less with Jazz on the political spouses thing, but wild horses wouldn’t have been able to drag me away from Senator Ted Kennedy’s valedictory last night.
For some people of a certain age, Kennedy will always be the rich drunk who drove off the Chappaquiddick Bridge and sent Mary Jo Kopechne to her watery death. For others like myself, he will always be the scandal-tarnished baby brother who would never follow in the footsteps of Jack or Bobby but nevertheless did great good.
In fact, Kennedy’s hands are all over virtually every major liberal Democratic legislative initiative of the past 45 years and a goodly number of bipartisan ones, as well. These include the 1980 Americans With Disabilities Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act.
Most of us do not remember Kennedy for his accomplishments because he has been, in his own way, self-effacing although there could be no more poignant a reminder of the greatness of this exemplar of noblesse oblige than when he received a sustained ovation and tears flowed copiously at the Pepsi Center last night — and at my home.
Click here for the video and text of this imperfect but great man’s valedictory.
opinions powered by SendLove.to
6 Responses to “Thank You For Everything, Senator Kennedy”
I give Teddy great credit for running against Jimmy Carter in 1980 and scotching that incompetent's run for a second term at POTUS. Kennedy & John Anderson did the country a favor by sending the failed peanut-farmer back to Georgia.
Plus the next POTUS did undermine the USSR enough to send it to a well-deserved extinction.
Kennedy is overrated and Shaun is overdoing it. Kennedy struggled last night (what would anyone expect, though?) and he is a dinosaur long past his time (and that is a warning about the political and economic agenda Obama and the Dems may seek — they deserve to lose if it is that retrogressive).
Still, it was good to see him. Caroline Kennedy could have added, “and sorry, you Country Club Republicans, but when it comes to the best parties and party stories, Teddy's your Senator, too.”
More seriously, it was Kennedy (still a powerful legislative insider in Congress) who likely was the first to make Obama's campaign serious or substantial. The only thing missing (he had nothing to lose) was for Kennedy to have been defiant and concluded by saying something like, “I'm a LIBERAL, and damn proud of it!”
(Note to Obama camp — be smart, and wait until after January to say that.)
Actually, the interesting thing during Kennedy's speech was who was shown the most often in the audience watching it, and him. She was without her spouse.
DLS- Even conservative Senators have admitted that Kennedy has been the most influential Senator in recent history. I don't think Shaun is overdoing it. You can disagree with the man's views but not with his contributions or motives which are documented throughout his long years of service.
He has been considered the #1 legislative wizard in Congress. I realize that.
I'm about to hit the road and will listen to what Thom Hartmann (lefty talk radio) has to say about Kennedy and his speech and Michelle Obama's speech last night.
[...] http://themoderatevoice.com/politics/denver-democratic-national-convention/22099/thank-you-for-every... [...]