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RIP Ted Kennedy

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by azom, Aug 26, 2009.

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  1. Clerk Typist

    Clerk Typist Guest

    RIP to the old lion of the Senate. I'm thinking the health care bill now becomes known as the Kennedy health care bill, and passes, much as the Civil Rights Act gained steam after JFK's death.

    And yes, Chappaquiddick absolutely goes in the obit. Obits are the story of someone's life, not a fairy tale.
     
  2. YankeeFan

    YankeeFan Well-Known Member

    Sharansky was always very appreciative of Kennedy's efforts.
     
  3. WriteThinking

    WriteThinking Well-Known Member

    Were I writing Kennedy's obit, I would even be seeking comment from Kopechne's family. I'd imagine other media outlets will be trying for that, too.
     
  4. KP

    KP Active Member

    Robert Byrd and Strom Thurmond
     
  5. old_tony

    old_tony Well-Known Member

    Here is a little perspective on the Kennedy dynasty: Today (Wednesday) will be the first day that a Kennedy brother (John, Bobby, Ted) did not hold an elected position in the federal government since 1946 when JFK won his seat in the House.

    For nearly 63 years, a son of Joe and Rose Kennedy was either a U.S. Rep, a U.S. Senator or the President. That, my friends, is one heck of a dynasty.
     
  6. dooley_womack1

    dooley_womack1 Well-Known Member

    Cal Thomas, about as conservative and fastidious a columnist as you'll find, stated once that Kennedy's sense of purpose and service of his beliefs was admirable, saying roughly, "You knew where he stood 10 years ago, you know where he stands now, you know where he'll stand 10 years from now."

    Orrin Hatch, about as conservative and fastidious a senator as you'll find, worked with Kennedy to get a lot of the people's business done.

    I think those facts say a lot right there. For whatever his failings were, and yes, for most of his life he was a boozehound and skirt chaser, he did a helluva lot more to make lives better than millions upon millions of supposedly pure folk. It's too bad he won't live to see universal health care, but then, he probably wishes he would have died before seeing a president of the United States called a Nazi for challenging Big Insurance.

    I've always considered myself a Ted Kennedy liberal, believing that government rightly has a role in checking free enterprise when it's dysfunctional, and rightly has a role in trying to leave fewer folks in the backwash of our rich society. He did live long enough to help assure minorities the vote, children half a chance at life, and parents a chance to bond with their children in the key early weeks of life.

    He was one of a kind. I'm proud of my label. RIP.
     
  7. DanOregon

    DanOregon Well-Known Member

    Just watched the DNC video on Kennedy from Denver last year - a good summary of his life, his passions, his service.... he got shit done no matter who was President, whether he was in the majority or in the minority.

     
  8. Ben_Hecht

    Ben_Hecht Active Member


    Given that it affected the course of his life, in multiple ways . . .
     
  9. KP

    KP Active Member

    Speech was one year to the day of his death.
     
  10. DanOregon

    DanOregon Well-Known Member

    Another classic from the Senate. If TV was just showing stuff like this all day instead of having people call in and share their memories I might actually watch it. S-Chip, Minimum Wage...






    Love this one on the Iraq War - part kindly Grandpa, part Al Pacino in Scent of a Woman, part Sam Kinison.


    And if anyone wants to know why Kennedy never made it to the the White House check out this clip from the Roger Mudd interview that pretty much doomed him. It wasn't a gotcha, but I remember thinking "he doesn't know why he wants to be President?"
     
  11. novelist_wannabe

    novelist_wannabe Well-Known Member

    Would be nice if TK had not gotten away with vehicular manslaughter. He represented his constituents with passion, to be sure, but it seems unlikely he would have been able to had he been held accountable for Chappaquiddick.
     
  12. Football_Bat

    Football_Bat Well-Known Member

    I hate it when important people keel over after deadline. Bad for business.
     
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