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As a native of Massachusetts and a longtime fan of its liberal icon, Senator Edward M. Kennedy, I was saddened to read about his sudden illness this morning. As many of you probably already know, the good Senator suffered “stroke-like symptoms,” though recent reports from a family spokesperson indicate the cause of his hospitalization was more likely a “seizure.” He was transported to a local hospital from the Kennedy compound in Hyannisport and then transported to Boston’s Mass General via helicopter.
This brief entry offers my sincere wishes for quick recovery and easy convalescence. Where I grew up, the Kennedy’s were like royalty. Time and (hopefully) a little wisdom revealed my youthful adulation as too unconditional. His magnificent, troubled family certainly has weathered many scandals, but his personal and political resilience are legendary. My admiration for the man stems from his over four decades of devotion to a progressive agenda of social justice and his unwavering commitment to extending America’s resources to all who live here, not just the wealthy.
Senator Barack Obama, presumptive Democratic nominee, sang his praises from Eugene, OR:
“Obviously they are in our thoughts and prayers. They, I am sure, will be releasing some sort of a statement when they have a better assessment of what the situation is. But you know, as I have said many times before, Senator Kennedy is a giant in American political history. He has done more for the health-care of others than just about anybody in history. So we are going to be rooting for him. And I insist on being optimistic about how it is going to turn out."
Especially noteworthy among Kennedy’s many accomplishments is his extraordinary ability to bridge party divides. While this very talent often evokes wrath from both sides of the aisle, our representative democracy requires such deal making, especially in today’s extreme partisanship. Nonetheless, Ted Kennedy is a man of principle and compassion.
Not to worry, I recognize his flaws and do not paper over them with my praise. He has overcome many of his demons and continues to wrestle with those that remain. Who among us does not suffer monumental challenges to our character? Most of ours, however, remain relatively private. Of course, I tend to wear mine on my sleeve! Perhaps because of his, he has risen to remarkable heights.
Best wishes, Ted, to you and your family.
Published May 17, 2008 by Bill Shanahan |
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Barack Obama
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Comments (1)
Thank you for this post. I felt sad too when I heard of Kennedy's hospital stay. I've always admired Ted Kennedy's work for the poor and the marginalized in this country. I agree with you that he had a lot of demons to overcome, but his record of legislative accomplishments is one of the greatest in the Senate's history.
I kept an article in the March 25, 2002 issue of the Nation by Jack Newfield on Ted Kennedy. From that article I learned of some of the legislation Kennedy has played an important part in passing. In the course of the past 30 years, he has helped passed the 1964 Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights act of 1965, the expansion of the voting right franchise to 18 year olds, the $24 billion Kennedy-Hatch law of 1997 with provided health insurance to children with a new tax on tobacco, the 1998 law that allocated $1.2 billion for AIDS testing, treatment and research. He has passed the 1990 Americans With Disabilities Act, the 1993 Family and Medical Leave Act. He helped abolish the poll tax, liberalized immigration laws, fund cancer research, created the Meals on Wheels program for shut-ins and the elderly. In 1985 Kennedy and Republican Lowell Wicker cosponsored legislation that imposed economic sanctions on the apartheid government of South Africa, and he garnered the votes to overcome a Reagan veto.
Newfield wrote of Kennedy:
"Now forty years later, Ted Kennedy looks like the best and most effective senator of the past hundred years. He has followed the counsel of his first Senate mentor, Phil Hart of Michigan, who told him you can accomplish anything in Washington if you give others the credit. Kennedy has drafted and shaped more landmark legislation than liberal giants like Robert Wagner, Hubert Humphrey, Estes Kefauver and Herbert Lehmann. He has survived tragedy and scandal, endured presidential defeat, right-wing demonization,ridicule by TV comics. Now, at 70, he has evolved into a joyous Job. His career has become an atonement for one night of indefensible behavior, when he failed to report the fatal 1969 accident in which he drove off the bridge at Chappaquidick, leaving a young woman to drown in the car. He has converted persistence into redemption."
Posted by Angelo Lopez
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May 18, 2008 12:35 PM
Posted on May 18, 2008 12:35