Senator Ted Kennedy 1932 - 2009

Edward Kennedy via last.fm

Senator Edward Kennedy died after a long bout with cancer late Tuesday night. He was 77. For many people he was the last of the Kennedy brothers & bearer of the torch. To me, he was my senator for most of my life & that is the way I will remember him.


Growing up in Western Massachusetts, the name Kennedy was the only name you ever heard. In fact, when I was younger, I used to hate the Kennedys. Teddy at the time was seen as a buffoon; a lying, drunk, womanizing, bloated rich kid. Mitt Romney almost defeated him in 1994 until Kennedy staged a late election surge. One of the Boston radio stations, WAAF, had a morning radio guy, Greg Hill, who used to have a Kennedy impersonator as one of his cast of characters. The guy would come on the radio with a thick low “Bah-stan” accent, say things like “eer-up”, then crack open a beer & go into drunken slurred speech. High comedy back in the 70s & 80s in the state.

It wasn’t until I got older that I realized just what Ted Kennedy accomplished. I grew to like, then love, him for what he had done for Massachusetts & the country as a whole. For the state, what he did will never be equaled. He sent so much money for construction projects, schools, homeless shelters, & the like. He authored a lot of legislation; so much so, that he is now known as the most effective legislator in the history of the U.S. Senate. Many laws & programs are enjoyed by all Americans because of Kennedy; from COBRA to Meals on Wheels to the Americans with Disabilities Act to health insurance for poor kids. He did it by reaching across the aisle to republicans & compromising. He didn’t bash people over the head, although he was known as someone you’d never really want to cross in a battle, but he always got the job done. Today’s Congress would be wise to learn from how Kennedy got legislation passed. Unfortunately, they also could learn about civility when someone passes. The conservatives have had a field day today trashing Sen. Kennedy. One, Michelle Malkin, has taken the word bitch to a whole other level with a post on you tube. Very shamefull. If even Mitt Romney can say something nice about Ted, why can't she or at least, shut the f*** up.

There’s already been a lot of talk today about how health care reform will not pass now because Sen. Kennedy is not there to get the legislation through. Maybe now because of his untimely passing, senators will double their efforts & pass health care reform in honor of him; much like civil rights legislation was passed in honor of his brother John after his assassination.

HBO ran a special Teddy: In His Own Words last month. I hope they run it again. If you get the chance, watch it. It’s a great history on what the man went through; from his family’s tragedies to his plane & car crashes to his many triumphs. His was a life well lived. We should all be so lucky. God speed, Teddy. May you finally rest in peace.