He was human and subject to the imperfectability of being so, but he never forgot the people he served and no one served them better. There is an excellent documentary on HBO about him.
I truly believe his generation, and the Kennedy family, had a better sense of public service and duty than the men who have come since him.
Family Statement “Edward M. Kennedy—the husband, father, grandfather, brother and uncle we loved so deeply—died late Tuesday night at home in Hyannis Port. We’ve lost the irreplaceable center of our family and joyous light in our lives, but the inspiration of his faith, optimism, and perseverance will live on in our hearts forever. We thank everyone who gave him care and support over this last year, and everyone who stood with him for so many years in his tireless march for progress toward justice, fairness and opportunity for all. He loved this country and devoted his life to serving it. He always believed that our best days were still ahead, but it’s hard to imagine any of them without him.
12 comments:
I agree that as a human he was subject to the same mistakes anyone could make. Yet he did serve us well, something that today's members of the Senate don't seem to get. The three Kennedy brothers understood that they served us, not the other way round.
Someone this morning made the comment that Ted Kennedy was elected at a time when giants trod the Senate floor, not just those who could raise large sums of money.
Yes, there were even some Republican ones. All of those moderate Reps cared about people--not just lobbyists and big contributors. Not just the super-rich.
"I truly believe his generation, and the Kennedy family, had a better sense of public service and duty than the men who have come since him." -- I absolutely agree. And one of the best things about Kennedy is that he'd go after the GOPers with fierey rhetoric...and then have a drink with them after hours. That is the number one thing we've lost since 1987 and something I'd love to return.
My condolences to his family at this time.
I was always impressed how he wasn't afraid to speak up, even if he went against the grain. He will be missed...
I was sad to hear of his passing. Not many (or any) like him, he'll be missed by some, scorned by others, many self-serving right-wing zealots (of which there are entirely too many!) will be relieved.
R.I.P., Ted.
CNN will be repeating ‘Teddy: In His Own Words’, the HBO doc, tonight, even as many PBS stations will be feeding the AMERICAN EXPERIENCE episode "The Kennedys". (I wouldn't be surprised if HBO won't rerun the documentary, as well, on one or another of its channels.)
Teddy in his own words was fantastic. As was the recent doc on Marion Berry, what a crying shame he is.
I can't think of any other person who has done more for the ordinary American than Ted Kennedy. Unlike most in politics today, he had one great shining attribute: he cared.
That’s a terrible thing for American…and the world; we all lost a great man and also a long legacy of family patriots and supporters to the American people and politics. We will miss you. Condolences to the family.
Well, Barry seemed kinda OK to begin with, back in his early activist days. He was accused of rape during his coke trial, by one of the witnesses, which was never pursued. He thought he could make his way back into the City Council by taking on Hilda Mason, the sole elected member from the Statehood Party, DC's traditional leftist party (now the Green Statehood Party), and she handed him his ass, one of the few times during living nearby that I was proud of the DC electorate (I was never proud of the Congress denying them their citizenship so that the leg could play little games with their lives).
May God rest his soul.
Terrie
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