Ted Kennedy, in the end the biggest Kennedy of them all
Ted Kennedy was a spoiled rich kid whose mischief ended up killing a girl one night, and only his family’s wealth and connections saved him from prison.
That’s one way to tell the story, and as far as it goes, it’s tragically accurate. That’s also the one-sentence version of a complex life that many of his bitter enemies preferred to tell and would still prefer today, at Kennedy’s passing at the age of 77.
But Kennedy, to his credit, refused to let that sentence or that night confine him, and the country is a better place as a result.
In a strange way, the accident on Chappaquiddick may even have magnified Kennedy’s place in the history books. If it prevented him from becoming president, the supposed pinnacle of political achievement, well, presidents come and go. Even while in office, their impact on the country’s course is often exaggerated, and once their term ends, their power ends and they wander off into a long anti-climax.
Chappaquiddick helped ensure that Kennedy’s life played out in the Senate instead, where over the decades he would accumulate power, build relationships and craft legislation that affected millions of his fellow Americans. Today, Barack Obama is vacationing as president on Martha’s Vineyard — the site of Chappaquiddick — in part because at a critical point in the ‘08 campaign, the Kennedy stamp of approval was placed upon him. Just a few days ago, John McCain mused publicly that the current health-care debate would be playing out very differently had Kennedy been around to guide the behind-the-scenes politics.
Kennedy did make one major grab for the presidency, and it was not his finest moment. His behavior in the 1980 presidential primaries, when he tried and failed to unseat Jimmy Carter as the Democratic nominee, was petty and vindictive. But it also reflected who he was: Beneath the glamor and the glitz, the Kennedys played to win, and politics ain’t for the faint-hearted. They may have played games of touch football on the lawn at Hyannisport, but when it came time for politics, they strapped on the helmets and pads and they would hit you hard. The aristocratic, New England veneer could not always disguise the striving of a hard-nosed immigrant clan.
My grandmother, an Irish Catholic herself, for years kept a shrine of sorts on the fireplace mantle for the sainted John Kennedy. And when I was a kid, my dad was stationed for several years at an Air Force base on Cape Cod, not far from the Kennedy compound in Hyannisport. Whenever a dark-windowed limousine was spotted traveling on Route 3, the only highway from Boston onto the Cape, someone would inevitably nod and say, “Must be a Kennedy.” Limousines were much more rare back then, and the only people anyone could conceive of traveling that way were the local aristocracy, the Kennedys.
Years later, early in my journalism travels when I was working at a small newspaper in western Massachusetts, I ended up meeting Kennedy. What I remember most was not the man but the impact he had on other people. It was my first up-close look at the power of charisma. People came from all over the plant and all over town — secretaries, drivers, ad salesmen, even the gruff, cynical printers — they lined the walls of the newsroom in hopes of seeing a Kennedy, and they became giddy in his presence. That taught me something you can’t find in a poli sci textbook.
The most convincing testament to Kennedy’s aura, however, comes from his fellow senators. They’re an egotistical bunch, 100 would-be presidents in waiting, and they’re not easily impressed with each other. But over the past couple of decades, even Kennedy’s most conservative colleagues would speak of him with respect, even reverence. Given enough time, he had grown into himself, and he left a legacy that far outweighs those of the brothers in whose shadow he struggled.
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453 comments Add your comment
jt
August 26th, 2009
8:27 am
Who does Senator Isackson and Senator Chambliss grovel to now?
I Report/ Vast White Wing Conspirator (-: You Whine )-:
August 26th, 2009
8:28 am
Ted Kennedy, in the end the biggest Kennedy of them all
Yeah, what did he weigh, about 400lbs?
I Report/ Vast White Wing Conspirator (-: You Whine )-:
August 26th, 2009
8:30 am
But Kennedy, to his credit, refused to let that sentence or that night confine him
Unlike Ms. Kopechne, “confined” to her little air pocket for the last angonizing moments of her life.
Nice choice of words, bookman.
ew
George American
August 26th, 2009
8:32 am
RIP TAX AND SPEND LIBERAL.
WHY DID THIS HYPOCRITE DO TIME FOR KILLING THAT BROAD AT CHAPOKIDIK?
Mrs. Godzilla
August 26th, 2009
8:32 am
Well said Jay.
Teddy was like us all, imperfect.
I Report/ Vast White Wing Conspirator (-: You Whine )-:
August 26th, 2009
8:32 am
And when I was a kid, my dad was stationed for several years at an Air Force base on Cape Cod, not far from the Kennedy compound in Hyannisport. Whenever a dark-windowed limousine was spotted traveling on Route 3, the only highway from Boston onto the Cape, someone would inevitably nod and say, “Must be a Kennedy.”
Aahhh, yes, a limousine liberal, a fitting remembrance indeed.
Bosch
August 26th, 2009
8:33 am
RIP Uncle Ted. The last of his kind, and the Senate will suffer in his passing.
USinUK
August 26th, 2009
8:34 am
RIP Ted Kennedy – you served your state and your country well.
Jay "Numbnuts" Bookwoman
August 26th, 2009
8:34 am
I wonder why Jay didn’t stay up there in Massachusetts with his “kind”?
Taxpayer
August 26th, 2009
8:35 am
RIP, Ted.
Normal
August 26th, 2009
8:38 am
Whiner, bless your little heart, one size too small…
Peadawg
August 26th, 2009
8:39 am
“and only his family’s wealth and connections saved him from prison.”
Which is absolutely pathetic.
“you served your state and your country well.”
And was a murderer who should have done life.
Real
August 26th, 2009
8:39 am
An extreme liberal legacy including refusal to acknowledge the one key descriptive point about the illegal immigrants — they are here illegally, i.e., they are criminals!!!
On the postive (or negative) side — one can see PresBO, Pelosi and company will now push for Obamacare under the guise of “let’s do it for Ted” (shoot – let’s even now name it “TedCare”)!!
Joey
August 26th, 2009
8:41 am
Nothing is gained by criticizing someone who is dead.
Likewise the tendency to make the dead heroic gains nothing.
I have had my moment of silence for the Senator and moved on.
Doggone/GA
August 26th, 2009
8:42 am
“WHY DID THIS HYPOCRITE DO TIME FOR KILLING THAT BROAD AT CHAPOKIDIK?”
Your Engrish is slipping again.
FrankLeeDarling
August 26th, 2009
8:42 am
we will miss your leadership Ted
Night Train
August 26th, 2009
8:43 am
No Mrs G, he was not “like us all”! I’ve never murdered anyone, have you?
Redneck Convert (R--and proud of it)
August 26th, 2009
8:43 am
Well, by this time I reckon this Ted Kennedy is walking around in the Next Life blind as a bat after this Mary Jo person met him and clawed out his eyeballs for leaving her in that car to drown while he swum off. Then Satan will show up to get him on account of all the librul things he done and trying to kill off thousands of Grandmas with his health care bill.
Anyhow, when I was young I use to like the Kennedys. That was before I found out they were a bunch of Integrationists that wanted to ruin our good Southren way of life. Most of us turned Republican after the Kennedys and this Lyndon Johnson sent troops down here and made our kids go to school with Those People and made us eat in the same places as them. So because of that most good Southreners are Republican and we’ll be Republican till somebody like old Zell takes over the Democrat party and makes it act like it’s got some sense.
Anyhow, I don’t wish no harm on nobody but I sure hope it’s toasty where Ted Kennedy is right now. And that probly goes for my Conservative friends like the Whiner and George American and others.
Have a good day everybody.
jake's mom
August 26th, 2009
8:43 am
God has a plan, and a hand, in all that happens. We all benefited from Teddy, and while all you haters will never have the character to admit it, we will all suffer from his passing. RIP my good and faithful friend. Your job was well done, and we all owe you a BIG thanks
Eric
August 26th, 2009
8:43 am
I loved Ted Kennedy. Was he perfect? No. Who is? Was he an excellent senator and a great American? Damn straight he was! Ted Kennedy will be greatly missed. The country is a better place because of him. To all you “compassionate conservatives”, thank you for your “kind” words….they’re a badge of honor.
USinUK
August 26th, 2009
8:43 am
“An extreme liberal legacy ”
sorry, but I gotta call BS on that … NO ONE worked across the aisle more than TK.
Peadawg
August 26th, 2009
8:45 am
“The country is a better place because of him”
I doubt the relatives of the girl he killed thinks that!
The Ghost of Mary Jo
August 26th, 2009
8:45 am
Teddy was a true gentleman.
Mrs. Godzilla
August 26th, 2009
8:46 am
Night Train
Are you perfct?
RW-(the original)
August 26th, 2009
8:46 am
Years later, early in my journalism travels when I was working at a small newspaper in western Massachusetts
And these days the North Adams Transcript probably puts out a superior product to the AJC.
Turd Ferguson
August 26th, 2009
8:47 am
Not necessarily glad he is dead but glad he is gone.
I salute you Teddy…may the fountain of eternal firewater wash clean the bloodstained hands that killed Mary Jo.
The Ghost of Mary Jo
August 26th, 2009
8:48 am
Teddy got out of the car to see if the engine was flooded.
mugglemikki
August 26th, 2009
8:48 am
I swear I live among some of the most ignorant and hateful people I have ever seen.
How low class can you get than to talk trash about a man that just died. Shame on you.
Peadawg
August 26th, 2009
8:48 am
“Are you perfct?”
Nobody is. But If someone committed murder, they should rot in prison. I can’t believe people are talking about him like he was a great guy. You liberals really scare me now.
Paul
August 26th, 2009
8:49 am
Nicely written, Jay.
George American
August 26th, 2009
8:49 am
IT’S EASY TO BE A SOCIALIST LIKE KENNEDY WHEN YOU ARE RICH.
THE KENNEDY’S FAR-LEFT LIBERAL NORTHEASTERN BENT IS JIST LIKE OBARMAS. THEY ARE BOTH MASSACHESITS-HARVARD FAR-LEFT LIBERAL ELITISTS.
USinUK
August 26th, 2009
8:51 am
Peadawg –
“But If someone committed murder, they should rot in prison. I can’t believe people are talking about him like he was a great guy”
the fact is, there wasn’t enough evidence to convict him. period.
after that, he dedicated his life to public service when he could have lived a frivolous life. THAT is what we are recognizing.
Night Train
August 26th, 2009
8:51 am
Mrs G, I never said I was.
The son of a drug runner murders a young woman and uses his daddy’s money and power to walk away from the murder charge. That is the man you are praising. Sorry, I’ve set my moral sights just a little bit higher than that. The man should have been in jail, not the senate.
N-GA
August 26th, 2009
8:51 am
Jay,
My grandmother was born Catholic in Kilkenny. Went thru Ellis Island at age 19, and lived her entire life in Boston. My father grew up in Boston and always criticized the Kennedy’s, primarily the patriarch who made lots of money on illegal booze.
That said, it would seem that Ted Kennedy worked hard to atone for his mistakes as well as those of his family. We can only wonder what could have happened if only Robert had lived!
Turd Ferguson
August 26th, 2009
8:52 am
Teddy never worked a day in his life. Papa Joe saw to it he graduated from law school but couldnt help him with MaryJo. If Papa Joe hadnt be confined to a wheelchair he wouldve swooped in with a briefcase full of money, men in sunglasses/trenchcoats and Mary Jo would never have been an issue. “She just disappeared from the face of the earth”.
Teddy is now having a drink with JFK, Stalin, Mousilinni, Hitler RFK, Satan and all of historys villians. DRINK UP TEDDY!!
Jay "Numbnuts" Bookwoman
August 26th, 2009
8:53 am
mugglemikki – we call it like we see it. It’s a fact that he murdered Mary Jo. His name is what saved him. Same thing at Harvard, when he was caught CHEATING. The only reason he got back in was because of his name. He was a lying, cheating, alcholic, obese, slob.
Curtis Mayfield
August 26th, 2009
8:54 am
“Teddys dead, thats what I said”…
Bo Chambliss LOBBYIST
August 26th, 2009
8:55 am
As all you know Saxby and Teddy were VERY close. Saxby worked with Teddy on immigration, TARP, the F22, and the over ride of Bush’s veto of the Farm Bill. Saxby is so upset that he will only play 18 holes of golf today. Here is Saxby & Teddy announcing the immigration bill.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cK5TprmkgRw&feature=related
USinUK
August 26th, 2009
8:55 am
“IT’S EASY TO BE A SOCIALIST LIKE KENNEDY WHEN YOU ARE RICH”
um. that doesn’t even make any sense. (not that that’s something new for you)
if anything, socialism would be harder for the rich – they would have more to lose.
but thanks for the mindless drivel … it’s always a treat
Paul
August 26th, 2009
8:56 am
G’morning, N-GA
I was hoping someone would bring up the atonement/redemption angle. I was interested to see how those on the religious right who revile him would consider the concept.
If Robert had lived? More momentous and far-reaching impact than if John had lived. Amazing how one evil sicko with a gun can affect history, isn’t it?
Night Train: “The son of a drug runner” Scotch. They ran scotch. I know, alcohol’s a drug, but if you use ‘drug’ most people are going to think of heroin and crack and such.
Normal
August 26th, 2009
8:56 am
Unlike most of the rich, Teddy did want to back some of what he had and that is what labeled him a “Liberal”. So be it. I do wonder though that if it was Sarah instead of Ted, what the Right’s comments. Atferall Sarah’s legacy and the great works she has done for this country is there for all to see.
A reformed, good man in the end, has died. Respect that. Celebrate that.
Doggone/GA
August 26th, 2009
8:56 am
“How low class can you get than to talk trash about a man that just died.”
Can’t expect trash to behave any other way, trash is as trash does (or says)
Kayaker 71
August 26th, 2009
8:56 am
Must be in the Kennedy DNA, this fooling around with younger women. He and others like him have found it difficult to keep it in their pants, the old man, Teddy and JFK. Ms G calls him flawed and “imprefect”, probably the understatement of the day.
I don’t care how many women he buffed while in office, and the estimate is pretty high…. I will not miss his liberal policies, his outspoken political rhetoric and his one sided view of how liberal America should be. He and others like him, ie, Robert Byrd, Daniel Inouye, Ted Stevens, Strom Thurmond, Arlen Spector, Daniel Akaka, Frank Lautenberg and John Warner… all should have been gone years ago. If only we had term limits, we could get some new blood into this august organization and perhaps some new ideas on how they could best serve us. When it comes to re-election of sitting senators, we are our worst enemy.
cajdawg
August 26th, 2009
8:56 am
So he walks up to St. Peter…
“I am the liberal Lion of the Senate, you must let me in.”
“Let my review your words and deeds.” replies St. Peter. “Murderer, serial adulterer, drunkard, militant pro-abortion advocate, slanderer of men Robert Bork in particular, pumpous ass. Hmmm. Why don’t I just stop right there. See that elevator over there, it will take you to where you are going.”
Peadawg
August 26th, 2009
8:57 am
“after that, he dedicated his life to public service when he could have lived a frivolous life. THAT is what we are recognizing.”
Sugarcoat it all you want. It scares me that y’all are praising a man that committed murder. Why don’t y’all just go praise Ted Bundy or Jeffrey Dahmer.
joe matarotz
August 26th, 2009
8:58 am
As a leader, Ted Kennedy could be regarded as the Michael Vick of the Senate. The Chappaquiddick incident will always stain his legacy. Because of that, I have always regarded him as a bum. I wonder what he’s saying to Mary Jo Kopeckne right now.
Jay "Numbnuts" Bookwoman
August 26th, 2009
8:58 am
StayintheUK – The powerful rich socialists don’t lose anything.
Isn’t your shift almost up so you can announce to all that you are leaving for the day?
Cutty
August 26th, 2009
8:59 am
Let he without sin cast the first stone.
All of these repubs who scream God & Country are showing their true colors today. A man has died and you all cannot hold back from your childish comments. Wonder what will be said when your family is on the front row of a church looking at you laid out in a casket. Judging by the comments, none of you can play the family values card any longer. Show a little respect.
Cross That Bridge When You Come To It
August 26th, 2009
9:00 am
Each of his brothers lived a short life of greatness – he lived a long life of OK-ness.
Kim, Nottingham
August 26th, 2009
9:00 am
I’m not rich and I am a confessed leftie.