Sen. Ted Kennedy Dead

[LostAngeles]

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/08/26/obit.ted.kennedy/index.html

It's sad for MA since John Kerry is *********** useless. Maybe they'll get lucky and Barney Frank will want to change houses.

Or maybe they'll get really unlucky and Romney will get that Senate seat he wanted so badly back in the day.

ETA: It's only sad in the political sense. He was still a drunk driving ****************.

[JoeyDonuts]

Senator Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., just passed away at age 77.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090826/us_nm/us_kennedy

[JoeyDonuts]

He's an interesting study.

Does altruism later in life make up for the fact that he *********** drove a woman off a bridge to her death?

Hell if I know.

[LostAngeles]

I don't know either. He was a hell of a Senator and he did some good ****, but he was a drunk driving ****************.

This seems to be par for the course for Kennedys though, contrasting good works with ************.

[JoeyDonuts]

I'd venture that Bobby was a notable exception. I'm not aware of anything shady RFK ever pulled.

[Sword_Of_Truth]

Oh to be a fly on the Heavenly wall when he meets Mary Jo...

[JoeyDonuts]

Is that the one Joe Kennedy lobotomized and basically threw away?

And by the way, if we're making the argument for Kennedy *******-ness being a genetic condition, you couldn't ask for a better pedigree than Joe Kennedy, Sr. Hard to find a bigger dickhead than a guy who backed the Nazis and discarded his own daughter.

ETA: Never mind. I just remembered who Mary Jo Kopechne was. The Kennedy daughter I was thinking of was Rosemary.

[fourtoe]

I'd venture that Bobby was a notable exception. I'm not aware of anything shady RFK ever pulled.

I recall hearing that he was also hitting Marilyn Monroe. I wouldn't necessarily call it shady, however.

[LostAngeles]

I feel as though I should point this out:

Death threw alcoholism, drunk driving, a plane crash, and a brain tumor to try and kill him. It took a second round of brain cancer to kill this guy.

Comparatively, Teddy Roosevelt went to war a few times and got shot before dying in his sleep. Teddy Roosevelt never traded a woman to Death for a Get Out of Death Free Card, though.

[JoeyDonuts]

I recall hearing that he was also hitting Marilyn Monroe. I wouldn't necessarily call it shady, however.

No sir. Everybody was in those days. Hell, I bet Mao was at least getting a handie or two.

Comparatively, Teddy Roosevelt went to war a few times and got shot before dying in his sleep. Teddy Roosevelt never traded a woman to Death for a Get Out of Death Free Card, though.

Awesome. I like you.

[Policenaut]

Hey Teddy got shot during a speech and finished it before he was taken away. That's how a Rough Rider does things.

[fourtoe]

Hey Teddy got shot during a speech and finished it before he was taken away. That's how a Rough Rider does things.

Teddy R is like the turn of the century Chuck Norris. Example:

Thomas R. Marshall said of [TR's] death "Death had to take Roosevelt sleeping, for if he had been awake, there would have been a fight."

[boloboffin]

Good night, Senator Kennedy.

We'll get health care done.

[LostAngeles]

Hey Teddy got shot during a speech and finished it before he was taken away. That's how a Rough Rider does things.

In the chest. Where he was keeping the folded up papers of his speech.

This is the real complaint about Obama and the teleprompter. The Secret Service need to do work.

[UnrepentantSinner]

My wingnut co-worker was grave dancing earlier tonight. I told him I thought that was pretty classless.

[JoeyDonuts]

Yeah. Grave dancing is only appropriate for evil people. Ted Kennedy, whilst possessed of certain ****head qualities, was not evil.

[Cleon]

Party at Cicero's house!

[MaGZ]

I'd venture that Bobby was a notable exception. I'm not aware of anything shady RFK ever pulled.

Didn't RFK have something to do with the suicide of Marilyn Monroe?

[MaGZ]

Teddy R is like the turn of the century Chuck Norris. Example:

Thomas R. Marshall said of [TR's] death "Death had to take Roosevelt sleeping, for if he had been awake, there would have been a fight."

If you knew Teddy R. was a racist you would not be saying such nice things about him.

[MaGZ]

Ted Kennedy greatest deed of racial treason was the passage of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, flooding America with non-White Turd World immigrants.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immigration_and_Nationality_Act_of_1965

[Lonewulf]

flooding America with non-White Turd World immigrants.

As opposed to white supremacist turds?

Oh yeah, I went there!

[MaGZ]

Bringing in all the non-white immigrants will lead to the eventual race war in America. When it happens you can thank Senator Kennedy.

[T.A.M.]

RIP

Judge a man by the sum of his deeds.

TAM:)

[Cainkane1]

Ted Kennedy has finally died. He died in bed unlike Mary Jo Kopecne.

[gtc]

I thought MaGZ was pro-race war. So shouldn't he be thanking Kennedy?

[zooterkin]

He drove Mary Jo Kopecne off the Chappaquiddick bridge... Oh, wait, that's not how the song goes.

[Lonewulf]

Bringing in all the non-white immigrants will lead to the eventual race war in America. When it happens you can thank Senator Kennedy.

When it doesn't happen, you can thank reality.

[ponderingturtle]

I feel as though I should point this out:

Death threw alcoholism, drunk driving, a plane crash, and a brain tumor to try and kill him. It took a second round of brain cancer to kill this guy.

Comparatively, Teddy Roosevelt went to war a few times and got shot before dying in his sleep. Teddy Roosevelt never traded a woman to Death for a Get Out of Death Free Card, though.

He did buy a Medal of Honor though.

Of course lots of people are involved in fatal car crashes see Laura Bush. She ran a stop sign and killed a class mate in highschool.

[Tricky]

Whatever his failings were, (and he had serious failings), Edward Kennedy was sponsor or the force behind many of the most important pieces of legislation in this country over the last fourty years. He was an incredibly powerful Senator. A pretty fair amount of what this country is today is a result of his work.

I'm guessing many people aren't particularly happy about that either, and I have no problem with people criticizing the recently deceased, but at least it would make sense to judge him on those fourty-plus years of history, rather than one one day of it.

[Chaos]

Bringing in all the non-white immigrants will lead to the eventual race war in America. When it happens you can thank Senator Kennedy.

Actually, I thank him for giving us one more opportunity to notice who all the racist Nazi scumbags in that country are.

[gtc]

I'm guessing many people aren't particularly happy about that either, and I have no problem with people criticizing the recently deceased, but at least it would make sense to judge him on those fourty-plus years of history, rather than one one day of it.

Shouldn't he be judged on both?

[Tricky]

Shouldn't he be judged on both?
Yes, but proportionately. Should Dick Cheney be judged by that one day when he shot somebody in the face? Turns out it wasn't tragic, but it could well have been.

[Giggywig]

Yes, but proportionately. Should Dick Cheney be judged by that one day when he shot somebody in the face? Turns out it wasn't tragic, but it could well have been.

Hey, he apologized for that! The victim, that is...

[RandFan]

RIP Ted.

[ravdin]

The difference between a Kennedy wedding and a Kennedy funeral: one less drunk.

What, too soon?

[ravdin]

And on a more serious note, here's a good obit on Slate.

http://www.slate.com/id/2226361/

[JoeTheJuggler]

Bringing in all the non-white immigrants will lead to the eventual race war in America. When it happens you can thank Senator Kennedy.

The problem was that he didn't bring enough non-white illegals in.

This non-white illegal immigrant (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/05/18/assignment_america/main2827109.shtml) is working his butt off to cure brain cancer.

[JoeTheJuggler]

Does anyone know if MA got anything passed where they can appoint a temporary replacement, or do the Dems lose that seat until an election is held in some 3-4 months?

[Brainster]

I've always felt a little sorry for Ted. He was the baby of the family, manifestly unready for the role of patriarch that was thrust upon him with the deaths of his older brothers. Although he eventually grew into his Senate seat, he was not able to handle his other duties as well.

Thank God for Roger Mudd!

[Cicero]

He did buy a Medal of Honor though.

Of course lots of people are involved in fatal car crashes see Laura Bush. She ran a stop sign and killed a class mate in highschool.

Similarities between Laura's accident and Teddy's accident:

1) Laura failed to report accident for nine hours. No
2) Laura left her passenger to die while she fled the scene. No
3) Laura called two buddies to figure out a story that would protect her from responsibility. No
4) Laura used her political connections to influence the Texas legal system. No

[Tricky]

Does anyone know if MA got anything passed where they can appoint a temporary replacement, or do the Dems lose that seat until an election is held in some 3-4 months?

First reports say it may be left vacant for months. That temporarily scuttles the "filibuster-buster" majority, not that the Dems can seem to agree on anything enough to vote as a block anyway.

[Tricky]

The difference between a Kennedy wedding and a Kennedy funeral: one less fewer drunks.

What, too soon?
Ultrapedant strikes again.

And that's an old "Irish" joke rewritten. Of course, the Kennedys are Irish, so I guess that's okay.

[Praktik]

Bringing in all the non-white immigrants will lead to the eventual race war in America. When it happens you can thank Senator Kennedy.

Can I borrow your copy of The Turner Diaries?

[ponderingturtle]

Can I borrow your copy of The Turner Diaries?

Dibs on Protocols of the Elders of Zion.

[ConspiRaider]

I'd guess that the pending Moon landing on the 20th of July, 1969 figured in the collective decision to not nationally report the Chappaquiddick incident with immediacy by the news media at that time. Certainly would have stolen the thunder from Armstrong, Aldrin, Collins. Newspapers were still king for in-depth reporting, and I remember first reading about this incident in the Sunday morning edition of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, July 21st.

It was a major shock, as the story unfolded about the incident, the delay, the change in story - everything. Even as a 12-year-old at the time, I was clearly able to determine that there was one standard of law for the rich and influential, and another for us. Anyway, we still don't really know exactly what happened that night of July 18th, on that bridge, in those waters. And won't, ever.

I remember Kennedy running in 1980 for President, and even though he really had no chance, how close it was that he could have nudged Carter aside for the Democratic nomination. Lots of folks wanted Kennedy, not Carter, regardless. Another indicator of how easily people will adapt, will rationalize, when worship of a person, or the idea of a person, is in the forefront. A corrollary between that convention and the one we just had a year ago: It was taken to the convention, and no one seemed to have a problem with it. A year ago, Hillary Clinton, despite garnering more of the popular vote for the nomination than Obama, was hounded off the stage as soon as the primaries ended. How much we've changed - how much less patience we have today.

Kennedy found his center in the Senate; it's where, politically, he was best suited for performance. There's no denying his long and distinguished career.

I think someone mentioned that Robert F. Kennedy was a "clean" Kennedy. Hmm. There is no such thing as a clean career politician. A lot of the hatchet-job duties that "needed" to occur during JFK's tenure in the White House were orchestrated by Bobby. He was there in the shadows as Attorney General, and more. Perhaps have a read of the book One Minute To Midnight (about the Cuban Missile Crisis) and you'll get indicators as to just how political machines work, whether Republican, Democratic or otherwise.

Farewell, Ted Kennedy.

[Cicero]

Dibs on Protocols of the Elders of Zion.

A proper selection for someone who prefers fiction to acknowledging the facts about Laura Bush's accident and Teddy's accident.

[boloboffin]

More of Kennedy's legacy (http://jezebel.com/5345863/the-lion-sleeps-tonight-ted-kennedy-leaves-long-impressive-legacy).

[Darth Rotor]

How many terms? Seven? Inertia, entitlement, incumbency, wealth and privilege personified in Senator Ted Kennedy.

On the other hand, with my oldest brother killed in the war, the next two politically assassinated, I think I'd have drunk as much, or more, than he did.

He he did a decent job on some things, to include helping pour federal money (11 billion and counting when I last checked in the early 2000's) into Boston's infamour Big Dig highway/transport system project. That's what he was supposed to do, in part: take care of his home team. He did that well enough. He was also a consistent voice of opposition when the GOP had the White House, which role he also played well.

Massachusetts, ya'll have a pretty big seat to fill there.

[Redtail]

Bringing in all the non-white immigrants will lead to the eventual race war in America. When it happens you can thank Senator Kennedy.

Really? I thought it was guys like me who married and had kids with White women. Not to mention her being related to Eichmann.

(Sweet baby spider monkey Jesus I loooooove doing that.):D

[boloboffin]

The Boston Channel has released a PDF going over Ted Kennedy's public career, including his seven terms as Senator, listing out his accomplishments. The PDF is 49 pages.

http://www.thebostonchannel.com/download/2009/0331/19057540.pdf

Correction: This is a PDF of events through 2008, released by Senator Kennedy's office and available at the Boston Channel.

[FreshHat]

I sprayed my morning coffee all over the breakfast nook this morning, when the CBC Radio One 8:00 AM news, in all earnestness, described T.K. as "a bridge builder" for his ability to create consensus within the Senate. :eek:

[blue sock monkey]

I sprayed my morning coffee all over the breakfast nook this morning, when the CBC Radio One 8:00 AM news, in all earnestness, described T.K. as "a bridge builder" for his ability to create consensus within the Senate. :eek:

Thanks. Just sprayed my keyboard with Dr Pepper.

[Brown]

Reposting my memories and assessment of Senator Kennedy:I first saw Ted Kennedy in 1980. He was trying to challenge Jimmy Carter for the Democratic nomination [for President]. Other candidates that I saw or met that year included Jerry Brown, Howard Baker, George Bush, and John Anderson. Kennedy was the worst of the lot.

By far.

The man was nearly incoherent. Almost none of what he said made any sense at all. I was astonished at how disorganized he was and how much hot air he emitted. (Newsweek magazine even included a story about how miserable Kennedy's speech was... and included some "details" in the story that suggested that the reporter was not actually present at the speech!)

Again, this was in 1980. Kennedy has not improved. He's still as incoherent in 2004 as he was in 1980. If not for his name and his family, it would be difficult for me to see how he could attain the office of Senator. I cannot believe that he attained that office on merit.

There are other Kennedys in public service that could have attained their offices by merit. But Ted is not one of them.This is, I admit, a far from favorable portrait of the man. But it is honest and from the heart. That Kennedy speech I saw nearly thirty years ago was devastating. Kennedy actually lost any chance at my vote because of his awful speech. (I eventually voted for Republican John Anderson, who was running in the general election as an independent.)

Later speeches by Kennedy included some good moments, but it seemed fairly clear to me that Ted Kennedy would be lost without a script. His staff needed to watch out for him to be sure he had a carefully worded message and that he would not be winging it.

I bear no ill will to Ted Kennedy. I have no hatred for the man or even any noticeable dislike. But I nevertheless find it difficult to accept that the USA's third longest-serving senator achieved and maintained that position on his own personal merit.

[Brainster]

I sprayed my morning coffee all over the breakfast nook this morning, when the CBC Radio One 8:00 AM news, in all earnestness, described T.K. as "a bridge builder" for his ability to create consensus within the Senate. :eek:

That's actually pretty accurate. Although Kennedy was a liberal, he was also a pragmatist and often worked with conservatives to fashion compromises. McCain's statement (http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0809/McCain_on_Kennedy.html) today notes that:

Many of his fellow senators, Republicans and Democrats, liberals and conservatives, will note today that Ted was sincerely intent on finding enough common ground among us to make progress on the issues of our day, and toward that end he would work as hard and as modestly as any staffer.

[blue sock monkey]

"Bridge" is an unfortunate image relative to Ted Kennedy.

[JoeTheJuggler]

Lots of folks wanted Kennedy, not Carter, regardless.

For that matter, did Kennedy ever face a serious challenge for his Senate seat all these years?

But he certainly wasn't the only big politician to weather a scandal.

[LostAngeles]

How many terms? Seven? Inertia, entitlement, incumbency, wealth and privilege personified in Senator Ted Kennedy.

On the other hand, with my oldest brother killed in the war, the next two politically assassinated, I think I'd have drunk as much, or more, than he did.

He he did a decent job on some things, to include helping pour federal money (11 billion and counting when I last checked in the early 2000's) into Boston's infamour Big Dig highway/transport system project. That's what he was supposed to do, in part: take care of his home team. He did that well enough. He was also a consistent voice of opposition when the GOP had the White House, which role he also played well.

Massachusetts, ya'll have a pretty big seat to fill there.

Exactly. John Kerry has really been there just to fill our second seat. I think if we could have voted Teddy into both seats, we probably would have.

And the Dig, well, alas, wonderful idea, botched in its execution. There are some neat engineering feats that were done to do it, but the construction oversight...

For that matter, did Kennedy ever face a serious challenge for his Senate seat all these years?

But he certainly wasn't the only big politician to weather a scandal.

Mitt Romney was the last serious one I remember in....1994?

[boloboffin]

pE_eKhUC9rI

Ted and Caroline at the 2008 Democratic Convention

[Vic Vega]

For those of you who actually want to read an informed opinion rather than the nonsense posted by many in this thread, this is a good commentary written by Ed Rollins.

Rollins was the White House political director for Ronald Reagan and was also chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/08/26/rollins.kennedy.gop/index.html

[Tsukasa Buddha]

He headed a lot of Civil Rights legislation in his career, and managed to both work with the other side while still being a librul demon.

But he also was an incumbent aristocrat.

I focus more on the former.

[FlamingMoe]

RIP

Judge a man by the sum of his deeds.
I shall.

Done.

I consider him worthless.

[applecorped]

:dig:

[Regnad Kcin]

Ah, anonymous haters posting their bile.* Allowing no interlude of respect. Revealing themselves to be laughably below contempt. How very, very unsurprising.

RIP, Senator.



*Not to include you, Brown.

[Locknar]

I met Sen Kenndy once, on the Floor of the House during a Joint Session. While I disagreed with much of what he politically stood for he was very gracious when he introducted himself to me (the just out of College Staffer) and a effective Senator.

[The Fool]

Late breaking news. Kennedy still dead.

[Cicero]

Ah, anonymous haters posting their bile.* Allowing no interlude of respect. Revealing themselves to be laughably below contempt. How very, very unsurprising.

RIP, Senator.



*Not to include you, Brown.

There is always somebody who admonishes anyone that doesn't speak reverentially when a famous public person dies. It would be hypocrisy for someone who didn't countenance what Kennedy did when he was alive to speak in rhapsodic tones about him in death. Does the passing of 24 hours, 48 hours, a week or a month make any difference in when unflattering comments are made about the deceased? You would condemn those for making the same comments if they appeared decades later.

[Learning Phase]

Our Friend Ted (not) answering a simple question from Roger Mudd in 1979.
Understandably, this one question made him look like a babbling idiot and totally sank his presidential bid.



TDh2iKzBh4E

Epic Fail

But he was a great swimmer when he needed to be.:D

Edit: I mistakenly thought this was 1980, it was '79.

[Tricky]

There is always somebody who admonishes anyone that doesn't speak reverentially when a famous public person dies. It would be hypocrisy for someone who didn't countenance what Kennedy did when he was alive to speak in rhapsodic tones about him in death. Does the passing of 24 hours, 48 hours, a week or a month make any difference in when unflattering comments are made about the deceased? You would condemn those for making the same comments if they appeared decades later.

I don't mind that people speak of a person's life when they die, for better or for worse. It is true that some people will admonish you for doing so, as I was criticized for saying negative things about Jerry Falwell and even Tammy Faye Baker. But such criticisms are to be expected. There is a sort of moratorium, at least in the media, about speaking ill of the recently deceased.

My main problem with critics of Ted Kennedy is that they tend to focus on one event of his life, rather than the big picture. I give Brainster a lot of credit here, because even though he is unabashedly conservative, he praised Kennedy for being a consensus builder who was able to work across the aisle. And that is demonstrably true, as you will no doubt hear Republicans saying in the next few days.

In my mind, the body of work that Kennedy did in more than forty years of service far overwhelms the horrible and illegal things he did that night at Chappaquiddick. He paid for that as few people who committed manslaughter have done. No, he didn't go to jail, but even in death, you still hear certain people sneering at him for that. I do not doubt that his crime will be in many history books. His legacy and his family will be punished even after his death.

And really, Republicans have him to thank for a lot of their successes in the Reagan and Gingrinch years. He was always such a lightning rod for criticism that they could smear him and be guaranteed approval by the right for doing so. This is probably not one of his more treasured legacies, but it is certainly an important one. He was the bogeyman for the right that Bush is for the left these days.

But unlike Bush, he served much of his life in politics and never quit even when reviled, outnumbered, out of favor or tested by people who hated him and all of his family. People who, still, to this day, are so full of hatred that they continue to use insulting little names to call them.

Was he a great man? Arguably. Was he a tough man under political fire? Unquestionably.

[Lonewulf]

My main problem with critics of Ted Kennedy is that they tend to focus on one event of his life, rather than the big picture. I give Brainster a lot of credit here, because even though he is unabashedly conservative, he praised Kennedy for being a consensus builder who was able to work across the aisle. And that is demonstrably true, as you will no doubt hear Republicans saying in the next few days.

I just want to add +1 to this bit.

[EeneyMinnieMoe]

I'd venture that Bobby was a notable exception. I'm not aware of anything shady RFK ever pulled.

There's a book that makes the case that Jackie O. and RFK had a long affair after she was widowed during which they shamelessly carried on under his wife's nose.

Several of his friends and acquaintances attested to this, including allegedly Truman Capote.

Though this is something that should probably be taken with a small grain of salt.

[MattusMaximus]

RIP Ted.

[UnrepentantSinner]

I don't mind that people speak of a person's life when they die, for better or for worse. It is true that some people will admonish you for doing so, as I was criticized for saying negative things about Jerry Falwell and even Tammy Faye Baker. But such criticisms are to be expected. There is a sort of moratorium, at least in the media, about speaking ill of the recently deceased.

While consuming vox populi and pundrity today, I heard a lot of people preface themselves by saying, "I don't wish to speak ill of the dead" and then go off on a myopic, vitriolic diatribe.

- edit and I just noticed the myopic tags used for this thead... shocking.

[Tricky]

While consuming vox populi and pundrity today, I heard a lot of people preface themselves by saying, "I don't wish to speak ill of the dead" and then go off on a myopic, vitriolic.
Indeed. "I don't wish to, but my biases... um... I mean... Honesty forces me to"

[FreshHat]

"Bridge" is an unfortunate image relative to Ted Kennedy.


Yes, indeed!

Kind of like calling O.J. Simpson a bloody great football player.

[Cactus Wren]

"He was a man. Take him for all in all;
We shall not look upon his like again."

[MysteryMammal]

Bringing in all the non-white immigrants will lead to the eventual race war in America. When it happens you can thank Senator Kennedy.


When I get to the bottom
I go back to the top of the slide
Where I stop and turn
and I go for a ride
Till I get to the bottom and I see you again
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Do you don't you want me to love you
I'm coming down fast but I'm miles above you
Tell me tell me come on tell me the answer
and you may be a lover but you ain't no dancer

Go helter skelter

BTW: Who let Charles Manson get a forum account here?

[Temecula]

He's an interesting study.

Does altruism later in life make up for the fact that he *********** drove a woman off a bridge to her death?

Hell if I know.

I don't consider trying to obscure (or compensate for) the fact he murdered someone with financially rewarding civil service later in his opulent luxurious life to be altruism.

That being said, Senator Kennedy's body will have 6 pall bearers. His head will have 8.

[UNLoVedRebel]

Yes, indeed!

Kind of like calling O.J. Simpson a bloody great football player.

He may have been a bloody great football player but he was definitely not a good husband. He should find himself a nice girl and give it another stab. :talk038:

[Foolmewunz]

Until now, I never really cared about Teddy one way or the other.
But seeing as to how he can still get MaGZ, Cicero, and Flaming Moe all upset, I gotta think there must've been something pretty good about him, after all.

RIP Teddy. End of an era.

[applecorped]

"He was a man. Take him for all in all;
We shall not look upon his like again."

There is always cloning. :boxedin:

[Shaun from Scotland]

Yeah. Grave dancing is only appropriate for evil people. Ted Kennedy, whilst possessed of certain ****head qualities, was not evil.

All IRA sympathisers are evil

[Lonewulf]

I don't consider trying to obscure (or compensate for) the fact he murdered someone with financially rewarding civil service later in his opulent luxurious life to be altruism.

That being said, Senator Kennedy's body will have 6 pall bearers. His head will have 8.

You know, a few lobotomies and I'm sure I might just find that hilarious. As it is, though, my IQ is just too high.

All IRA sympathisers are evil

Simplification of Ted Kennedy's position is simplified. Whatever it takes to make him your bogeyman, I suppose.

[cwalner]

I am just reminded of conversation about ten years ago with my aunt, who lives (and lived then) in Boston. She was complaining about how ridiculously conservative her senior senator was. Now, Ted Kennedy has lived a very public, and far from perfect life, so there are many things that he will be criticised for. I just never thought that being too conservative would ever be one of them.

For good or ill, Ted Kennedy was a major player in our government for over 40 years. I am just disheartened that at my office there is almost no water-cooler discussion about his life and death as there was for several recent entertainment celebrities.

So I am glad I have here to come to, to simply remember him, because whether you agreed or disagreed with his positions, he was a major influence on US politics and deserves to be remembered as such.

RIP Senator Kennedy.

[Giz]

A British view in the Telegraph:



For years Kennedy was the bang-drummer-in-chief for brainless Irish-American IRA sympathisers, dimwits who shouted “troops out of Dublin!” and sang maudlin songs from the comfort of Boston and New York, giving money for strangers 3,000 miles away to murder their neighbours.

...

Kennedy himself said that Ulster Protestants “should be given a decent opportunity to go back to Britain”, without in any way suggesting he would give Boston back to the Indians (or the English-Americans, for that matter) and return to Co. Wexford. He compared Britain’s presence in Ulster with America’s in Vietnam, and later forced Jimmy Carter to ban arm sales to the RUC, blackening the name of that tirelessly heroic band of men, each one of them worth a thousand spoiled Ivy League playboys.

...

I’m sure Kennedy was essentially a good man and a servant of his own country, but he was certainly no friend of ours.


http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/edwest/100007596/ira-sympathiser-ted-kennedy-was-no-friend-of-britain/

[Cicero]

I am just reminded of conversation about ten years ago with my aunt, who lives (and lived then) in Boston. She was complaining about how ridiculously conservative her senior senator was.



Your aunt obviously confused Kennedy with Henry Cabot Lodge. That must have been her favorite place to stay.

[Foolmewunz]

A British view in the Telegraph:



For years Kennedy was the bang-drummer-in-chief for brainless Irish-American IRA sympathisers, dimwits who shouted “troops out of Dublin!” and sang maudlin songs from the comfort of Boston and New York, giving money for strangers 3,000 miles away to murder their neighbours.

...

Kennedy himself said that Ulster Protestants “should be given a decent opportunity to go back to Britain”, without in any way suggesting he would give Boston back to the Indians (or the English-Americans, for that matter) and return to Co. Wexford. He compared Britain’s presence in Ulster with America’s in Vietnam, and later forced Jimmy Carter to ban arm sales to the RUC, blackening the name of that tirelessly heroic band of men, each one of them worth a thousand spoiled Ivy League playboys.

...

I’m sure Kennedy was essentially a good man and a servant of his own country, but he was certainly no friend of ours.


http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/edwest/100007596/ira-sympathiser-ted-kennedy-was-no-friend-of-britain/

Nice to be reminded that you have idiots in the UK, too. I wasn't aware that a large number of Brits looked at 9/11 and thought that there was at least a silver lining in that we now knew what it was like to be attacked by terrorists. And here all of my British friends, who are not known for their tact, generally, had told me that they viewed it with horror.

[Giz]

Nice to be reminded that you have idiots in the UK, too. I wasn't aware that a large number of Brits looked at 9/11 and thought that there was at least a silver lining in that we now knew what it was like to be attacked by terrorists. And here all of my British friends, who are not known for their tact, generally, had told me that they viewed it with horror.

Way to miss the point. 9/11 was obscene... and so was Ted Kennedy's support of the IRA.

[gtc]

Nice to be reminded that you have idiots in the UK, too. I wasn't aware that a large number of Brits looked at 9/11 and thought that there was at least a silver lining in that we now knew what it was like to be attacked by terrorists. And here all of my British friends, who are not known for their tact, generally, had told me that they viewed it with horror.

The article says nothing of the sort. However, many people in the rest of the world are grateful that the Americans have done more to crack down on the funding of overseas terrorist organisations in the years since 2001. Not only with regard to the IRA but also with regard to the LTTE.

[Cleon]

The article says nothing of the sort. However, many people in the rest of the world are grateful that the Americans have done more to crack down on the funding of overseas terrorist organisations in the years since 2001. Not only with regard to the IRA but also with regard to the LTTE.

There hasn't been much of an IRA to contribute to.

[Foolmewunz]

The article says nothing of the sort. However, many people in the rest of the world are grateful that the Americans have done more to crack down on the funding of overseas terrorist organisations in the years since 2001. Not only with regard to the IRA but also with regard to the LTTE.

I dunno - this sort of seems to be "of the sort" to me.

It’s not often said aloud but many British people when they first saw United 175 hit the World Trade Centre felt, alongside shock, pity and a sense of solidarity with the American people, also a feeling of “now you know what terrorism is like, will you stop funding the murder of our people?”

[Foolmewunz]

<snip> 9/11 was obscene... and so was Ted Kennedy's support of the IRA.

Ya think?

That does not change the fact that the author is, from the circumstantial evidence available, an idiot with an agenda.

I don't care much for the argument about not speaking ill of the dead... but give the body a chance to cool down, at least! History has all the time in the world on its side. Was/is it so important to get this particular criticism out before the body's even buried.

[gtc]

You are making it sound like their first reaction was to be pleased.

Anyway, what is actually wrong with what he said? He felt shock, pity and sadness and hoped the government would do something about the Americans who supported terrorism. That does not make him an idiot with an agenda (other than possibly the agenda of seeing an end to terrorism).

The only idiot would be someone who saw the results of terrorism and did not feel grateful that the Americans became more focussed on cracking down on terrorism anywhere it occurred.

[Foolmewunz]

You are making it sound like their first reaction was to be pleased.
No, the author said that.... "when they FIRST SAW" ...



Anyway, what is actually wrong with what he said? He felt shock, pity and sadness and hoped the government would do something about the Americans who supported terrorism. That does not make him an idiot with an agenda (other than possibly the agenda of seeing an end to terrorism).

Yes, and that's what I said. You do understand the connotation of "silver lining", as in "every cloud has a silver lining"? e.g. Something bad happens but at least there's some good that comes of it amidst the bad. That's just what he said, and just what I said.
So you're just confirming what I said, at least up to this juncture.


The only idiot would be someone who saw the results of terrorism and did not feel grateful that the Americans became more focussed on cracking down on terrorism anywhere it occurred.

Really? I guess I'm funny, then. I stood there watching that whole day unfold, and that wasn't my first reaction, at all. Nor second. Nor third. Given a little while to think about it, I suppose that when I was finished worrying that my friends who hadn't made it to the office that morning weren't dead, or that the people I knew who still worked in the towers had gotten out (some hadn't as it turns out), yeah, I might've given a think to realpolitik, but there were a whole load of other things on my mind before then.

[Delscottio]

No, the author said that.... "when they FIRST SAW" ...



Yes, and that's what I said. You do understand the connotation of "silver lining", as in "every cloud has a silver lining"? e.g. Something bad happens but at least there's some good that comes of it amidst the bad. That's just what he said, and just what I said.
So you're just confirming what I said, at least up to this juncture.



Really? I guess I'm funny, then. I stood there watching that whole day unfold, and that wasn't my first reaction, at all. Nor second. Nor third. Given a little while to think about it, I suppose that when I was finished worrying that my friends who hadn't made it to the office that morning weren't dead, or that the people I knew who still worked in the towers had gotten out (some hadn't as it turns out), yeah, I might've given a think to realpolitik, but there were a whole load of other things on my mind before then.

Its amazing how living under the cloud of terrorism for a few decades affects your thinking. Especially when your supposed closest ally openly allows the collection of funds to aid said terrorism.

Who says the terrorists never win eh?

[Brainster]

Ed Klein reports that Ted loved Chappaquiddick jokes:

CaiTipTtbak

Klein somehow manages to make this seem endearing.

[Ziggurat]

Klein somehow manages to make this seem endearing.

From where I'm sitting he doesn't manage it, he only tries.

[dudalb]

Ya think?

That does not change the fact that the author is, from the circumstantial evidence available, an idiot with an agenda.

I don't care much for the argument about not speaking ill of the dead... but give the body a chance to cool down, at least! History has all the time in the world on its side. Was/is it so important to get this particular criticism out before the body's even buried.


I have noted a lot of the gutter UK Press has a nasty habit of Stereotyping all Irish Americans as mindless IRA supporters.
And the RUC was not exatly a bastion of virtue,either. At times it seemed to be the Orange Order in Police Uniform.

[dudalb]

Indeed. "I don't wish to, but my biases... um... I mean... Honesty forces me to"


To be fair, we had an awful lot of this when Reagan died. I remember not three hours after he had died, the Internet was full of dancing on his grave.
Frankly, when it comes to having total jerks, left and right are about equal.

[Lonewulf]

To be fair, we had an awful lot of this when Reagan died. I remember not three hours after he had died, the Internet was full of dancing on his grave.
Frankly, when it comes to having total jerks, left and right are about equal.

I wouldn't have danced on Reagan's grave. Hell, it felt distasteful when people were dancing on Jerry Falwell's grave.

[oldhat]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/michaeltomasky/2009/aug/27/edward-kennedy-andrew-breitbart

Soon after, conservative commentator Andrew Breitbart began a sustained assault on Kennedy's memory, tweeting "Rest in Chappaquiddick."

Over the course of the next three hours, Breitbart unapologetically attacked Kennedy, calling him a "villain," "a big ass motherf@#$er," a "duplicitous bastard" and a "prick." "I'll shut my mouth for Carter. That's just politics. Kennedy was a special pile of human excrement," wrote Breitbart in one tweet.

[Tricky]

To be fair, we had an awful lot of this when Reagan died. I remember not three hours after he had died, the Internet was full of dancing on his grave.
And you know, I really don't have a problem with people criticizing Ted. Kind of like Orson Scott Card's "Speaker for the Dead", I think a person's life should be examined truthfully, whether minutes or years after their death. I obviously would not say these things to family members or make a press release like this that his loved ones might read, but here, with the relative anonymity of an obscure internet forum, I seriously doubt that anyone would be injured by speaking the truth as we see it.

But I think Kennedy's life should be viewed through the panoramic lens of everything he did, not the keyhole of Chappaquiddick.

[Regnad Kcin]

George Will, that laughably liberal loon, has offered his thoughts on EMK (http://www.gosanangelo.com/news/2009/aug/27/kennedys-career-shows-a-positive-balance/).

[makaya325]

kennedy should have been acquited for murder due to the 1979 incident, letting that poor pregnant woman drown

[Foolmewunz]

kennedy should have been acquited for murder due to the 1979 incident, letting that poor pregnant woman drown

Can someone translate this? Anyone left up at this hour who speaks Makayan?

[Cleon]

kennedy should have been acquited for murder due to the 1979 incident, letting that poor pregnant woman drown

wut?

[Foolmewunz]

I'll take that as a "no", then?

[Hokulele]

I'll take that as a "no", then?


Ahem.

"They should have convicted Kennedy for murder 10 years after the event, as I believe Mary Jo was pregnant and deliberately left to drown."

Yeah, it makes more sense untranslated.

[makaya325]

Ahem.

"They should have convicted Kennedy for murder 10 years after the event, as I believe Mary Jo was pregnant and deliberately left to drown."

Yeah, it makes more sense untranslated.

What he did was not only sick and Irresponsible, but It also made myself redefine the definition of "Murder". I am not sad that he died one bit. The Kennedy's were not the typical american family, but more like a White-trash, abusive family.

[Undesired Walrus]

A shock to see Bush #43 rear from obscurity, present at the funeral today. Strange how such a public face for the last 8 years can just vanish from the face of the Earth for the last 6 months.

[Cleon]

Apparently even Dan Quayle crawled out from under his rock.

[makaya325]

Two words: Chappaquiddick Incident

[boloboffin]

It is a happy moment in American history that we have reached the beginning of the end of Democrats pretending Mary Jo Kopechne didn't die horribly and Republicans digging her bones up to shake them at Ted Kennedy.

[makaya325]

It is a happy moment in American history that we have reached the beginning of the end of Democrats pretending Mary Jo Kopechne didn't die horribly and Republicans digging her bones up to shake them at Ted Kennedy.

That incident really shows who the real Ted Kennedy was

[boloboffin]

That incident really shows who the real Ted Kennedy was

Get it out of your system. Shake, shake, shake.

[EeneyMinnieMoe]

Ed Klein reports that Ted loved Chappaquiddick jokes:

...

Klein somehow manages to make this seem endearing.

:eye-poppi

Playing Devil's Advocate here. It was 40 years ago and it was as synonymous with his name as Richard Nixon's is with Watergate. Ted being self deprecating about it would be like Bill joking about Monica or Richard Nixon joking about wiretapping.

And he had already been punished quite a lot for it and the accident probably was an honest mistake on his part. He wasn't drunk, he wasn't driving recklessly, he probably did just drive the wrong way on an unlit bridge.

His behavior afterwards, now...

[eeyore1954]

:eye-poppi

Playing Devil's Advocate here. It was 40 years ago and it was as synonymous with his name as Richard Nixon's is with Watergate. Ted being self deprecating about it would be like Bill joking about Monica or Richard Nixon joking about wiretapping.

And he had already been punished quite a lot for it and the accident probably was an honest mistake on his part. He wasn't drunk, he wasn't driving recklessly, he probably did just drive the wrong way on an unlit bridge.

His behavior afterwards, now...

What real punishment did he receive.

[EeneyMinnieMoe]

He never became President, as he wanted to. Never ran for higher office than Senator. Was a laughing stock. Had everyone in America speculating he was drunk at the time or having an affair with the woman or both. His marriage allegedly took a hit. He was haunted by this (reputation wise) to his dying day.

[Whiplash]

I'm someone who complained about the treatment given Reagan just after he died.

I'm not someone to "return to favor" and rip on Kennedy at this time.

[makaya325]

Get it out of your system. Shake, shake, shake.

Why should I? It is constantly dismissed by extreme liberals, yet known and recognized by others. He was a selfish Pr*ck

[Lonewulf]

"Extreme liberals"?

[dudalb]

kennedy should have been acquited for murder due to the 1979 incident, letting that poor pregnant woman drown

Acquitted?????????????????
I assume he meant Indicted.
You think anybody who watched a single episode of "Law and Order" would know the difference between Acquitted and Indicted.

[makaya325]

"Extreme liberals"?

Yes, there is such a thing as extreme liberals and extreme conservatives

[Lonewulf]

Yes, there is such a thing as extreme liberals and extreme conservatives

And only the extreme liberals disagree with you, right?

[BeAChooser]

http://www.americanthinker.com/printpage/?url=http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2009/08/the_soviet_era_memo_showing_te.html "The Soviet era memo showing Ted Kennedy working against American interests"

[Tsukasa Buddha]

http://www.americanthinker.com/printpage/?url=http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2009/08/the_soviet_era_memo_showing_te.html "The Soviet era memo showing Ted Kennedy working against American interests"

Somehow that seems completely unbelievable.

How would the Soviets help the Democratic Party win elections?

[SezMe]

Apparently even Dan Quayle crawled out from under his rock.
But not Bush #41. And he lives just up the road. Classless.

[SezMe]

http://www.americanthinker.com/printpage/?url=http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2009/08/the_soviet_era_memo_showing_te.html "The Soviet era memo showing Ted Kennedy working against American interests"
The opening of that article.

Some would go farther and say that the memorandum from Victor Chebrikov, the top man at the KGB that was addressed to Yuri Andropov, the top man in the entire USSR, outlining a secret proposal made by Senator Ted Kennedy to the Soviets to help them "understand Reagan" in return for their help in making him president, constitutes treason.

It's not a word to throw around lightly and the reason I refrain from using it is because I am unsure Kennedy's actions meet the definition.
"Some would say..." What yellow journalism. The author is a coward and a weasel. Nice bilge, BAC.

[Cicero]

I'm guessing many people aren't particularly happy about that either, and I have no problem with people criticizing the recently deceased, but at least it would make sense to judge him on those fourty-plus years of history, rather than one one day of it.

How about the previous 30+ years of history?

Expelled twice from Harvard for cheating.

Signed up for four years in the U.S. Army, but when he realized that he only wanted to do two years of service, he had Papa Joe pull strings to accommodate his wishes.

Papa Joe also had his son, the Private, assigned to Paris instead of Korea where all the fun was happening.

While attending University of Virginia law school, he was cited for reckless driving four times. One of the tickets was for doing 90 mph in a residential neighborhood at night without his headlights on.


Or the post 40+ years?

Kennedy on the Senate floor in 1973:

"Do we operate under a system of equal justice under law? Or is there one system for the average citizen and another for the high and mighty?"

Any chance he was thinking about Chappaquiddick while he was referring to Watergate?

In 1987 he was caught in flagrante delicto with an unidentified woman on the floor of a restaurant. Of course for a Kennedy, this isn't even boorish behavior, just expected behavior.

[Number Six]

Here's what I regard as a pretty repulsive column on the Huffington Post abut Ted and Mary Jo and I feel the same way about the responses to it.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/melissa-lafsky/the-footnote-speaks-what_b_270298.html

I think Ted got of very, very lightly in the long run for Chappaquiddick. At the time the media just didn't investigate as strongly as they do now, especially when the person in question was someone like a Kennedy. A couple years ago Larry Craig almost got bounced out of the Senate for hitting on someone in a public restroom. Ted would have been history if Chappaquiddick happened today.

And as far as "service" goes, it's funny that service always involves something that everybody wants to do. I would think that true service would be anonymously picking up trash along the road or volunteering to clean public restrooms. Instead, service seems to involve things where you get all kinds of perks and people worship you.

It's too bad JFK and RFK were killed but they weren't putting their lives on the line (as far as they knew), rather they pursued and then exercised power. Whether they did good with it is a topic for debate. I personally think they did good. But they weren't being noble in doing what they were doing (unlike Joe Jr who died on a dangerous mission in WW II).

So Ted wasn't continuing some kind of noble tradition. Rather he was handed a lot of political power simply because of who was in his family and then was handed even more political power because his two brothers were murdered and Ted got a bunch of sympathy. And he had so much political power he probably could have been elected President, even though he hadn't done anything to remotely deserve the power. And then he threw a chunk of the power away when his carelessness killed a woman and then his political calculating resulted in her body staying in the water for 10 hours.

Someone was saying how it was a lot of pressure for him to considered the leader off all those kids of his murdered brother. For one thing, why was it up to him as opposed to all his sisters to do this? Secondly, if it was such a burden then why didn't he just quit the Senate and spend time being a surrogate father? Remember, this entire family was independently wealthy. He could have done anything he wanted. The thing he chose to do was keep a job that gave political power to himself but that took a lot of time that he could otherwise be spending with his family.

I don't want to bust on Ted too much. I think he did some good things in Congress and I doubt he was any worse than lots of other people in power. But I think his whole story illustrates how corrupt American politics can be. A guy gets a very powerful position because of connections and then holds it for half a century. And then he dies and everybody praises him. We don't even recognize ridiculous when it's right in front of us.

But there is something even more ridiculous and I was reminded of it yesterday when I saw some footage of the funeral coverage. Amongst the people Ted's son Patrick greeted was Senator Robert Byrd. He's in his nineties and in a wheelchair. If he didn't have a job right now then he wouldn't be able to get one. And yet he has a very powerful political job and can keep it for as long as he wants. It's just crazy.

[desertgal]

kennedy should have been acquited for murder due to the 1979 incident, letting that poor pregnant woman drown

See, this is why everyone keeps encouraging you to research your statements before you post, Gomer. You didn't get one detail right.

"Acquitted" means that Kennedy would have been found not guilty in a court of law - you obviously mean "indicted".

Chappaquiddick happened in 1969, not 1979.

Mary Jo Kopechne was not pregnant at the time.

It is widely accepted that the cause of her death was suffocation, not drowning.

All of which you could have discovered inside of five seconds by Googling "Chappaquiddick".

[Metullus]

See, this is why everyone keeps encouraging you to research your statements before you post, Gomer. You didn't get one detail right.

"Acquitted" means that Kennedy would have been found not guilty in a court of law - you obviously mean "indicted".

Chappaquiddick happened in 1969, not 1979.

Mary Jo Kopechne was not pregnant at the time.

It is widely accepted that the cause of her death was suffocation, not drowning.

All of which you could have discovered inside of five seconds by Googling "Chappaquiddick".To be fair, he did get the part about Ted Kennedy being involved correct. And the fact that Miss Kopechne was a woman.

[Alt+F4]

A British view in the Telegraph:
For years Kennedy was the bang-drummer-in-chief for brainless Irish-American IRA sympathisers, dimwits who shouted “troops out of Dublin!” and sang maudlin songs from the comfort of Boston and New York, giving money for strangers 3,000 miles away to murder their neighbours.

Is there any proof that Irish-American IRA sympathisers shouted "troops out of Dublin!" ever in Boston or New York?

I thought not.

Why does a reporter have to resort to a lie when the original point he was trying to make was valid on it's own merits?

[desertgal]

To be fair, he did get the part about Ted Kennedy being involved correct.

Actually, he just said "kennedy". Mak may not even be sure which Kennedy he is talking about. :p

[Metullus]

Actually, he just said "kennedy". Mak may not even be sure which Kennedy he is talking about. :pWell, he did get the Kennedy part right...

[oldhat]

I liked Ted Kennedy because he enraged and will continue to enrage conservatives even after death. It's great that whenever you mention his name, conservatives instantly produce 15,000,000 links to articles about Chappaquiddick.

"Ted Kennedy was a tireless fighter for national health insurance."
"Oh yeah? Chappaquiddick."

"Ted Kennedy reportedly has the best staff in the Senate."
"Well what about Chappaquiddick?"

"Ted Kennedy surprisingly grew into a respected politician in the Senate."
"You fail to mention Mary Jo Kopechne and Chappaquiddick."

etc. etc.

[Cicero]

I liked Ted Kennedy because he enraged and will continue to enrage conservatives even after death. It's great that whenever you mention his name, conservatives instantly produce 15,000,000 links to articles about Chappaquiddick.

Ann Coulter is equally valuable for her effect on libs.

"Ted Kennedy was a tireless fighter for national health insurance."
"Oh yeah? Chappaquiddick."


Teddy helped pass "No Child Left Behind."
"Oh yeah? He was expelled from Harvard twice for cheating.


"Ted Kennedy reportedly has the best staff in the Senate."
"Well what about Chappaquiddick?"

Teddy is always a gentleman and displays proper decorum on and off the Hill.


"As Gaviglio enters the room, the six-foot-two, 225-plus-pound Kennedy grabs the five-foot-three, 103-pound waitress and throws her on the table. She lands on her back, scattering crystal, plates and cutlery and the lit candles. Several glasses and a crystal candlestick are broken. Kennedy then picks her up from the table and throws her on Dodd, who is sprawled in a chair. With Gaviglio on Dodd’s lap, Kennedy jumps on top and begins rubbing his genital area against hers, supporting his weight on the arms of the chair. As he is doing this, Loh enters the room. She and Gaviglio both scream, drawing one or two dishwashers. Startled, Kennedy leaps up. He laughs. Bruised, shaken and angry over what she considered a sexual assault, Gaviglio runs from the room. Kennedy, Dodd and their dates leave shortly thereafter, following a friendly argument between the senators over the check."

"...a former congressional page tells of her surprise meeting with Kennedy three years ago. She was 16 then. It was evening and she and her 16-year-old page, an attractive blonde, were walking down the Capitol steps on their way home from work when Kennedy’s limo pulled up and the senator opened the door. In the backseat stood a bottle of wine on ice. Leaning his graying head out the door, the senator popped the question: Would one of the girls care to join him for dinner? No? How about the other? The girls said no thanks and the senator zoomed off. Kennedy, the formal page said, made no overt sexual overtures and was “very careful to make it seem like nothing out of the ordinary.” It is possible that Kennedy did not know that the girls were underage or that they were pages and, as such, were under the protection of Congress, which serves in loco parentis. Nevertheless, the former page said she did find Kennedy’s invitation surprising. “He didn’t even know me,” she says. “I knew this kind of stuff happened, but I didn’t expect it to happen to me.”

http://men.style.com/gq/features/full?id=content_5585

"Ted Kennedy surprisingly grew into a respected politician in the Senate."
"You fail to mention Mary Jo Kopechne and Chappaquiddick."
etc. etc.


"Ted Kennedy never was born to be president or wanted it terribly,” says Milton Gwirtzman. “I think the reason he ran has to do with something his father once said to him: ‘If there’s a piece of cake on the plate, take it. Eat it.’ ”

Number od deaths attributed to Watergate : 0
Number of deaths attributed to Chappaquiddick: 1

Maybe that is why it still holds a special place for political scandals.

[boloboffin]

Number od deaths attributed to Watergate : 0
Number of deaths attributed to Chappaquiddick: 1

Maybe that is why it still holds a special place for political scandals.

So it's just Chappaquiddick that keeps you from jumping on the Kennedy bandwagon? Really?

[Cicero]

So it's just Chappaquiddick that keeps you from jumping on the Kennedy bandwagon? Really?

Surely you jest? Kennedy's politics make me hurl, but his personnel behavior should make even his most staunch defenders and apologists cringe in shame.

[Whiplash]

I liked Ted Kennedy because he enraged and will continue to enrage conservatives even after death. It's great that whenever you mention his name, conservatives instantly produce 15,000,000 links to articles about Chappaquiddick.

"Ted Kennedy was a tireless fighter for national health insurance."
"Oh yeah? Chappaquiddick."

"Ted Kennedy reportedly has the best staff in the Senate."
"Well what about Chappaquiddick?"

"Ted Kennedy surprisingly grew into a respected politician in the Senate."
"You fail to mention Mary Jo Kopechne and Chappaquiddick."

etc. etc.



That's funny. Seriously. I find myself often coming to revelations around here with certain posts, and how certain people on the left rationalize things to themselves.

You see the Chappaquiddick comeback as some kind of vicious attack and attempt to ignore other fine work he may or may not have done. We see it as "wow, liberals insist on bending over backwards to point out every possible "good" thing about Kennedy, sincerely believing that they outweigh or dismiss the entire Chappaquiddick incident entirely." And that is startling. Honestly.

None of what he has done otherwise has any bearing on the incident in question. Either he did something wrong, or he didn't. And if he did in any way allow this woman to die, then I don't care if he's going around giving money to every poor person in the county, giving his blood to everyone who needs it.. I don't care if he's personally doing charity work with the blind. I don't care if he's was the next Mother Theresa. None of that would forgive or outshadow that crime. And you know damn well you'd never be so forgiving of anyone on the other side of the isle in the same circumstance.

We may never know the truth about this incident, but it's fascinating the way those on the left just go "ho hum, BORING!" to the entire idea, as if it was loooong ago shown to have been completely innocent and Saint Ted walked away from the thing smelling like a rose. Talk about self-delusion.

[boloboffin]

Surely you jest? Kennedy's politics make me hurl, but his personnel behavior should make even his most staunch defenders and apologists cringe in shame.

Cringe in shame? I didn't kill her or cover up her death for a day. I have no personal stake in the incident at all. I have no shame in this act.

Clearly for Kennedy detractors, if Chappaquiddick didn't exist, it would have been necessary to invent it. Yes, Ted Kennedy was responsible for her death. Yes, Ted Kennedy didn't report the accident for hours, and not until the car was discovered did he own up to it. All of this is awful.

But to my mind, it's just as awful for people who wouldn't have given two drops of blood for her otherwise to use her as political fodder against Ted Kennedy for decades. Who was Mary Jo Kopechne to you?

[Alt+F4]

Teddy helped pass "No Child Left Behind."
"Oh yeah? He was expelled from Harvard twice for cheating.

What is the connection between being expelled from Harvard and No Child Left Behind?

[Darth Rotor]

What is the connection between being expelled from Harvard and No Child Left Behind?

School. Students. Education.

[Cicero]

Cringe in shame? I didn't kill her or cover up her death for a day. I have no personal stake in the incident at all. I have no shame in this act.

That really depends on whether you consider Kennedy to be worthy of lionization knowing about his decades of horrendous behavior.

Clearly for Kennedy detractors, if Chappaquiddick didn't exist, it would have been necessary to invent it. Yes, Ted Kennedy was responsible for her death. Yes, Ted Kennedy didn't report the accident for hours, and not until the car was discovered did he own up to it. All of this is awful.

Why would it have to be invented? You really think that Chappaquiddick exists as the only example of egregious behavior committed by Teddy?

But to my mind, it's just as awful for people who wouldn't have given two drops of blood for her otherwise to use her as political fodder against Ted Kennedy for decades. Who was Mary Jo Kopechne to you?


That is just imbecilic. I need to have a personal attachment to crime victims in order to condemn the criminal for their actions? Teddy is the one who made the name Mary Jo Kopechne famous for how an average citizen's life shrinks to insignificance when compared to the political aspirations of a Kennedy.

[Lonewulf]

That's funny. Seriously. I find myself often coming to revelations around here with certain posts, and how certain people on the left rationalize things to themselves.

You see the Chappaquiddick comeback as some kind of vicious attack and attempt to ignore other fine work he may or may not have done. We see it as "wow, liberals insist on bending over backwards to point out every possible "good" thing about Kennedy, sincerely believing that they outweigh or dismiss the entire Chappaquiddick incident entirely." And that is startling. Honestly.

None of what he has done otherwise has any bearing on the incident in question. Either he did something wrong, or he didn't. And if he did in any way allow this woman to die, then I don't care if he's going around giving money to every poor person in the county, giving his blood to everyone who needs it.. I don't care if he's personally doing charity work with the blind. I don't care if he's was the next Mother Theresa. None of that would forgive or outshadow that crime. And you know damn well you'd never be so forgiving of anyone on the other side of the isle in the same circumstance.

We may never know the truth about this incident, but it's fascinating the way those on the left just go "ho hum, BORING!" to the entire idea, as if it was loooong ago shown to have been completely innocent and Saint Ted walked away from the thing smelling like a rose. Talk about self-delusion.

That's funny. Well, I guess it's only the fundamentalist right that believe in stuff like forgiveness, repentance, and making up for one's sins.

Oh wait.

[Skeptic]

Yeah. Grave dancing is only appropriate for evil people. Ted Kennedy, whilst possessed of certain ****head qualities, was not evil.

"The Onion", while not dancing on his grave, have their usual hit the nail on the head (http://www.thewrap.com/ind-column/onion-ted-kennedy-too-soon_5598) reporting.

Amazingly, by the way, some people (like those in the link I posted) seem to have completely missed the point of the Onion's satire.