The surname Kennedy is ubiquitous in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. In terms of icons or iconic figures, I think it goes 1) Red Sox 2) Cheers 3) Kennedys 4) Clam chowder. As is often repeated, everyone in the State has a Kennedy story.
I remember, as a young kid, seeing the "Kennedy Compound" in Hyannisport, MA in Cape Cod on a drive by mini-van tour by my friend Kara's mom. At that time as a young kid, it astounded me that first, someone might live on a "compound" (for serious?) and second, that the family had a huge plot of private beachfront all to themselves. Must. be. nice. is what I remember thinking.
It has always surprised me how the Kennedy's are either idolized to the maximum or loathed completely. It was no different on August 25, 2009, the date of Ted Kennedy's death. The vast majority of residents were saddened, though some remained steadfast in their pissed-offedness over some of Kennedy's personal flaws.
In the event at Chappaquiddick, as I understand it (or as Wikipedia explains to me), Kennedy drove his Oldsmobile over a bridge into a tidal channel. He escaped the vehicle and later said he searched for his passenger, Mary Jo Kopechne, diving under the surface 7 or 8 times to no avail. He swam to shore and contacted authorities the next morning, though at that point her body had been recovered.
This was, undeniably, a horrible and completely irresponsible act. Kennedy was given only 2 months in jail and claimed not to have been intoxicated (hmmmm), though a later investigation concluded his driving had been reckless.
After Ted Kennedy died, I sat, glued to my T.V., watching historical pieces on the Kennedy family, his memorial, and funeral services. Though this may sound pathetic, I wasn't able to watch them without feeling gut-wrenching sadness. "What the hell is wrong with you?" - you might ask. Great question. I really don't know.
What I do know, is that it is so disappointing to see people dwell on this event or his personal shortcomings and ignore his tons of other accomplishments. I admire Ted Kennedy for so many reasons. First and foremost, his ability to overcome horrible tragedies time and again to effect astounding change with over 2,500 pieces of legislation passed (I believe).
Among them in no particular order:
The Federal Election Campaign Act Amendments of 1974, which set up public financing for presidential campaigns; the Voting Rights Act; funding for AIDS treatment; Title IX for equal funding for women's sports; the COBRA Act; the Ryan White Care Act; the National & Community Service Trust Act of 1993, which created the AmeriCorps program; increases to the minimum wage; the Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act in 1996, which set new standards for insurance portability and record confidentiality; the Mental Health Parity Act; the State Children's Health Insurance Program ("SCHIP"), which uses higher taxes on tobacco to fund increased insurance coverage to children; No Child Left Behind, which he became disenchanted with due to a half-hearted implementation, and a myriad of others. He collaborated seamlessly with Dems & Republicans alike.
He worked with John McCain on immigration reform in the Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act, which did not pass the Senate but may act as a foundation (hopefully) for a comprehensive way to deal with the legalization process, guest worker programs, and border enforcement issues. He tried again with a bipartisan group in the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007, though this measure did not pass the Senate either.
In the 1980s, in a career defining move, Kennedy became a ranking member of the Labor and Public Welfare Committee. I say career defining because Kennedy gave up a spot on the much sexier Judiciary Committee Legislation to do so, which ultimately allowed him to pass less sexy but extremely important legislation affecting wide swaths of the population.
Also in the 1980s, Kennedy gained a seat on the Armed Services Committee, where he became a very visible opponent of Reagan's foreign policy, including U.S. intervention in the Salvadoran Civil War - U.S. support for the Contras, a leading advocate for a nuclear freeze, and a critic of Reagan's confrontational policies towards the Soviet Union. It may sound surprising given the context of today's political climate, but the two actually got along quite well.
In 1985 in a dangerous maneuver, he travelled to South Africa and defied the Apartheid government and militant anti-white AZAPO demonstrators by spending a night in the Soweto home of Bishop Desmond Tutu, also visiting with Winnie Mandela, wife of Nelson Mandela. When he returned from this trip, he pushed for economic sanctions in the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act of 1986, which passed the Senate and overrode Reagan's veto.
To me, he's an inspirational, as well as aspirational figure. He called for a united Ireland in 1971. In several anti-war speeches, he opposed Nixon's policy of "Vietnamization," the administration's support for Pakistan and its repression of East Benegal. He traveled to India and wrote a report on the circumstance of over 10 million Bengali refugees and to Bangladesh to deliver a speech where a killing rampage had begun a year prior.
I don't know that many people would be able to overcome the death of a brother in World War II, the death of a sister in a plane crash, a sister's failed lobotomy, the murder of 2 brothers - one a President, the other, a Presidential hopeful, coping with 2 kids diagnosed with cancer (his son, Ted, was diagnosed with chondrosarcoma and had a leg amputated), a nephew dying in a plane crash...At this point you may wonder if there could possibly be anything else this man endured?! YES. He almost died in a plane crash and was left with a painful back injury the rest of his life. Mental note: Think of this guy when you're having a rough day because there's a line-up at a public restroom.
The circumstances he endured in life, undoubtedly, made him extremely sensitive to the human condition. One trait of Ted Kennedy's I most admire was his ability to comfort others, even when he was coping with the most challenging of circumstances. On September 11th, he contacted all 177 families in Massachusetts affected by the tragedy. A high school friend recounted how he called her family when a cousin of hers was killed in Iraq.
This was echoed time and again in his memorial service and funeral mass. Chris Dodd described how he was the first to call when Dodd underwent prostate cancer treatment, though Kennedy himself was battling brain cancer:
"And two weeks ago, as I was coming out of surgery, I got a call from Teddy, his unique voice as loud and booming as ever. "Well," he roared, "Between going through prostate cancer surgery and doing town hall meetings, you made the right choice!" And though he was dying, and I was hurting, he had me howling with laughter in the recovery room as he made a few choice comments, I cannot repeat, about catheters."
On T.V., Kennedy always appeared glowing and happy beside his wife during this trying year.
Another trait of his I admire greatly is the way in which he performed random acts of kindness - not with the usual fanfare typical of most politicians, but rather, in his own quite way. As Governor of Massachusetts, Deval Patrick, described in his memorial speech:
"That was the thing about Ted: he was in the same instant larger than life and completely down to earth. His record of achievement and contribution is unrivaled in the United States Senate. His humanity, his compassion, his kindness in some ways had just as great an impact.
A friend of mine told me recently the story of Ted's plans to attend the funeral of Yitzak Rabin, the late prime minister of Israel. The day before he left for Jerusalem, he called the White House and asked if it would be appropriate to bring some soil from Arlington Cemetery. No one knew the answer. So that day, he went to the graves of his two brothers and scooped up some soil. He carried that precious commodity in a shopping bag to the funeral of Rabin. After the ceremonies, after the crowd had dispersed, away from the cameras and the press, he carefully, respectfully, lovingly spread that soil on Rabin's grave. No publicity. Just a good man doing a sweet thing."
As is the case of any effective politician, he was also adept at causing quite a commotion. Not only was he effective at the podium, but in my opinion, he has also demonstrated remarkable prowess posthumously. He used his memorial service, funeral mass, letters, and autobiography not only as a way to stamp out his legacy, but also as a channel to continue to fight for his causes. I couldn't help but smile when I heard his grandkids say Intercessions that reminded those in the audience and those watching at home about the need for health care reform and gay rights (quite ballsy during a Catholic ceremony), among other issues. The residents of Mission Hill seemed appreciative of the fact that he chose this section of Boston, rather than a more hoighty-toighty neighborhood to hold his funeral service, putting national spotlight on the area. The same can be said of the location of the JFK Library. Every detail was thoughtfully planned out. A posthumous letter to the President on the need for health care reform was equally effective, and made its way into the President's recent health care speech.
As Senator Chris Dodd so eloquently put it (or his speechwriters, nudge):
"John Fitzgerald Kennedy inspired our America; Robert Kennedy challenged our America; and Teddy changed our America..."
Link to Ted Kennedy Jr. Eulogy: http://i.abcnews.com/Politics/TedKennedy/Story?id=8443171&page=1
