Wednesday, August 26, 2009
THE OTHER BROTHER
There has never been a time that Ted Kennedy has not been on my political scene.
You will read a lot of bullshit about him and the family today. I already saw a lot of it on television.
The liberal lion. The surrogate father. The family tragedies. The rest.
All of it is somewhat true but also overblown hype.
What, to me, is the real story of Ted Kennedy is the story of redemption.
He had a bad start. He made some stupid choices. He was the nearly black sheep among the brothers. He had scandal.
And he endured.
When I was a young man I did not take Ted seriously. I imagine that I did not vote for him. I don't believe in "legacy" seats in congress or anywhere else.
But Massachusetts voted for him forever.
Now, I am surprised to say that I have taken Kennedy very seriously for his later years. He used the powers of his tenure and his voice for great causes. He was truly bi-partisan. That is not non-partisan. Bi-partisan. He believed in his cause and he believed in working with the opposition.
My suprise is that this happened gradually and below my awareness. I recognized that he had become a statesman.
He gained my respect and my vote.
And now, my sadness at his passing. He is a hero.
