Tattered Legacy Of The Lion

Deep condolences to the Kennedy family, who have endured yet another tragedy (as we all have); but theirs are played out on a public stage. Ted Kennedy, the Senator, the man has left an indelible legacy on this country. The ramifications of that legacy are far reaching.

Ted Kennedy was a man of conviction, that cannot be disputed. It seems clear that he truly believed in the causes that he championed, even as those causes were fought from
behind the walled fortress of the Kennedy compound. As the fight over universal health care currently rages in this country, it was Kennedy, even before he first took office in the early 60’s, proposed such a system-to be run by the government in the United States. After 47 years in the senate, Kennedy never saw his dream realized, although Democrats now are using the opportunity to garner support for the flailing initiative. The passing of the man will not have the desired effect the Democrats are hoping for, but they appeal to emotion none the less. To cheapen their lion in this fashion may have the effect of making the socialists in Washington even less popular than they are now.

Although health care was a major plank of the Kennedy agenda, it was by no means the only one. A main player in the passage of the disastrous 1965 Immigration Act; what was promised then, is a far cry from what actually happened. Kennedy’s promise that the country would not be flooded with a million immigrants annually has long been broken, and combined with illegal immigration, the essentially borderless United States has been in effect flooded.

Kennedy’s other most recognizable claim to immigration fame came in the failed bid to legalize millions of illegal aliens, with a poorly written amnesty proposal that saw the likes of John McCain sign on. The failed push was dubbed The McKennedy Bill, after the two men who rolled the dice and put their names to it. For Kennedy it was a safe bet. His base was liberal and would go along with such a scheme. McCain suffered for it, and although we will never know for sure, may have cost him the presidency.

Ted Kennedy was all to human though, and under the glare of the public spotlight, may have orchestrated his own presidential Waterloo in 1969. The tragic, and infamous Chappaquddick incident, where a drunken Kennedy drove off a bridge and into the water in what would become the most obtuse, if not criminal event in his life. Kennedy managed to escape, but his passenger, Mary Jo Kopechne was not so lucky. Her body was discovered the next morning inside Kennedy’s submerged vehicle. It was not discovered that evening because Kennedy failed to report the incident until the next day. Could Kopechne have been saved? Only Kennedy-and Mary Jo know for sure. The man who lived a lifetime in the lap of privilege was given little more than a slap on the wrist legally, but as far as ambitions beyond the Senate, the tragedy more than likely doomed him. Little consolation for the Kopechne family.

Ted Kennedy lived a full life, the good, the bad, the mistake filled, the evil, the tragic, the ambitious, the blessed, the cursed and the famed. That was his road, and as they say, it is now between him and his maker. Judgement can be skewed on this plane, but there is a higher judgement, and Ted Kennedy faces his now.