Senator Kennedy and the Case for Second Chances
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Senator Ted Kennedy has passed away, and we’ll not see his like again.
Before long, there will be an accounting of his life, his accomplishments, and his personal story. That personal story is glorious, tragic, and flawed all at the same time.
Could a 30 year old Edward Kennedy get elected to the Senate today? Would he have survived the scandals of his youth to become entrenched in the U.S. Senate?
Sadly, the answer is undoubtedly “no.” And that is a terrible reality for modern American politics. Ted Kennedy overcame his personal flaws to become one of most influential Senators in the history of this country. America is better for Ted Kennedy’s service.
Today, the mistakes of Kennedy’s youth would have scuttled his political career before it started.
How sad for America. How many good men and women have been taken down by scandal — only to be replaced by lesser public servants? How many good people don’t even get into the political arena because of some personal issue?
I talk about scandal. I vote on substance. Ted Kennedy reminded us of that important distinction.
R.I.P. Senator Kennedy.
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Elie, although I greatly admire the Senator’s tireless public service, I think causing a young woman’s death, then fleeing the scene of that death, qualifies as more than a youthful indiscretion, especially for a married father of three. No, I don’t think he could survive it politically today; nor, perhaps, should he have then. He got a pass because he was a Kennedy. Granted, we are all better off for that pass, but we should also pause to remember that young life lost. Who knows what she might have accomplished?
She had a name, damn it: Mary Jo Kopechne. She wasn’t a scandal, she was a person who had her life cut short by an act of monumentally callous irresponsibility. Second chance? What second chance? Teddy Kennedy didn’t even get a slap on the wrist. Everything was glossed over and hushed up. What about Mary Jo’s first chance?
I doubt this is what Elie is referring to, since he was already a senator at the time, and nearly 40 years old. The “scandals of his youth” Elie talks about are probably him cheating at Harvard and recklessly driving in law school.
In response to another comment. See in context »Lawdy lawdy… I’m 34, never really followed politics, but i sure am learning a lot about the late Sen. Kennedy today.
So which is it… is he a hero, or not?
If i contemplate the record i keep hearing about; him being the most accomplished US Senator in terms of getting legislation passed that benefitted the common American, then i – as a quite common American – am damn glad he got to be a Senator.
If i consider all of the people i’ve seen today digging up and slinging dirt while his corpse is still cooling, then i just have to wonder… that if you amplified your righteous indignation 100,000+ times for every innocent Iraqi that has been murdered by the bush admin, should dubya spontaneously combust on the spot? or should you rush to Texas so you can consume him whole?
No, my verdict is this: In our rogue’s gallery of US Political leadership, Ted Kennedy was one of the best of them all. I’m glad we had him and we’ll be diminished by the loss.