Ted Kennedy passed this evening at 77

[Rodger Tellefson]

No matter what your political views, I believe Senator Ted Kennedy was one of the greats.

 

[Kevin Palmer]

I woke up to the news....



I agree that he has been a big political figure, and,,,, he is a Kennedy.

 

[Doctor CAD]

I hope the devil handed Mary Jo the pitchfork so that she could stab him first.

 

[Dave Niederhauser]

I can't believe people have forgotten about Mary Jo Kapeckney ..... Boy was that hush hush....:angry:

 

[Les]

I believe Senator Ted Kennedy was one of the greats.

I don't believe I would go that far...

 

[Gary DiPietroSr]

I would hope that Mary-Jo is not standing with the devil, but a lightening bolt from heaven would work.

 

[TrainTrac]

No matter what your political views, I believe Senator Ted Kennedy was one of the greats.

I too think that's a stretch. Name one significant, lasting, positive accomplishment by Ted Kennedy during his tenure in the Senate. Massachusetts Attorney General Eddie McCormack, Mr. Kennedy's opponent in the 1962 Democratic primary, said it best:

"if your name was Edward Moore instead of Edward Moore Kennedy, your candidacy would be a farce."

As for Chappaquiddick, I heard on the radio this morning that after the accident, the family of Mary Jo Kopechne signed an agreement with the Kennedy family (i.e. were paid off) to not publicly discuss the incident until after Teddy's death. Should be interesting to see what's said now...

 

[Woppy V]

a man who lived in the shadow of his brother and family...

 

[Bill V]

Ah, yes. The classless conservatives on this board once again rear their heads; this time to spit on the grave of someone who, whether you agree with his ideology or not, made this country a better place through his years of devoted service to this country. Sad, but unfortunately, around here, it's to be expected.



Get some class, people. Everyone's families and supporters deserve some time to mourn and remember their loved ones at the time they pass away, without comments being made like these. By acting like this, you're no better than that Kansas preacher who protests at military funerals by saying that this is God's way of punishing homosexuals.

 

[Jack Wiley]

Bill V



Unfortunately no one is spitting on any ones grave including Mr. Kennedy's. Liberal leftist, socialists can be and are classless and vulgar. Stating undisputed facts about an event, the drowning and death of Mary Jo Kapechne or remarks by former Massachusetts Attorney General Eddie McCormack is neither classless or mean spirited. A public figure is held to a different, some would say higher standard than a private citizen escpecially when that person holds a position of power, respect, authority and trust. As a public figure that person is also a target for and is open to attack, ridicule, slander and other vituperations that private citizens are protected from by slander and libel laws. Giving Mr. Kennedy and his family condolences

are certainly appropriate. Mentioning the Kansas preacher Fred Phelps of the Westboro Baptists Church in the context of remarks people have made about Ted Kennedy is comparing apples to oranges.



John

 

[Gary DiPietroSr]

I suppose no one should have said anything about Hitler the day he died either. I can voice my opinion, as a man, he was a scum bag.

 

[Bill V]

Stating undisputed facts about an event, the drowning and death of Mary Jo Kapechne...

I hope the devil handed Mary Jo the pitchfork so that she could stab him first.

Glock21, I hope you do realize just how ridiculous it is for you to claim that comments about "the devil" and "the pitchfork" somehow fall in the category of "Stating undisputed facts"...

 

[Les]

The classless conservatives on this board once again rear their heads; this time to spit on the grave of someone who, whether you agree with his ideology or not, made this country a better place through his years of devoted service to this country.

The only thing classless I see is the statement above. Quit pointing fingers unless you have your facts straight. Nobody died and left you King.

 

[Jerry Abson 3]

Sucks when someone passes away, and I am sure no one here is gonna argue that. As to opinions, views, etc, we all have them. Some think were conservative, leftist, heck, even communist. But they are ours, and should not be attacked unless the attacker is ready to defend themselves when we 'give it back'.



what we are doing here is just letting others know how we feel, be it sad for the guy, or like me, who?! The only time I heard his name mentioned is at the bar or buffet line.



So lets not assault how we feel or what we believe. Instead, just voice how you feel and your belief. If I am treading on your 'forbidden territory', don't do the same and justify it because "I am wrong", because wouldn't that make you the same?



Now I know why my grandpa never discussed religion and politics!

 

[Jack Wiley]

Bill V



The issue with Fred Phelps is some one elses opinion as are the devil and pitch fork remarks not facts as you say. With regard to the "sillyness" of those remarks again they are opinon, yours. People are free to say and believe what ever they choose, including you. I stated that the facts regarding Mary Jo Kapechne and AG Eddie McCormack were correct and undisputed and a part of the public record, they still are. Opinons do vary that's what creates great debate and discourse in our Republic.



John

 

[Doctor CAD]

Right or left, a drunk driver killed a woman and got off totally free.



That is the only fact I can base my feelings on regarding Senator Kennedy.

 

[TrainTrac]

My sincere condolences go out to his family, for they lost a father, grandfather, husband, etc. to a horrible illness. And he did endure a lot of family tragedy during his lifetime in the form of untimely deaths and illnesses. That is sad indeed, and I wouldn't wish that upon anyone.



However, like others have said, Ted Kennedy is/was a very public figure. And the media is being dishonest by only painting a rosy picture of his very public life and career. I don't think that it's "spitting on his grave", nor classless or vulgar to ask for examples of what made him such a "great" Senator.

A public figure is held to a different, some would say higher standard than a private citizen escpecially when that person holds a position of power, respect, authority and trust.

Unfortunately, this didn't happen with EMK, because of his last name. Because he was a Kennedy, he was made to believe that he was above the laws and rules that the rest of us "little people" follow. He displayed many examples of poor character and judgment throughout his lifetime. Mr. Kennedy was kicked out of Harvard for cheating and then readmitted (probably after a sizable "donation" from daddy Joe), served two years in the Army -- stationed in Paris -- (again, a cush duty station likely obtained through daddy Joe's influence), and ran for Senate in '62 with absolutely no qualifications other than his last name, and his presidential brother's coat-tails. And like his father and his brothers, he was a philanderer who thought the world was his oyster, rules and marriage vows be damned. And then there's Chappaquiddick... Serious lapse in judgment and character there. Again, if his name had been "Edward Moore", he'd have probably been thrown in jail for DWI, vehicular manslaughter, leaving the scene of an accident, etc.



But because he was a Kennedy, the voters of MA ignored his character and kept re-electing him, and because he's a Kennedy, the media has remained enamored of him, publicly portraying him over the years as the "liberal lion" of the Senate, and the "last link to Camelot". So again, I'd ask, look back on his Senate career and name some significant, lasting, positive accomplishments. From the Yahoo! essay linked in this thread:

He was in the front ranks of Democrats in 1987 who torpedoed one of President Ronald Reagan's Supreme Court nominees. "Robert Bork's America is a land in which women would be forced into back-alley abortions, blacks would sit at segregated lunch counters, rogue police could break down citizens' doors in midnight raids, children could not be taught about evolution," he said at the time.

Was this a positive accomplishment in his career?



How 'bout No Child Left Behind? He worked with President Bush "in the spirit of bipartisanship" on the horrid piece of legislation. It's a horrid piece of legislation that most teachers (my wife included) abhor. And after supposedly working with President Bush "in the spirit of bipartisanship" on this bill, he later turned on him. When he instead could have stepped up as a senior senator and exhibited some leadership, guiding his colleagues to work with the President to resolve many of the issues upon which they disagreed.



I (and I believe others) who have been painted with a broad brush as "classless conservatives" are merely stating observations/opinions based upon the facts of the man's very public life and character.



So please don't lump us in the same category as a despicable piece of filth like Fred Phelps. He's actions are for no other purpose than to generate publicity for his warped view of the world.

 

[Mike S 3]

I adhere to the rule that if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all, so...

 

[Bill V]

So lets not assault how we feel or what we believe. Instead, just voice how you feel and your belief.

Yes--but there is a time and a place to do that. And mere hours after someone has passed away is a completely inappropriate time to be making comments like doctorcad's and Gary D.'s. Unless the deceased's first name is Adolf or Saddam, everyone deserves a period of mourning, where such attacks are put in a cease-fire, regardless of how public a figure they are. To violate that simple covenant of human dignity is definitely deserving of the term "classless".



And for the record--when I used the term "classless conservatives", I was not meaning to imply that all conservatives are classless. Instead, I was using the "classless" descriptor to indicate that I was only talking about that subset, and not all conservatives. As others have said, there are plenty of classless liberals out there too--but that doesn't mean they all are.

 

[TrainTrac]

Doing a little research on my own, I found out something about Ted Kennedy that I didn't know. It's from a blogger citing things he learned after reading Dan Quayle's autobiobraphy. Seems that maybe Kennedy had some "character redemption" later in life. Kudos for him for these actions.

Ted Kennedy stood up for Dan Quayle.



Vice President Quayle was one of the most abused politicians in history. Long before the left began character assassinations of George W. Bush and Sarah Palin, Dan Quayle was the victim of ideological bigotry. He was a devout Christian, and the media did not want somebody from the 1960s who avoided the counterculture in power. His ascendancy threatened their narrative.



Yet to his credit, Ted Kennedy was the one who told others on the left that the relentless beating Quayle was taking had to stop.



This seemed strange, given that Senator Kennedy was hard on many conservatives, including President George Herbert Walker Bush. However, the Senate had a certain amount of (long since vanished) collegiality. Kennedy and Quayle had worked together in the Senate when Quayle was a Senator from Indiana as well as when Vice President Quayle presided over the Senate.



They worked together on Junior Achievement. JA has helped many young children. They also worked together on the Jobs Partnership Training Act, again to help young kids. They had differing ideologies, but found common ground.



When President Bush and Vice President Quayle were going on a trade mission to Africa, Senator Kennedy badly wanted to join them. He had been very critical of the President, so he asked Quayle to run interference.



Vice President Quayle offered Kennedy a deal. He could join them on the trip, but he was not allowed to criticize President Bush at any time on the trip. Politics was going to stop at the waters edge. Senator Kennedy gave his word, and he kept it.



Senator Kennedy was so grateful to Vice President Quayle that he publicly gave him a New England Patriots jersey to show his appreciation.



The two men had a genuine friendship.