Good Night, Sweet Prince

Rest in peace, Senator Kennedy, last prince of the first "royal family" of America. Over a forty-seven year career, Senator Edward M. Kennedy (elected at age thirty to take the seat formerly held by his brother, John) had a hand in advancing some of the greatest social justice causes in the United States. Unabashedly liberal, even calling himself one long after the term became poisoned by political invective, Kennedy was always willing to reach across the divide to reach his goals, realizing that he had a chance - if he sacrificed his familial pressures to become President and instead remained in the Senate - to harness the power of the US government in ways to truly improve the lives of those least among us. Over the course of his career, he doggedly worked to fulfill the promise he gave in his 1980 Democratic National Convention speech: "For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die."

His longtime colleague, Robert Byrd (D-WV, himself a lion of the Senate, and a man for whom I was privileged to cast my ballot in the 2000 election), released the following statement today, and I believe he speaks for most of us who respect statesmanship:

I had hoped and prayed that this day would never come. My heart and soul weeps at the loss of my best friend in the Senate, my beloved friend, Ted Kennedy.

Senator Kennedy and I both witnessed too many wars in our lives, and believed too strongly in the Constitution of the United States to allow us to go blindly into war. That is why we stood side by side in the Senate against the war in Iraq.

Neither years of age nor years of political combat, nor his illness, diminished the idealism and energy of this talented, imaginative, and intelligent man. And that is the kind of Senator Ted Kennedy was. Throughout his career, Senator Kennedy believed in a simple premise: that our society's greatness lies in its ability and willingness to provide for its less fortunate members. Whether striving to increase the minimum wage, ensuring that all children have medical insurance, or securing better access to higher education, Senator Kennedy always showed that he cares deeply for those whose needs exceed their political clout. Unbowed by personal setbacks or by the terrible sorrows that have fallen upon his family, his spirit continued to soar, and he continued to work as hard as ever to make his dreams a reality.

[...] God bless you Ted. I love you and will miss you terribly.


26 Aug, 2009 | Chris |