Home › Forums › Open Discussion › So long, Teddy…RIP
- This topic is empty.
-
AuthorPosts
-
August 26, 2009 at 6:00 am #592062
JanSParticipantA very sad day, with the passing of Ted Kennedy. What an incredible lifetime given to the service of his country. What a great man he was – he will be missed :'( 1932-2009
August 26, 2009 at 7:55 am #675622
transplantellaParticipantAugust 26, 2009 at 2:05 pm #675623
miwsParticipantAugust 26, 2009 at 4:34 pm #675624
JulieMemberWe’ll miss him terribly. We owe him so much.
August 26, 2009 at 4:39 pm #675625
JoBParticipantHe made mistakes
He wasn’t always successful
But he tried really hard
We are unlikely to see his like again soon.
:(
August 26, 2009 at 8:25 pm #675626
The Velvet BulldogParticipantHumanity has lost an advocate.
August 26, 2009 at 8:57 pm #675627
KenParticipantLet us remember what the wingnuts and teabaggers will never understand.
Our cause has been, since the days of Thomas Jefferson, the cause of the common man and the common woman.
Our commitment has been, since the days of Andrew Jackson, to all those he called “the humble members of society — the farmers, mechanics, and laborers.” On this foundation we have defined our values, refined our policies, and refreshed our faith.
In this campaign and in this country that we seek to lead, the challenge in 1980 is to give our voice and our vote for these fundamental democratic principles.
Let us pledge that we will never misuse unemployment, high interest rates, and human misery as false weapons against inflation.
Let us pledge that employment will be the first priority of our economic policy.
Let us pledge that there will be security for all those who are now at work, and let us pledge that there will be jobs for all who are out of work; and we will not compromise on the issues of jobs.
These are not simplistic pledges. Simply put, they are the heart of our tradition, and they have been the soul of our Party across the generations. It is the glory and the greatness of our tradition to speak for those who have no voice, to remember those who are forgotten, to respond to the frustrations and fulfill the aspirations of all Americans seeking a better life in a better land.
We dare not forsake that tradition.
The commitment I seek is not to outworn views but to old values that will never wear out. Programs may sometimes become obsolete, but the ideal of fairness always endures. Circumstances may change, but the work of compassion must continue. It is surely correct that we cannot solve problems by throwing money at them, but it is also correct that we dare not throw out our national problems onto a scrap heap of inattention and indifference. The poor may be out of political fashion, but they are not without human needs. The middle class may be angry, but they have not lost the dream that all Americans can advance together.
Finally, we cannot have a fair prosperity in isolation from a fair society. So I will continue to stand for a national health insurance. We must — We must not surrender — We must not surrender to the relentless medical inflation that can bankrupt almost anyone and that may soon break the budgets of government at every level. Let us insist on real controls over what doctors and hospitals can charge, and let us resolve that the state of a family’s health shall never depend on the size of a family’s wealth.
The President, the Vice President, the members of Congress have a medical plan that meets their needs in full, and whenever senators and representatives catch a little cold, the Capitol physician will see them immediately, treat them promptly, fill a prescription on the spot. We do not get a bill even if we ask for it, and when do you think was the last time a member of Congress asked for a bill from the Federal Government? And I say again, as I have before, if health insurance is good enough for the President, the Vice President, the Congress of the United States, then it’s good enough for you and every family in America.
— Sen. Kennedy’s 1980 Democratic National Convention speech.
August 26, 2009 at 9:54 pm #675628
JanSParticipant“For me, a few hours ago, this campaign came to an end. 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.”
_ Addressing Democratic National Convention, August 1980
August 27, 2009 at 1:21 am #675629
jschuMemberI have been anti Kennedy since he left his sister in a car to drowned back in 1982. Still no hard feeling since he is dead now too. Both together in heaven.
August 27, 2009 at 2:55 am #675630
c@lbobMemberjschu,
I don’t make it a habit to engage wingnuts anywhere, but I’ll make an exception in your demented case.
Ted Kennedy did have sisters, but he left none of them dead in any sort of car, since he was the youngest of Joe and Rose Kennedy’s children.
Are you using drowned as in the song “Oh Mary Don’t You Weep” (didn’t Pharoahs army get drown-ded) or are you just dumb? I have a prejudice in your case, try and prove it wrong.
What is the significance of the year 1982 to drowning or women in cars? Can you explain?
You have made factual errors in all the statements you have made here. Do you imagine that just blathering is acceptable conversation?
Yours in anticipation, I am
Seattle Bob
August 27, 2009 at 3:15 am #675631
jschuMemberHave you heard of Chapaqutick? She died in a car wreck. Not sure on year – must have been in the 60’s. Check the facts on that. No need to get personal. Lets keep it civil.
August 27, 2009 at 3:25 am #675632
c@lbobMemberJoB,
That’s the best you can do for Ted?
He made mistakes, well, that makes him less than you and me, right?
He wasn’t always successful? 47 years in the Senate, acknowledged as one of the great legislators of all time. What is your criterion for success?
He tried really hard? In addition to fighting for the Civil Rights Act of 1965, Kennedy went to work on the one major legislative initiative leading civil rights organizations wanted but the Johnson Administration did not embrace –eliminating the poll tax. The Supreme Court vindicated Kennedy by declaring the poll tax unconstitutional.
Those would be more than enough to win him a slot as one of the more valiant legislators of our time, and it happened in his first full term as senator.
August 27, 2009 at 3:31 am #675633
c@lbobMemberjschu,
It is spelled Chappaquiddick, and how could I not know of it? Mouth breathers have been talking about if for forty years now, through two generations. You speak as one who is of the second one, your understanding is so barren.
Get the timing right, 1982 is not 1969 and Mary Jo Kopechne is not Kathleen Kennedy, his sister who died in an airplane crash in 1948.
Do you know anything at all about Ted Kennedy?
August 27, 2009 at 3:46 am #675634
c@lbobMemberIt amazes me that, of all the things Ted Kennedy did in his life, the righties always come back to Chappaquiddick. Not civil rights, not family medical leave, not CHIPS, not health care for all.
You nut bags are in a glass house. Need I remind you of John Ensign, Mark Sanford, Jim Vitter? These are the reprobates of only the last four years in the Republican senatorial, “family values” constellation. For more in the arena of hypocracy, I’ll mention Larry Craig, who rants against gay rights even though he’s a wide stance man, himself.
Three of those guys are all still in office, so shut up about Ted, OK? There are more where that came from.
August 27, 2009 at 4:14 am #675635
CountingCoupMemberDeep Respect for Ted Kennedy, he will be missed like no other Senator and political humanitarian.
August 27, 2009 at 4:21 am #675636
jschuMemberTo answer Bobs question. I know about Ted Kennedy- Famous senator. Father was Joe. Brothers- Robert, John and Martin. All 3 assasinated. Ted was younger and kept out of politics. Rumored to be a good guy but with accidents and a drinking problem. worked for health care rights and was a close friend of Richard Nixon. (now dead)
August 27, 2009 at 4:31 am #675637
JoBParticipantjschu…
if that is all you know of Ted Kennedy,
you know little…
and much of what you “know isn’t correct”
try wikipedia.
you are on your own for a link but if you type Ted Kennedy in the little google search box in the upper right corner and click off the WSB only link.. you’ll get there.
catlbob…
too sad to say more.
i feel like i lost a best friend.
and i did.
even though i never met him.
btw..
i would be honored if someone wrote that about me some day.
Ted Kennedy was a bigger man because he struggled to be the best he could be and because he wanted the same for everyone else.
August 27, 2009 at 4:35 am #675638
c@lbobMemberjschu,
No, Martin was from a song ofthe sixties, “Abraham, Martin and John”, not a Kennedy brother, but MLK. King was associated with the Kennedys mainly in allegory.
Having a drinking problem and screwing willing campaign workers is, pretty much, politics today as in days gone by. I don’t blame Mary Jo or Ted for going out in his Pontiac convertible and having a roll in the hay. Driving off the bridge was a tragic occurance, who knows, maybe the emergency brake failed while they were in deep lust.
Whatever actually went on then is no reason to rail against Edward Kennedy during the period of mourning over his death. Laura Bush killed someone with a car. Is she a murderer?
You righties defend a lot of people who have character flaws far greater than those of ANY of the Kennedys with far fewer accomplishments for humanity to offset their foibles.
August 27, 2009 at 4:43 am #675639
jschuMemberOK- I’ll look it up- Accidents happen and death happens. I did not know about Laura Bush. Was that when they were in the White House? Never mind- I’ll look it up.
August 27, 2009 at 4:53 am #675640
KenParticipantOlder brother Joe was killed in wwII on a secret mission.
August 27, 2009 at 6:27 am #675641
JanSParticipantjschu…the Laura Bush accident was way before they ever got to the White House.
August 27, 2009 at 6:18 pm #675642
bluebirdMemberNothing will ever absolve Ted Kennedy for Chappaquiddick. I can understand the partying with women. I can understand the tragic mistake of driving drunk, it was almost a requirement in the 50’s-60’s. I can understand an accident.
I can not understand waiting 10 hours to go to the police when you you know your companion is under water. Where is the reckless endangerment, manslaughter, or even a DUI conviction? He did not pay the price through our criminal justice system the way any one not wealthy and connected would have to.
That being said, it seems he did recognize, feel guilt and remorse, and accept full personal responsibility. And I don’t think he’d have become nearly the man, without this event. He spent the remainder of his life, literally, fighting for the quality of life for all of us. A commenter mentioned, from civil rights to medicare (and everything in between), there is no one who has not benefited from his accomplishments.
That dedication and level of public service should be his legacy. I respect, appreciate, and honor him in his passing.
I don’t however, forget the past. And instead of screaming rudely at jschu, it is possible to convey the facts and educate. No need for the belittling. That was just harsh and uncalled for and makes me inclined to ignore you, not him/her.
August 27, 2009 at 6:41 pm #675643
mrhinehMemberYour right. Its obviously permissible to just pull out random facts out of thin air, multiple times, and then get a free pass. No need to followup with a correction or apology for a miss statement(s) directed towards a deceased Senator. Carry on.
August 27, 2009 at 6:44 pm #675644
mrhinehMemberRIP Teddy. In spite of your faults and remorse, you carried on the voice and needs of the common man and women for all the rest of the world to see.
August 27, 2009 at 6:47 pm #675645
bluebirdMemberNo free pass, but if you believe angry shouts, name calling, and denigration, get your point across, you’re no brighter than the person you’re calling out.
-
AuthorPosts
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.