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bobquasit ([personal profile] bobquasit) wrote2009-08-26 08:26 am
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Ted Kennedy

...died early this morning. I'm terribly sorry to see him go. As I wrote on Askville:
He exemplified the ideal of noblesse oblige. Born with everything - incredible wealth, looks, charm - he could have spent his life enjoying himself without a thought for anyone else. Instead, he spent his life working to improve the lot of those less fortunate than he. But actually, I think he enjoyed that far more than he would have enjoyed a lifetime of selfish pleasures.

I saw him once; didn't get to meet him, but I saw him about 16-17 years ago at Boston's World Trade Center. I was very surprised. He wasn't the fat, red-faced caricature I'd come to expect from depictions in the press. In fact, he seemed far younger than I'd expected, and was a surprisingly handsome fellow.

I wish we had more Senators like him - even one would be good. He was my Senator for many years.

I suppose it was inevitable, but right-wingers are already screeching about Chappaquiddick. Bastards. I notice they never whispered a word against Laura Bush, who had a very similar event in her young life.
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[identity profile] klyfix.livejournal.com 2009-08-27 03:58 am (UTC)(link)
Some of the lefty blogs I read figured that there would be some trashing of Kennedy. On the other hand, Rush Limbaugh had the chutzpah (I think I'm using the word right) to suggest that Kennedy wouldn't want health care reform passed. I've seen a suggestion that some form of health care reform will go though because of Kennedy's death, but I'm thinking more that the Democrats won't have enough votes to do a cloture vote which ids necessary in these days of the faux filibuster and the Republicans will go through with said faux filibuster.

I wonder how local TV handled this. Here in Boston Channel 5 (and to an extent 4 and 7) went to pretty much all Ted Kennedy news all the time, to the point of the sports report being about how much Kennedy liked the Red Sox and remembering his time on the Harvard football team. Somewhat to be expected in Massachusetts, but somehow I don't think that happened in Montana or Texas or Alaska.
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