Who will continue the remarkable legacy of Jack, Bobby, Ted?

RIP Teddy. I don’t expect to see another champion of the people in my lifetime. Thank you for what you did for the least of us.

It’s a very sad day.

Now I understand WHy Russ Feingold said there would not be a bill before Decemeber. It will take 5 months to get a special election to fill the seat. Feingold must have realized how close to the end it was.

It also means that my “brilliant” idea about how Sen, Kenneedy could trigger the setting of the special election date by announcing a “resignation” which would not take effect until right before the special election was already moot on the day I wrote it.

And it means all the delay to push the bill into the recess, was just to wait him out. Senate “commity” is a myth.

I was at the Democratic National Convention in NYC the year Carter was nominated. Ted Kennedy’s speech, conceding htat he was not going to be the nominee, just brought the house down. I was sitting next to a classmate of mine, Maura Predergast, and behind Andy Cuomo and friend of his.It was one of the most emotional nights I’ve ever had in politics.

Ted Kennedy had a way of capturing you, firing you up, making you believe in a patriotic ideal, making you think you could-we could-do better.

I’m glad he is not suffering, but the loss to the rest of us is huge.

Yes a very sad day to lose one of that rare species: a senator who actually cared about the voters. Bless Ted Kennedy.

Funny how right you guys can be.

I copied the quote from Ted Kennedy on to my Facebook status. “The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives and the dreams shall never die.” – Edward Kennedy.

One of my right-wing friends immediately commented: Mary Jo Kopechne (July 26, 1940 – July 18, 1969)

Doesn’t say much good about us when we have to speak badly of the dead, does it?

This is some distressing news from Iraq…

SIIC chief al-Hakim dies…

I think it will only enhance Maliki’s standing,(with a fractured SIIC) which is not necessarily a good thing for Iraq…

Will never forget the image of Ted, Jacqueline, and Bobby walking together through the streets of D.C. following the riderless horse and the caisson bearing the body of our fallen leader.

The last big vote in the Senate before Sotomayor’s confirmation told the tale. When Kennedy couldn’t make it we knew that we no longer had 60 votes in the Senate. To be realistic, we never did. Counting Short Ride as a Dem was disingenuous at best. We’ve now got 57 Dems in the Senate. Sanders will vote with them, making 58. Short Ride will vote for what’s in Short Ride’s best interests and, imo, would join a Rethug filibuster of judicial nominees and any health care bill with a public option.

Ted’s eulogy for RFK being played on democracynow.

There are a couple regulars here who just the other day were doing the same thing. To them, that one incident overshadows any good he did. Shallow, shallow people.

The new battle cry begins today- Reconciliation- Do it for Teddy!

Link?

democracynow.org. It was only a clip which is now over, but Adam Clymer, who wrote a biography of Ted Kennedy is being interviewed.

Democracy Now! Not real hard to find.

Got there too late. Was hoping to hear something this morning the equivalent of Mark Antony’s eulogy on the death of Julius Caesar.

A sad morning,
The WH statement
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.c…..?ref=fpblg

Oh, so sad. I grieve. And i was hoping he would put the smackdown on Pres Obama re getting healthcare right. and re Mary Jo – i believe in redemption, and by being such a fierce servant of the people, Teddy has redeemed himself many times over.

edit – verb tense

DN! repeats online starting at noon ET.

Negative expectations yield negative results.

Positive expectations yield negative results.

I doubt there’s a Dem around with stature, or a pair, enough to deliver something that would be remembered beyond next week.

I put that in a diary earlier. Pres. Obama is supposed to say a few words in front of the cameras a bit later I believe.

Democracy Now is on Link TV. Carried on DIrect tv and and Dish TV. Is on 9 AM here.

EPU’d

I heard the news at 3 am on BBC softly under my pillow. I took a sleeping pill to get through the rest of the night.

Teddy was my senator for over 20 years. I never had to worry about how he would vote on something important to me. How many of us can say that?

I had the privilege of attending the tribute to him that was done at Symphony Hall during the 2004 DNC. It was fantastic. The evening started with the big screen lowered in front of the stage so we could all watch him give his speech in the convention center. Then the whole Kennedy clan got on a bus and arrived enmasse at Symphony Hall and came in in a cloud of Kennedys to their seats in the middle.

Great music. Glenn Close hosted. YoYo Ma did a duet with Bono if you can imagine that!

THe highlight was Teddy picking up the baton and conducting Stars and Strips Forever complete with a balloon drop. It was glorious and he was obviously having so much fun.

Wish I had pictures to share but taking them was a no no. so I didn’t.

So Sad.

I’m still in the analog age with the teebee.

Heh. The MA special election to fill a senate seat was passed to prevent Romney from appointing a Kerry replacement, should he have been elected prez. Be careful what you wish for …

Nothing in Obama’s statement that talks about carrying on the work. Pity he doesn’t get it.

Saw Ted with Ethel Kennedy, Coretta Scott King, George McGovern, and Eugene McCarthy at the memorial service for the Kent State students at St. John’s Episcopal in D.C. Tragic times.

you can bet that the back room maneuvering is getting going pronto. Who will the players be? Many in MA been waiting a long time for this. It’s going to be crazy.

And not a one among them would be able to carry Ted’s luggage let alone his legacy.

dn webcasts live at 8amET, repeats shortly after 9, and a permalink copy is available around 9:30 to 10.

Clymer wouldn’t speculate on who the players might be.

OT. As iif we didn’t know. From the Sibel Edmunds’ deposition transcript.

the government gives the State Secrets Privilege and classification to cover up operations and activities by Turkish entities, something within government, some rogue elements, and certain criminal U.S. persons that have nothing to do with national security of the people in the United States, that had nothing to do with the national interest. It only had to do with covering up these criminal activities because of those high level people and officials and other people who benefitted from it.

And the drumbeat. The drumbeat. This is so very sad.

He repeated the story with a link to Wiki on his status. One of his friends commented ‘how tasteful of you to post this the day after his death, may your eulogists treat you better.’

And believe me, this guy hasn’t been very nice, even by his own admission. As with most wingnuts, he should be careful at whom he throws stones.

Indeed. The drumbeat.

One of the best bumper stickers evah: Mean People Suck.

medicare FOR ALL=TEDDICARE

Senator Kennedy,

Thank you for being my hero the summer I was eleven years old. I was scared and you, with your kids, nieces and nephews came to my rescue.

Thanks for your compliments on my great football arm and your, “I wouldn’t expect anything less from a Buckeye!” shout out. Thanks for showing me that learning how to sail is a joy as long as the captain is a positive teacher with a respect for the student and the sea.

Thanks for treating me as a fellow human being, not just a little kid. You had an ability to instantly show respect and build a friendship through respect. I was not just a kid you helped get back to their parents safely that day. You made me a friend, a family friend, all in a short moment. You modeled how to welcome me to your own children, nieces and nephews and they all followed your lead including me in some great “kids at the beach” fun. Being built up and surrounded by caring adults and peers took all my fear away. I needed that moment. You had the wisdom and understanding to know that need.

Thanks for teaching me how to dig for cohogs. It was fun to win the “biggest cohog find!” and be included in a family moment. I hope the pot of chowder that night was extra wonderful.

I am forever grateful for your kindness and your example of compassion.

Thank you for caring in a moment when you didn’t need to, but you saw my fears were requiring a responsible adult to step in and make sure I was safe. You stepped up for my care and safety.

My thanks just does not seem to capture the import of your care and compassion shown to a stranger, to a child.

Enjoy that a family pot of chowder being made in heaven.

gonna miss ya SENATOR LIONHEARTED

nice,really nice

Godspeed, Senator Kennedy. Your legacy will never die.

Thanks. The whole story is quite remarkable.

My hope is that Sen Kennedy’s fighting spirit in some way inhabits the souls of our Democratic leadership in Congress & our President. The best tribute to a lifetime of fighting for the working class is a healthcare bill that is not watered down to the point that it becomes a boon to the insurance industry.

The end of an Era.

He gave voice to the voiceless and hope to the hopeless.

He lived in his heart.

Now he will live on in ours.

RIP ,noble Lion.

“I never had to worry about how he would vote on something important to me. How many of us can say that?”

Paul Wellstone.

I feel your pain, RevDeb. Sorry for your loss, our loss.

Just so, so odd. Is there every a thread here about any topic anymore that isn’t used as an opportunity to complain about President Barack Hussein Obama?

People are talking about about the Kennedy legacy, but perhaps some context would be useful as we move ahead in trying to get more legislation passed.

Senator Joseph McCarthy was a friend of the Kennedy family: Joseph Kennedy, Sr. was a leading McCarthy supporter; Robert F. Kennedy worked for McCarthy’s subcommittee, and McCarthy dated Patricia Kennedy.

JFK did a lot of kabuki to help out McCarthy.

Vietnam.

Responding to allegations that Martin Luther King, Jr. was a communist, the Kennedy’s administration agreed to let the Federal Bureau of Investigation wiretap private individuals, including Martin Luther King, Jr

-

In 1963, the Kennedy administration backed a coup against the government of Iraq headed by General Abdel Karim Kassem, who five years earlier had deposed the Western-allied Iraqi monarchy. The CIA helped the new Baath Party government led by Abdul Salam Arif in ridding the country of suspected leftists and Communists. In a Baathist bloodbath, the government used lists of suspected Communists and other leftists provided by the CIA, to systematically murder untold numbers of Iraq’s educated elite — killings in which Saddam Hussein himself is said to have participated.

And so on…similar things be found about RFK and Teddy.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_F._Kennedy

Point is…I think the Kennedys have been extremely positive for America as a whole and for Liberalism in general. I’m glad they’ve had such an influence on American policy and on the public discourse. If the current dominant attitudes and functions of the Liberal blogs existed back in 1960, I’m not sure there would even be a Kennedy Legacy. Most here would be having a field day with the imperfect Kennedys.

Perhaps some of this history can inform some around here about what’s the best use of our time and energy. Seems like Teddy was quite happy with what’s been happening this year, and very hopeful for the opportunities we now have before us. Are you?

Well, Teddy, you’ve now joined a very exclusive club comprised of folks who gave their all for the people they loved. Buddha, Gandhi, Mother Teresa to name just a few. This for you.

Like all of us, Edward M. Kennedy was a flawed human being.

Unlike many, Ted Kennedy chose to grow beyond as many of his failings as he could. Who among us can dare say that he failed? Indeed it is his legacy that he served as example; he sought the path of personal growth, of service to others, and of abiding responsibility.

Like all of us Kennedy knew he was a mortal being.

Unlike many, he prepared himself and the rest of us, if we cared to listen, for the end … he had the practice of being the one who was left; the one who had to go on, carrying not only his own grief but the weight of knowing that an ever greater burden of increasing compassion for and encouragement of others, millions of others, was tasked to him, and because of who he was, to him alone. This was not a choice he sought, but one that events and the violence of others thrust upon him.

I am not one overly smitten by the Kennedy mystique, but this was a man.

A man among men and women.

A man among cowards and the pathetically self-serving.

In the end, his thoughts were not about himself, but true to his being, his thoughts were about others.

DW

Well said.

Senator Kennedy, thank you for your tireless work on the behalf of countless Americans. Thank you for learning from your troubles in your youth and growing into the respected man you are today. My deepest condolences to the Kennedy family. Senator Kennedy, may you fly swiftly to the other side.

I wish I could say I was hopeful. I see an increasingly hostile misinformed and dangerous crowd ranting against something essential to all of our lives—health care. Why? And Why haven’t sensible people been able to school them on what is in their own self-interest? I see the minority party using as their mantra, “Just Say No” to everything. They’ve got theirs and the rest of the people can get screwed. And I see a glimmer of hope in one segment of the dem. party that we are pushing and pushing to do the right thing. For some reason, it is exceedingly hard for them to do so. Why should we have to push so hard?

Yes, I’ll miss Teddy. He was my senator for over 20 years and as I said earlier I didn’t have to worry about how he would vote. All he got from me was thanks. For the next week we will hear nothing but praises of him from both sides and then the “war” will resume, kind of like the CHristmas Truce of 1914.

Teddy saw hope—or at least talked it up wherever he could and God knows his life had been full of tragedy. He made some colossal blunders of his own and worked every day to make up for them and exceeded everyone’s expectations.

What’s really sad is that here was a man who had everything he needed and could have gone off and live his life in private. Certainly he could have been given that slack with all the public loss he endured. Yet he fought every day for the people who had needs. He was always there for the rest of us. I wish I could see that quality in the rest of the Senate and House, the people we elected to lead us. We may have some hope with Franken. He vowed to take up Wellstone’s mantle. Time will tell. And we have Bernie Sanders. Just about everyone else is AWOL. That, to me is what is sad.

You are bold and brave. By and large, I agree with you. We are approaching the pariah zone, you know. The principal difference between us, you and I, is that you manage to refrain from being pissy when you’re upset about this. Me? Not so much. P.S. Which is why I am saying less and less here lately.

I think there are about three or four of us

RIP Teddy. It’s a very sad day.

I do have to consciously work at not getting too smart-assy or mean though. After years of political activism and organizing with the general pubic, and mostly getting ridiculed or ignored for many of my views (single-payer, pro-peace, etc.), I have become more grizzled than I’d like to be.

But ya know what, at the risk of ridicule around here at least, I’ll share that I watch how President Barack Hussein Obama carries himself and how he handles conflict, and try to emulate it. I’m beginning to understand the value in how he handles things, even though it often goes against my instincts, and most importantly how effective it can be. Guess that’s part of what being a leader is about, isn’t it?

Please chime in more often by the way!