There are giants who walk among ordinary men. Ted Kennedy was one such giant and would be the first to remind us of something his brother Jack once said: "A man may die, nations may rise and fall, but an idea lives on."
No one in all of America's great history got more tangible things that mattered accomplished for the American people. On issue after issue, Ted Kennedy was at the center of the debate.
Typically, you could tell that Kennedy was coming down the hall because he was grumbling at someone or talking to his large dog, a Portuguese Water Dog named Splash.
At the 1980 Democratic Convention I was not pleased with Senator Ted Kennedy. Why was he challenging the incumbent President Jimmy Carter for the Presidency,...
As Ted Kennedy disappeared from the public eye this summer, I liked to think of him as thirty-two years old, strapped to an orthopedic bed in Boston, waiting for his back to heal.
Senator Ted Kennedy loved to sing. And so it seems only fitting to make a playlist in memory of this singular American icon who did so much for so long to help so many.
If they're going to name the final healthcare reform bill after Senator Kennedy, we ought to be making legislative demands with voices as powerful and booming as the late senator's.
Like millions of Americans across the country mourning the death of Senator Ted Kennedy with his family and friends, I feel the loss of an icon and can't imagine American public life without him.
America has had a few precious individuals who are both passionate about social justice and also understand deep in their bones its practical meaning. And we have had a few who possess great political shrewdness and can make the clunky machinery of democratic governance actually work. But I have known but one person who combined all these traits and abilities. His passing is an inestimable loss.
Senator Kennedy's political franchise had no rival in the legislative branch of government, and the younger brother of the Kennedy political trio may very well have been the very best "Executive Legislator" this country has ever seen.
Senator Kennedy's personal connection was his boundless humanity, and his recognition of ours. Already he is becoming history. Now the job of making history is in our hands.
May the memory of Kennedy's passionate and reasoned voice for health care as a right and not a privilege be the basis for extending and improving our health care system.
As a tribute to his commitment to his ideals, let us stop the shouting and name-calling and have a civilized debate on health care reform which I hope, when legislation has been signed into law, will bear his name for his commitment to insuring the health of every American.
As it seemed for both my late husband, as well as the late Senator Kennedy, life with a terminal diagnosis can be infused with love, caring and gratitude for the opportunity to celebrate a full life.
Teddy never did endorse Senator Dodd for president, and I can't imagine how that may have hurt him. If it did, he never showed it to his staff -- and so people like me who worked for Dodd briefly bore a grudge that our boss would not.
Kennedy was hard-wired to care for the ordinary man. His ability to make people think about why core democratic principles matter is now gone, and it is up to others to carry it on.
Since news organizations tend to be short-staffed overnight, it is particularly interesting to compare the prominent points that different sites highlighted in their initial depictions of Sen. Kennedy's life and career.
You knew what to expect from Teddy. Personally, his life was often a mess, but politically, he was rock solid. He stood for something. As MSNBC put it, he was the last unreconstructed liberal in the Senate.
He was a terrific campaigner, as I witnessed first hand in several campaigns, including my own father's campaign for Congress in Connecticut in 1972, when Ted made a special point of speaking on my father's behalf to an enthusiastic audience of shipworkers in Norwich.
Many politicians will claim today to have respected Kennedy, but if they want to really pay tribute to the man, they should bring affordable health care to Americans right now.
After the 2004 election when Democrats were accused of losing the "moral values voters", the first Democrat to call me to talk about that accusation and how to change the moral debate in America was Ted Kennedy.
For all of us who have survived Kennedy, we must take up the gauntlet. We must ensure that the "never say never" attitude that was his signature on health care reform, does not wither on the vine.
What I saw on a little cruise with Ted Kennedy in 1992 cannot be bought by advertising. It's the enthusiasm regular, working people feel for someone they know has their interests at heart.
Someone who had been receiving Social Security in 1996 would be getting about 13 percent less in their monthly check today. Senator Kennedy protected the financial security of millions.
Ironically, it was President Kennedy's assassination less than a year into Ted's first term that really allowed the younger Kennedy to find his place on the national stage.
If you are concerned about receiving "real" health care reform in this country, please take the time to watch a video on our current system. The video was created by Oregon physicians who are advocating for the single-payer option. The video is very informative and helped me to gain a better understanding of various aspect of health care, as we know now it.
These Oregon physicians are in the process of organizing a caravan designed to inform the public about the benefits of the single-payer option. At last count they will be stopping in approximately 23 states, on their way to demonstrate in Washington. They need volunteers and our support. Please spread the word.
creolechild: If you are concerned about receiving "real" health care reform
Thank you, Paul, for posting your wonderful caricature of Sen. Kennedy. I still treasure the autographed book you sent to me when in 1978 or so, when I was working for Pete Dromeshauser. Glad to have discovered your work in the Huffington Post !!!
Claire Robinson Vitale
cocoV: Thank you, Paul, for posting your wonderful caricature of Sen.
https://www.madashelldoctorstour.com/Mad_as_Hell_Video.html
These Oregon physicians are in the process of organizing a caravan designed to inform the public about the benefits of the single-payer option. At last count they will be stopping in approximately 23 states, on their way to demonstrate in Washington. They need volunteers and our support. Please spread the word.
Claire Robinson Vitale