I lived in Massachusetts and had a couple of chances to vote for Ted Kennedy, both of which I declined. If we both lived to be a thousand, I would never vote for Kennedy. And I don't think that he and other limousine liberals have ever cared about poor people or working people beyond their capacity to be used as political pawns. I was not a fan of Teddy.
Yet, I somehow feel a contact high from all the maudlin news coverage. A fixture has left us. Almost as if one of the faces at Rushmore fell off the bluff. Teddy has always been Senator. Always. Always. Always.
There is a lot to be said about Teddy, but while the flags are at half staff I'll keep the comments subdued. Teddy, possibly more than any other man, ushered in the modern era of conservative politics. Had Teddy run in 1976, he would have won his party's nomination and the press would have treated him the way they now treat Obama. He would have been unbeatable.
But Teddy waited for 1980 to challenge a sitting president of his own party. Had he waited another four years, he would have been in a position to run a strong campaign regardless of whether Carter had won or lost. Instead, Teddy divided the Democratic Party that was still riding the Watergate Wave. Had it not been for Ted Kennedy, America might remember Ronald Reagan as a beautiful loser crafted in the Barry Goldwater mold. Conservatism as we know it might never have gotten off the launching pad.
And of course, Teddy had entertainment value. When the flags fly high once more I will play a call he made to a local radio station. Ahh Ted. With you, there is a facet for everyone to love. Rest in Peace, Ted.
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