This is a difficult time for the Kennedy clan, with Ted Kennedy’s death coming so soon after that of his sister Eunice. I’m no fan of Kennedy’s politics, but may he rest in peace.
At such a time, I am inclined to abstain from criticism of Kennedy’s ideals and means. But I can’t help noticing that Kennedy himself did not regard even the occasion of his own passing as exempt from one more try at political game-playing.
Shortly before his death, Kennedy urged the Massachusetts legislature to change the rules governing how he’d be replaced. Currently, when a U.S. senate seat in Massachusetts is prematurely vacated, there’s a special election. Kennedy urged that the rules be changed so that the governor would instead appoint the replacement. The incumbent governor is a Democrat, who would likely pick a Democrat.
Yet back in 2004, when Senator John Kerry might have become president, it was also Kennedy who urged switching from gubernatorial appointments — the rule at the time — to conducting special elections. The legislature complied. Back then, you see, the incumbent governor was Republican, unlikely to pick a Democrat had replacing Kerry become necessary.
Let’s have one policy or the other — not a switch every time there’s a vacancy, in just such a way as to serve the most partisan of goals. Such rigging of the system has become all too common.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.
5 replies on “After Kennedy”
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We always seem to get comments about liberals by the drive by media that speak of them in glowing terms. They always seem to focus ONLY on what they feel are the good things & never seem to want to dwell on any bad things, unless it is mentioning them in passing.
Huffington-Post commenter’s even said Mary Jo Koppecnhe may have felt good about Kennedy’s health care initiatives. Now that is as crass as it gets in my opinion.
Wonder when someone will discuss the Kennedy letter to a Soviet leader looking to help him negotiate a better arms control deal with Reagan, so Kennedy could score points for his parties presidential nomination? Why is it none of the drive by media has mentioned the Kennedy letter? Seems to me if the public had heard of this when it happened or even now, their opinion of the ‘great liberal lion’ may not be as rosy as the drive by media now portrays him! If a Republican had done this, they would have been branded a traitor.
The media bias has now become so obvious & so blatant, it now appears to me the drive by media is an actual operating arm of the Democrat party as its propaganda division.
I differ in many ways from you. I feel that very few people, other than Teddy needed dying so greatly. Hanoi Jane and others are a few that come to mind. From all the low, underhanded, despicable things that Teddy did, no good words should be spoken, unless you also bring up the bad. He should have spent his life in a jail cell, not the senate floor. i will piss on his grave, as i will the others. I hope that he rots in hell. There is no place in heaven for the likes of him.
Hear Hear
Ted Kennedy, for better or worse, he spent half a decade as a servant to the people who elected him. Here is a great list of his most prominent quotes.
Ted Kennedy Quotes