Edward M. Kennedy, one of the most powerful and influential senators in American history and one of three brothers whose political triumphs and personal tragedies captivated the nation for decades, died late Tuesday at his home in Hyannis Port, Mass., at age 77. He had been battling brain cancer.
His family announced his death in a brief statement released early Wednesday. “We’ve lost the irreplaceable center of our family and joyous light in our lives, but the inspiration of his faith, optimism, and perseverance will live on in our hearts forever,” the statement said. “We thank everyone who gave him care and support over this last year, and everyone who stood with him for so many years in his tireless march for progress toward justice, fairness and opportunity for all.”
President Obama released a statement Wednesday morning, pointing out that “virtually every major piece of legislation to advance the civil rights, health and economic well being of the American people bore his name and resulted from his efforts. . . . Our country has lost a great leader, who picked up the torch of his fallen brothers and became the greatest United States Senator of our time. . . . Our hearts and prayers go out to” the Kennedy family.
“Gifted and Flawed Legislator, 77, From a Storied Family”
So reads the NY Times headline this morning.
He was the first presidential candidate that I heard speak live when he came to Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, in 1980.
That’s a good headline from the NY Times. Rest in peace.
I had the pleasure of meeting him once when we sat next to one another at a dinner party. He was incredibly friendly, knowledgeable and polite. I am glad that I had the chance to thank him. The less fortunate in our society have lost one of their greatest champions. I feel incredibly saddened to think that he isn’t around to inspire and encourage us anymore. May God grant him eternal peace and I hope he, at long last, is surrounded with his family who have gone before.
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I found myself in philosophical disagreement on a number of issues, with Senator Kennedy.
Having acknowledged that, I have prayed for his peace and courage as he has waited on the progress of the brain cancer, and I pray now for his rest, and the peace and comfort of the Spirit for his family, as they grieve his loss.
“Each man’s death diminishes me. . .”
Thanks elves.
I am deeply sorry about Ted Kennedy’s death. Although he certainly did not “inspire and encourage” me, as he did some others, his death is saddening to me, not to mention his family and friends. God’s peace to them and him.
Pax vobiscum, Senator.
I was in complete philosophical and political difference with him, and pray for his rest. As the monks say: now he knows more theology than all of us. May it carry him to heaven.
When I was assigned to Otis AFB, I remember seeing him and his brothers in Hyannis, and they were mingling with common folks in town. I was impressed, and I never lost respect for any member of the family. Rest in peace, Ted!
Kendall’s advice to “read it all” above is good advice. The article, while overwhelming in it complimentarianism for Sen. Kennedy’s legislative accomplishments, does not shy away from his character problems throughout his life. I have said prayers for him and for his family. But I think I have to stand with his first opponent for the Senate seat he held so long and ask, if his name had just been Edward Moore, would he be having the deification he is receiving today.
#10, Perhaps if his name had been Edward Moore he might not have been elected in the first place. BUT, I think if his name was Edward Moore and he had accomplished the things he did in his career for the betterment of American society (and notably championed the “least of these” among us) I think we’d still be honoring him.
#11, you want to give adulation for his legislative achievements, many of which were politically motivated, given the party with which he was associated. But the character issues have been ignored for all of his political life. I could not ignore them in his life and I cannot ignore them in his death. My point is that many of his accomplishments were due to his longevity in the Senate, to which he kept being re-elected by the MA voters, who were not voting for Edward Moore, but for a dynastic family, of which he was the last scion, and which voting required overlooking and ignoring his unbelievable character flaws.
As I said, I have prayed for comfort for the grief and loss of his family and for his soul. But I cannot give him the unbridled adulation so many are giving him now.
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RE: “BUT, I think if his name was Edward Moore and he had accomplished the things he did in his career for the betterment of American society (and notably championed the “least of these†among us) I think we’d still be honoring him.”
Despite the things he did I am honoring him; perhaps liberals are honoring him for his record, but not I. Were his name Edward Moore and had he done none of the things Kennedy did, I would still honor him, as well as George Bush and Ronald Reagan and Nancy Pelosi upon their deaths.
Really.
From a conservative viewpoint he had a ghastly record, but that does not matter. His record is pointless, he is dead now and his family and friends very sad.
Peace to Edward Kennedy’s soul, for his being a human being made in the image of God, and no matter his actions, either pro or con depending on what political philosophy is looking at them. Peace to his family and friends, who are grieving.
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There have been 49,551,703 total abortions in the United States since 1973.
At every turn, he supported death for babies. He supported late term abortion. He supported doctors turning babies around in the womb to cause a breach birth, halting that birth, and jamming sharpened scissors into their brains…while they were alive.
It isn’t political. I will not mourn the passing of a great evil. I am sorry for his family’s grief and for the sadness that was his life. I hope he made peace with God and is in heaven. But I will not mourn that he can do no more damage.
Let’s remember the camp song: “And they’ll know we are Christians by our love.”
Nick Gillespie at [i]Reason[/i] swings a few brickbats at Kennedy but also [url=http://www.reason.com/news/show/135658.html]lays some love on him[/url] for a couple of uncharacteristically libertarian moves he made:
[blockquote]There is, buried deep within Kennedy’s legislative legacy, a different set of policies worth exhuming and examining, precisely because they were truly a break with the normal way of doing business in Washington. During the 1970s, Kennedy was instrumental in deregulating the interstate trucking industry and airline ticket prices, two innovations that have vastly improved the quality of life in America even as—or more precisely, because—they pushed power out of D.C. and into the pocketbooks of everyday Americans. We are incalculably richer and better off because something like actual prices replaced regulatory fiat in trucking and flying. Because they do not fit the Ted Kennedy narrative preferred by his admirers and detractors alike, these accomplishments rarely get mentioned in stories about the late senator. But they are exactly the sort of legislation that we should be celebrating in his honor, and using as a model in today’s debates about health care, education, and virtually every aspect of government action.[/blockquote]
May God have mercy on his soul.
Tonight on McNeil-Lehrer, a third grader somewhere in MA was in a short piece, and talking about how “Mr. Kennedy” came to her school twice a month or so, to read with her, and specifically with her. Apparently, she benefited from the special reading assistance.
I pretty much despised Senator Kennedy’s political philosophies, and a lot of his actions. I had some real questions about his personal life as well.
But I am forced to acknowledge that he never said a word on the networks about the little third grader he helped to read, never tried to use her to score a single political point. If he didn’t do a single other thing in his entire lifetime, it seems to me we have to forgive a lot to a person who will go into an elementary school, sit down on a little chair, and try to help a little girl figure out how to read.
Rest in peace, Senator Kennedy.