Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Sen. Edward Kennedy (1932-2009)
The death of Edward Kennedy has pretty much put an end to an era of American politics. The three brothers who dedicated their lives to public service are all gone. And Senator Kennedy's contributions to public life are undeniable. The third-longest-serving senator in U.S. history, he was best known as one of the most outspoken and effective Senate proponents of progressive causes and bills. In fact, it's said that no other single person had more of an effect on social change in this country in it's history. Causes like the minimum wage, worker safely, health care for the jobless, family leave, pension protection, affordable housing, equal opportunities for woman, access to buildings and transportation for the handicapped, programs like Meals On Wheels that help the elderly stay independent, federally funded program for people with HIV/AIDS, health insurance for lower-income children and tax breaks to encourage the development of medicine for rare diseases... all of it happened because of his passion and influence. What's so interesting about it to me is that no Republican would ever be given credit for these things. These are Democratic issues. Issues that help the minority and in turn, make life better for everyone. Was the man a saint? Of course not. He had plenty of personal demons to wrestle with and showed some poor judgement in his youth. But no one is perfect. Did he leave the world a whole lot better than how he came into it? Absolutely. And that's all you can hope for. It's sad that the Senate no longer has a voice of bipartisanship and compromise, of passion and experience, that Kennedy possessed. When you see Democrats and Republicans alike genuinely sing the praises of someone and the work they did, you know you've lost something special. Hopefully his life's work has and will continue to inspire others to work on the behalf of those who don't have a voice and to make a difference.
