A Remembrance of Ted Kennedy

A Life Remembered
A Nation and a Family Say a Final Goodbye to Ted Kennedy


I devoted the day on Saturday to attending the ceremonies [via television) for Ted Kennedy. It was time well spent. Teddy was my least favorite of the Kennedy brothers. For too long, he was a portrait of a man who lived an irresponsible personal life that had dire consequences for his family. Yesterday, a far fuller view of the man, his character and his family emerged.

As many commentators pointed out, the proceedings on Friday night and Saturday were as close to a State Funeral as one could get. I cannot recall such a tribute being made to anyone other that a sitting or former President, and the outpouring of affection for many of those could not even come close to the memorable events of yesterday.

So, what changed in our perception of this very public figure? His record of legislative accomplishments were all there for our inspection, as was his devotion to the less fortunate among us and his commitment to a government that could help those who had exhausted all other avenues of hope. Counterbalancing these virtues were his personal transgressions, top among them the tragedy at Chappaquiddick, which doomed any possibility that the last of the Kennedy brothers could ever succeed to the Office that Jack had won and that Bobbie most probably, would have had he not been assassinated that early day in June.

I knew absolutely nothing about Vicki Reggie Kennedy, had never even seen a picture of the woman who Ted married in 1991. With the help of some insightful commentary by Brian Williams and others, the importance of that relationship became apparent. It was indeed a turning point in Ted’s life. This beautiful and highly intelligent woman became his strongest supporter, advisor, best friend and life mate, and reinvigorated Teddy’s political commitments to all those causes that the Kennedy Family and other liberal Democrats had espoused, at a time when conservative ideology had made them unpopular, to say the least.

With Vicki’s support, Teddy engrossed himself with a renewed vigor to be the voice of the underprivileged in the Senate. He sought compromise as a means to accomplish legislative initiatives. He sought a common ground amongst his political opposites, and began a 20-year campaign to bring together politicians on both sides of the political spectrum. In doing so, he made allies out of enemies, and made friends of all political persuasions. They may not have agreed with him on his legislative initiatives, but they respected his outreach. Their testimonials to his appeals for compromise were there for everyone to see over the prolonged week from his passing to the ceremonies of Saturday, and they came from not only his allies in the Democratic Party, but from most of the leaders of the Conservative minority.

So much for the “public persona.” What emerged form the eulogies offered on Saturday was a picture of a man who had accepted the mantle of his obligations to family. His two bothers had been struck down, tragically and suddenly, in the prime of their lives, and each had wives and children who grieved and were in need of support during their years of maturity. Picture the photograph of John John and Caroline at their father’s funeral, of his own son Teddy Jr., facing a future after his battle with bone cancer and the loss of his leg, of his other son Patrick and his battle with substance abuse, and his daughter’s battle with lung cancer. He was there for all of them, and so many others in his immediate and extended family. How many of us had to bear such responsibilities?

But as the years passed on, there were no complaints from this man, and no denials of his own past frailties. Teddy never denied the responsibilities that he failed to live up to, as witnessed by the previously unknown letter that he wrote to Pope Benedict cited below.

There was much commentary about Ted’s passing as being the end of a family legacy that the last of “the brothers” was gone and an end of an era had finally arrived. I say that such speculation is far too premature. The lives of the younger Kennedy generation have many years to find their place in the public eye, and anyone who listened to Teddy Jr. and Patrick’s eulogies to their father could see.

Now we look to the immediate future. Teddy wrote to the Massachusetts Governor, Devil Patrick, just last week pleading for a prompt appointment of a successor to fill his seat on the Senate floor, so that a voice that had pleaded for so many years for social reform, at a time when health care reform would be coming to a vote in Congress early this Fall, could be heard. No more tribute could be offered to this man than the passing of this legislation.

As we move on now to new challenges on our National stage, we are faced with a turning point in our political viewpoints. The concept of unregulated markets and hands-off economic policies has resulted in near catastrophe. It seems that through insightful intervention by our leaders, of both parties, we have avoided the worst consequences. But we have a long, long way to go before righting our ship of state. We have lost one of our leading advocates for social reform, but there are others to step up to the plate and advocate the changes that are necessary for future economic growth and at the same time support for those of us who are less fortunate. As Senator Kennedy said, “The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die.”



Bill Breakstone
August 31, 2009