A Farewell to the Lion of the Senate

There will be millions of words written about the life and work of Edward Moore Kennedy, most of them by people who know far more than I do about his life and career. Senator Kennedy was already in the Senate for three years at the time of my birth so it is difficult for me to imagine it without him there. I was obviously too young to recall with any clarity the tragedies of late 1960s - the assassinations of Dr. Martin Luther King, Robert Kennedy and the death of Mary Jo Kopechne. I do recall casual discussions among adults around me who said that Ted Kennedy had squandered an opportunity to run for President in 1972, mainly based on his actions on Martha's Vineyard in 1969. Likely because I was mostly surrounded by Democrats who were Roman Catholics, the conversations sounded sad - not angry.

Committing oneself to a public life in politics is an extraordinary act regardless of party affiliation. Many would probably say that Senator Kennedy had no choice given his family history but he never complained publicly about the inevitable loss of privacy. His failed first marriage, his son's bout with cancer, his presumed issues with alcohol and his reputed infidelities kept a great many journalists and media pundits employed. Americans like nothing better than a good scandal, particularly if they dislike the person at the center of it. Perhaps it grows out of the puritan roots of some of the first Old World settlers. Perhaps it is because so many of us can identify on some level with the failings and mistakes of those who choose to lead very public lives. Perhaps it makes some people feel less guilty about their own failings. In a nation where half of marriages end in divorce, it seems to me incredibly hypocritical to judge Ted Kennedy for having gone through one himself.

Whatever the motivation of the authors, I have read scores of hateful messages posted on AOL only hours after Senator Kennedy's death. Ironically, many of them are poorly written, misspelled diatribes from people who lead very private lives and are relieved from the responsibility to publicly apologize for their own failings as human beings. I say "ironic" because Senator Kennedy, among his many interests, was a leading advocate of programs to improve education. Had he won every battle he fought for better education, the commentary might appear more rational and less mean-spirited.

While it is true that dynastic wealth can smooth the way for a budding politician, it also can cause people to become lazy do-nothings. Ted Kennedy took the harder path. Whether you agreed with him on public policy or thought he was too far to the left, he never gave up trying to make the nation more fair and more just.

Jealousy and hatred, with few exceptions, do not make anyone wealthier, smarter, better informed or happier with their lives. Compassionate and thoughtful people generally do better in life. The most compassionate among us may not be the wealthiest, smartest, best informed or happiest but they certainly are far more elegant and careful than most of us. We want them around us in tough times and good times. When Republican Senators say generous things about Senator Kennedy, it proves that public policy differences don't always trump friendship and camraderie.