R.I.P. Ted Kennedy

Stumbo · #1 08-25-2009, 11:29 PM

-- Senator Ted Kennedy has died of brain cancer at age 77.

May all the brothers rest in peace. They deserve it.

rcarraher · #2 08-25-2009, 11:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stumbo

-- Senator Ted Kennedy has died of brain cancer at age 77.

May all the brothers rest in peace. They deserve it.

Amen, they did alot for our country, even if we didn't always agree. RIP

**Kelly Lee** · #3 08-25-2009, 11:57 PM

No warm and fuzzies here. He was a disgrace to the Kennedy name IMO. I feel for his family and friends but not for the man himself.

Rudreax · #4 08-26-2009, 12:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kelly Lee

No warm and fuzzies here. He was a disgrace to the Kennedy name IMO. I feel for his family and friends but not for the man himself.

Out of curiosity, what makes you say this?

wskorupski · #5 08-26-2009, 12:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rudreax

Out of curiosity, what makes you say this?

After a party for women who had worked on his brother Robert's presidential campaign, Kennedy drove his car off a bridge on Chappaquiddick, off Cape Cod and across a narrow channel from Martha's Vineyard. While Kennedy managed to escape, his passenger, Mary Jo Kopechne, drowned.

In a coroner's inquest, he denied having been drunk, and said he made "seven or eight" attempts to save Kopechne before exhaustion forced him to shore. Although he sought help from friends at the party, Kennedy did not report the accident to police until the following morning.

Kennedy eventually pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident. In a televised address to residents of his home state, Kennedy called his conduct in the hours following the accident "inexplicable" and called his failure to report the wreck immediately "indefensible."

bongomania · #6 08-26-2009, 12:22 AM

Sure, he committed and covered up manslaughter that one time. But the whole family were rife with this sort of royalist misbehavior and above-the-law attitude, so I hardly think he was a disgrace to the name. A stain on John and Bobby's greatness maybe, but that's it.

I'm biased to like him, though, because of his love for Portuguese Water Dogs.

Edit: I feel the need to clarify that my first statement there was meant primarily to disagree with Kelly Lee, not to put down the Kennedys or Ted in particular.

**Kelly Lee** · #7 08-26-2009, 12:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rudreax

Out of curiosity, what makes you say this?

IMO, he merely rode the coat tails of John and Robert. Without them he would have been nothing. The incident that wskorupski posted up is another reason. The rest, well, it is political and doesn't belong here on TB.

wskorupski · #8 08-26-2009, 12:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bongomania

Sure, he committed and covered up manslaughter that one time. But the whole family were rife with this sort of royalist misbehavior and above-the-law attitude, so I hardly think he was a disgrace to the name. A stain on John and Bobby's greatness maybe, but that's it.

I'm biased to like him, though, because of his love for Portuguese Water Dogs.

haha very true. those dogs are awesome.

bluewine · #9 08-26-2009, 12:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stumbo

-- Senator Ted Kennedy has died of brain cancer at age 77.

May all the brothers rest in peace. They deserve it.

RIP, he was a good man. for me,I think the guy really cared about people and leveling the playing field.

BassXgirl · #10 08-26-2009, 12:43 AM

Not a fan of his AT ALL, but I do feel for any grieving family.

Generally I think he showed a gross sense of entitlement and was probably the most power hungry and thuggish of all the Kennedys, besides Joe Sr. Of course. Now HE was a thug.

Hawaii Islander · #11 08-26-2009, 12:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kelly Lee

IMO, he merely rode the coat tails of John and Robert. Without them he would have been nothing. The incident that wskorupski posted up is another reason. The rest, well, it is political and doesn't belong here on TB.

I will respectfully disagree with your assessment and consider it an opinion. All be it poorly timed and poorly placed.

EDIT:For those who disliked Senator Kennedy so much, why not show some modicum of respect for the recently departed by posting your negative comments on another thread of your making.

Thanks for posting this thread Stumbo. Sorry for adding my rant.

RIP Teddy!

LCW · #12 08-26-2009, 01:54 AM

kennedy curse.

Hoover · #13 08-26-2009, 07:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kelly Lee

IMO, he merely rode the coat tails of John and Robert. Without them he would have been nothing. The incident that wskorupski posted up is another reason. The rest, well, it is political and doesn't belong here on TB.

Well now isn't that a convenient little excuse to ignore the entire body of the man's work... Yes of course it was political, the man was a career politician! THAT'S WHAT HE DID. His voting record is his legacy. The senate will miss him, and I suspect within a generation all Americans will miss a senate that doesn't have a man of Kennedy's convictions.

dangnewt · #14 08-26-2009, 07:16 AM

I'll miss him - he was a great senator.

The one time I wrote to his office on a legislative matter, I received a thoughtful reply that wasn't 100% in agreement with what I asked but which made it clear that he understood the issue and would do his best to come up with a fair solution to the problem.

I also like how he took his run at the presidency and when he lost, he stuck to his promise of staying in the Senate and working as hard as he could on important issues. His popularity in Massachusetts probably gave him the freedom to vote his conscience and take a long-term view of things more often than other Senators (of all parties and leanings) who look first to their donor base and second to the latest polls before casting a vote.