Remembering Teddy Kennedy
I first saw Teddy Kennedy--though he was Edward then--in 1960 in Beverly Hill. He was speaking at a campaign event for his brother John. He was young. He was thin. He was a truly terrible public speaker. He seemed to have nothing to say except that his brother John should be president. I predicted, with all the arrogant certitude of a 16 year-old, that he wouldn't go far.
I was almost right. Having already disgraced himself at Harvard, later having left Mary Jo in his sunken car at Chappaquiddick, having excelled in excess, there was little reason to have much hope for him. Then when he took on Jimmy Carter and tried to get the nomination from a sitting president of his own party, he couldn't even give a coherent answer to Roger Mudd when asked why he wanted to be president.
When he failed to gain the nomination, everything changed. He became a real Senator and focused his energies in a rare combination of principle and passion. He was a proud liberal who never hated his adversaries. They were not his enemies. They were often his friends--from Dan Quayle to Orrin Hatch to John McCain.
He lived out his passion for healthcare for all. He was a fierce advocate of civil rights and a mover in the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act. He constantly related to the pain and plight of the outsiders and the marginalized.
But perhaps the most extraordinary thing about his life is his "story arc." He had a rough first act. He had a bad second act. His third act however was a triumph. His is truly a story of redemption through service.
©2009 Jonathan Dobrer
www.Dobrer.com
Teddy Kennedy's redemption story. Am I wrong when I think that the family's money helped Teddy on his quest for redmption?