Ted Kennedy, the Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Teddy Kennedy had a lot to overcome as the youngest of nine children in a family of overachievers. It would have been a lot for most anyone to overcome, but perhaps more so for him because his parents viewed him as the least talented, and he grew up in the shadow of his older siblings. He also grew up with death and tragedy. His older brother, Joseph, who his parents had hoped would become president, was killed during World War II, and he lived through the assignations of his two brothers, the death of his nephew and many other family tragedies and convictions.

Yet to his credit, he became the guardian and protector to his fatherless nieces and nephews. He also carved out a niche for himself in the Senate. Going by that family motto of service he learned as a child, he created and passed many programs that helped the less fortunate. The minimum wage increase was due to him, as was the Family and Medical Leave Act where a person cannot be left to the whim of his employer for requesting a leave under certain conditions. This was all good.

Then there was Chappaquiddick, hanging over his life and career heavy as an anvil. He was 37 years old and no kid when he drove his car into the water off Chappaquiddick and left Mary Jo Kopechne to die while he swam to safety. This was the blot in his career that could and should not have been erased.