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Conservatives on Kennedy: 'A Wellstone memorial on steroids'
Politico ^ | August 26, 2009 | Ben Smith

Posted on 08/26/2009 12:33:01 PM PDT by presidio9

Politics, these days, never waits, and already a conservative talking point is emerging to counter the the hope on the left that Kennedy's death will advance his cause of health care reform.

Conservative blogger Instapundit suggests that Kennedy's death will provoke "a Wellstone memorial on steroids," referring to the sense in Minnesota in 2002 that the Democratic Party inappropriately used the late Sen. Paul Wellstone's funeral to advance former Vice President Walter Mondale's campaign to replace him.

Hot Air's Allahpundit makes the same case, and the comparison is currently starting to course around the conservative blogosphere.

It would seem odd to bar politics from the funeral of an intensely political figure who took his causes so personally, but the Kennedy family, the White House, and Senate Democrats -- as well as their foes -- will be navigating complicated, and political, terrain in the days ahead, with real advantage to be won and lost on one of Kennedy's signature causes.


TOPICS: Extended News; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: healthcare; lionofthesenate; maryjokopechne; tedkennedy
A key difference here is that the Kennedy family likes to maintain the public illusion that they are practicing Catholics. Kennedy's funeral will be in a Catholic Church. Wellstone was Jewish, and his memorial service was held in the sports arena at the U. of Minnesota. Assuming the Kennedys find the most liberal priest they know to preside over the funeral (and they're going to need to), a Catholic Funeral Mass is what it is, and there's not going to be a lot of room for the sort of things that went on at the Wellstone joint. And there won't be cameras all over the place either.
1 posted on 08/26/2009 12:33:01 PM PDT by presidio9
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To: presidio9

In other words, it will be a HUGE Obama Health Care Townhall.


2 posted on 08/26/2009 12:34:19 PM PDT by BunnySlippers (I LOVE BULL MARKETS . . .)
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To: presidio9

The service itself will not be a “Wellstone moment.” But the drive-by media will provide a “distributed Wellstone service” over the next few weeks with its constant canonization of Saint Swimmer as a great man, the last bastion of Camelot, fighter for the little man and woman. No mention that he left one of those little women to die in a dark overturned Oldsmobile forty years ago.

I think that given the backlash in 2002, the Kennedys and associated hangers-on are too smart to have Wellstone II. They won’t need to. The media will do it for them.

}:-)4


3 posted on 08/26/2009 12:35:46 PM PDT by Moose4 (Ted Kennedy: "If they bring up Camelot, we get to bring up the lady in the lake.")
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To: presidio9

4 posted on 08/26/2009 12:35:51 PM PDT by BenLurkin
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To: BunnySlippers
In other words, it will be a HUGE Obama Health Care Townhall.

The benefit of Kennedy's passing may be renewed energy for passage of Obamacare.

We need to stand strong and not get overconfident.

5 posted on 08/26/2009 12:37:18 PM PDT by Erik Latranyi (Too many conservatives urge retreat when the war of politics doesn't go their way.)
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To: presidio9

Hey Ben: Thanks for giving these blogs credence, after years of ignoring or treating them as right-wing hate sites. Now suddenly they’re newsworthy because they’re just stating the obvious. Anything to protect the legacy of Ted right.


6 posted on 08/26/2009 12:37:57 PM PDT by Extremely Extreme Extremist ("It (Gov't) can't make you happier, healthier, wealthier, and wise" - Sarah Palin 07/26)
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To: Erik Latranyi

I totally agree. This thing may be won or lost by the last man standing.


7 posted on 08/26/2009 12:39:26 PM PDT by BunnySlippers (I LOVE BULL MARKETS . . .)
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To: presidio9
Conservative blogger Instapundit....

Not to be too picky, but Glenn Reynolds is a libertarian, not a conservative.

8 posted on 08/26/2009 12:46:07 PM PDT by Grut
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To: presidio9

Not necessarily...but that’s the way to bet.


9 posted on 08/26/2009 12:50:17 PM PDT by RichInOC (No! BAD Rich! (What'd I say?)...R.I.P.)
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To: presidio9
Ted's death is especially hard for Joe's Fixers. Never heard of them? The old bastard bootlegger, criminal, and professional Jew-hater, Joe Kennedy, Sr., created a private security service to protect his boys from all dangers, including from their serial wrong-doing. Whenever a Kennedy boy got into trouble, the Fixers would arrive via private plane to do whatever it took to make sure they escaped scott free. When Ted killed Mary Joe Kopechne, within 48 hours, Joe's Fixers had covered-up all evidence, taken possession of all photographs, threatened both the local chief of police and the colonel of the state police, and visited Mary Jo's parents. Key evidence vanished, never to be seen again. All existing unfavorable photos vanished. All witnesses suddenly got amnesia. Subsequently, Mary Jo's parents sold their souls to the devil for an undisclosed eight figure sum. The county DA and chief of police announced that there was no evidence of wrong-doing and no crime had been committed as a drunken Ted had gone off the bridge and then left Mary Jo to slowly drown (the ME said she had lived for hours after the crash). In the end, Ted was charged with DUI and given a suspended two month sentence.

Now, with Ted gone, Joe's fixers will move on to the next generation with the likes of Joe the Oil Man (he gets $ 850,000/year as President of Peoples' Oil for doing two commercials a year) and Patrick The Drug Bum (who rammed the side of the Capitol Building during one drug-stupified bing). A thoroughly disgusting family that never seems to go away.

10 posted on 08/26/2009 12:56:25 PM PDT by pabianice
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To: pabianice
There's hope. Remember when Princess Caroline thought she was going to be awarded the NY Senate seat? She turned out to be dumber than a box of rocks. We learned the Kennedy power has limits. None of them are very bright.

And now, the last of the Three is dead.

11 posted on 08/26/2009 1:05:52 PM PDT by Mamzelle (Who is Kenneth Gladney?)
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To: presidio9

Teddy the swimmer...


12 posted on 08/26/2009 1:09:23 PM PDT by DoughtyOne (Wearing neck brace in commemoration of Ted Kennedy's contribution to our society.)
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To: presidio9

I note, for the benefit of Politico, which is obviously concerned with the objective facts, that Democrats are taking advantage of Kennedy’s death to promote Obamacare.


13 posted on 08/26/2009 1:09:41 PM PDT by popdonnelly (Yes, we disagree - no, we won't shut up - no, we won't quit.)
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To: presidio9

Are the Democrats going to have a deathday cake for Teddy? How about a deathday present: Universial Death Care. It’s freeeee.


14 posted on 08/26/2009 1:49:02 PM PDT by SaraJohnson
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It would seem odd to bar politics from the funeral

Maybe in BizarroWorld. In the real world, a funeral is for other reasons.

15 posted on 08/26/2009 2:11:30 PM PDT by D-fendr (Deus non alligatur sacramentis sed nos alligamur.)
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To: Grut
Not to be too picky, but Glenn Reynolds is a libertarian, not a conservative.

It's all relative.

16 posted on 08/26/2009 3:08:42 PM PDT by rightwingcrazy
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To: Mamzelle

I am convinced that Kennedy kids have never passed the bar, but that Joe’s money bought them admission. They are, as a group, clearly stupid and utterly untalented. Add abusive to spouses and drunks and viola! The Perfect Kennedy!


17 posted on 08/26/2009 3:21:47 PM PDT by pabianice
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To: presidio9

They will need a backhoe to carry his fat carcass to the grave, either that or a large dump truck. I am not sad this pig is gone. He is no different than Stalin, or one of the Muzzie terrorists. He is a terrorist to America, its values, its founding. From the state that was once one of the major patroit states, where their NFL team calls itself the Patriots, comes this garbage. First his brothers, who jumped from woman to woman to woman, and JFK while he was in the White House. Fat Ted will now find a Devil’s Hell waiting for him. He will not go to Heaven. Everything he stood for is condemned by God in the Bible. Thus, Kennedy will take the down elevator to hell.


18 posted on 08/26/2009 3:27:07 PM PDT by RetiredArmy (SUPPORT THE TROOPS!!! VOTE AGAINST DIMOCRATS!!!!!)
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