Posted on 08/26/2009 1:30:15 AM PDT by kingattax
BOSTON (Reuters) – Senator Edward Kennedy's death marks the twilight of one of America's most fabled political families, with no heirs to the Kennedy name poised to emerge with the same mix of gravitas, ambition and celebrity.
Kennedy, 77, one of the most effective lawmakers in U.S. history and the brother of assassinated President John F. Kennedy, died late on Tuesday after battling brain cancer.
He died just weeks after his sister, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, who founded the Special Olympics and was a leading advocate for the mentally disabled.
"There seems to be no one there to pick up the torch," said Thomas Whalen, a professor of politics at Boston University.
"There doesn't seem to be someone in the next generation to carry the load here. Ted Kennedy might be it, he might be the end of the line," said Whalen, author of "Kennedy versus Lodge: The 1952 Massachusetts Senate Race" about his brother John's first race for the Senate.
Kennedy's cancer diagnosis and then his death have stirred speculation over who might succeed the third-longest serving U.S. senator, and whether a new generation could emerge from under his shadow.
Many younger Kennedys are active in civic life but none on the scale of Ted Kennedy, last of four Kennedy brothers, including John, elected president in 1960 and assassinated in 1963; and Robert, a New York senator whose presidential bid ended with his assassination in 1968.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Certainly there must be at least one philandering alcoholic murderer somewhere in Massachusetts.
Yep, time to meet his maker.
Since I had just graduated from an all-girl Catholic High School, I sure did appreciate the new info.
Ted Kennedy might be it, he might be the end of the line,”
He was for Mary Jo Kopechne.
Arnold is still kicking
Now we’ll see how many illegitimates come forward and claim he was their father.
Considering it’s Massachusetts I wouldn’t be surprised if they pulled a “Weekend at Bernies” and old Teddy stays in the Senate for another 20 years with a permanant “Yea” vote on eveything liberal. I’m sure he’s well preserved.
> You can hold your tongue, if you wan too. Just because someone dies doesn’t mean it wipes the slate clean.
Surely not. But what good does it do you or anybody else to vituperate about him now? He’s dead: stone dead and he will never again be. And where he is now he cannot hurt anyone else ever again. And even at this very moment he is accounting for each and every one of his deeds, whether they be good or ill. God doesn’t care what CNN thinks or even what we think. Ted will surely get his “reward”, and I wouldn’t want to trade places with him right now...
> Old Ted did an extraordinary amount of damage to our country in his 45+ year tenure. I’m not going to forget that. Nor am I going to forget Mary Jo Kopechne.
What good does it do you or your country to preserve Ted’s misdeeds? He’s dead: there are no lessons that you need to remember from him that you wouldn’t know already (eg don’t drink to excess, don’t womanize, don’t drink-and-drive, don’t commit manslaughter, don’t bear false witness, don’t betray your country etc etc etc.) You knew all of these all along. Beyond that is just wasted effort and wasted energy.
> Oh sure, so going by that old proverb.....then Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were just really good people
They’re dead. You can’t make them more dead than they already are: they’re deader than Kelsey’s nuts. They were executed as traitors, so they already enjoy all the opprobrium that rightly belongs to all traitors. Why waste further energy on them?
> and shouldn’t be remembered for the Red Commie Spies that they were.......
They deserve to be forgotten. Which, when you think it thru carefully, is about the worst thing that can happen to anybody.
> or even better yet John Wayne Gayce was an OK guy, he just really liked little kids. He shouldn’t be remembered for the 33 boys he raped and murdered.
Again, he’s dead, and executed for murdering kids. He too deserves to be forgotten. He’s currently occupying an interesting corner of Hell where he will remain forever. Nobody but Lucifer ever need remember him.
That’s good news.
You don’t suppose Obama is on Martha’s Vineyard this week to pick up the Kennedy torch? To proclaim that he is the One True Heir to Camelot.
... and now all the Democrats will be saying, “Win one for the Swimmer”.
“Win one for the Swimmer”.....He’ll be swimming the River Styxe for a long time.
Cremate him and throw his shes into the Chappaquidick - introduce a Resolution and name his seat in the Senate, the Hubris Seat of Entitlement.
An important chapter in our history has come to an end. Our country has lost a great leader, who picked up the torch of his fallen brothers and became the greatest United States Senator of our time.
INDEED.
The MSM will spend the next week or 2 trying to outdue each other in orgasmic worship and praise of Ted Kennedy. Prepare for an onslaught of silly, misunderstood Camelot references. Remember to keep the barf bag handy.
So true.
Mary Joe Kopechne remains unavailable for comment.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.