End of a Political Era

Most of America woke to the news this morning that Massachusetts Senator Edward "Ted" Kennedy had passed away late last night after a battle with brain cancer. Now I'm sure there are plenty of people out there who aren't sure why there is such an outpouring of grief among Americans today. But regardless of whether you are a liberal who loved him or a conservative who despised him, one thing is certain and that with his passing, an era in American politics has come to an end. Sure there may be other Kennedy's but it won't be the same thing. Many countries have their political dynasties; India for example has had the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty that began with India's first Prime Minister Jawarlahal Nehru and is currently running with his Grand-daughter-in-law Sonia Gandhi. Kennedy though represented a different part of this type of legacy.

Of the three Kennedy brothers who were in politics during changing times in our country, Edward Kennedy may have been the youngest but he certainly lasted the longest. In a family that has dealt with tragedy in that generation for decades, it's sad to see that even now they can't escape tragedy. Just a few days after his sister Eunice Kennedy Shriver passed away, her brother Edward joins her alongside many of his other siblings and relatives who have passed on before their time. Some argue that Kennedy was helped along in his career by the untimely passing of his elder brother John F. Kennedy during his Presidency and middle brother Robert Kennedy (during his run for the Presidency) but no one can deny that even decades after their passing, Kennedy continued to garner support of not only his constituents but his peers as well.

Kennedy was considered to be a liberal in his political leanings but he certainly didn't lean so far to the liberal side that he refused to work with his peers in the Senate. On the contrary; Kennedy was considered a champion of bipartisan cooperation and compromise. Many have commented on the fact that due to his declining health he was missing from the current Health Care Reform debate (which was a favorite cause of his and one he had fought for for years). Perhaps his passing will buoy a new sense of cooperation among Congressional leaders and perhaps it will be a way for his legacy to live on if bipartisan cooperation is inspired by his loss. Though he was sometimes involved in some controversy or the other during the course of his career (particularly the Chappaquiddick Incident) but he still managed to fight back and remain in the public's good graces.

He is also credited with getting President Obama into the White House. Early on in the campaigns of 2008 there was a great deal of discussion on just how much experience Obama had and it was having an effect on his standings in the primaries around the nation but it was the endorsement of Kennedy that is seen by many as being the inspiration behind so many taking another look at Obama and realizing that perhaps he stood for the ideals. Maybe in some strange way they felt that Kennedy's endorsement was a way of showing that Obama's name held the same mystique. Certainly no family in the near term will have as much aura about it as the Kennedy generation that was called Camelot but then again who would want to replace it. They have a place in the history of our country and why would anyone want to change that?