Remembering Ted Kennedy (1932-2009): Our Top Five Favorite Memories Of A Strong Liberal Man

We are incalculably saddened by the death of Ted Kennedy, by the loss of the man, sure, but mostly the idea of the Strong Liberal Man that goes to the grave with him. Here are our favorite memories of those times that The Lion rose up and showed everybody who was the boss.

Busting Broncos and Rocking The Ski Jump

It is, of course, common knowledge that all liberals are noodly and spineless, cowering in the corner in their sweaters and bad haircuts, but it wasn’t always so. Back in the day, before Liberalism came to embody this kind of wimpiness, there were The Kennedys, all playing football on the front lawn and flying planes and fighting the good fight. As the youngest of nine siblings, it fell on Ted to campaign for his older brothers until he could claim his own place in the political landscape. And campaign he did, traveling out west to scare up votes for big brother John in states that traditionally went Republican. The coolest part was that he would do anything for a vote, taking a 180-foot leap off a ski jump on one occasion and riding a bull for five seconds in another. Can you imagine Harry Reid trying to ride a bull? No. No you can’t.

Surviving A Plane Crash

Senator Kennedy was on his way to the state nominating convention in 1964 when his twin-engine plane went down in western Massachusetts. The pilot and an aide were killed, but Teddy was pulled from the wreckage by Senator Birch Bayh of Indiana. He spent the next six months in the hospital, recovering from shattered ribs, a punctured lung and a broken back. Of course, it didn’t stop him from working: he easily won re-election to the Senate from his hospital bed and continued to work on legislation with advisers, eventually returning to the Hill in ‘65 to attempt to strengthen the Civil Rights Act. Oh, and here’s a fantastic picture of Teddy recovering with a few close friends: Johnny Pesky, Tom Heinsohn, Red Auerbach, Milt Schmidt, Bill Russell, and Bob Cousy.

Taking On The President

Sure it was impolite, and sure it was possibly destructive to the party’s chances against Reagan, but you’ve got to love the chutzpah it took for Kennedy to take on President Jimmy Carter in the 1980 Democratic primaries (and, for that matter, for Carter to respond by saying, “If Kennedy runs, I’ll whip his ass.”) Saying that Democratic leaders had lost their spine and were resigned to defeat, Kennedy was able to carry 12 states before his campaign imploded at the Democratic Convention. But still, in defeat, he gave the speech of his life, saying, “For me, a few hours ago, this campaign came to an end. For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die.”

Taking On The President Part II, The Iraq War

Remember those crazy days a few years ago, post 9/11, when President George W. Bush was the biggest, meanest dude in town and it was totally crazy to say that he might perhaps be totally and completely wrong about everything? Well, Ted Kennedy didn’t give a shit, and he later called his October 2002 “No” vote against the Iraq War the best vote he ever cast in 44 years in the Senate. Labeling Iraq as George Bush’s Vietnam, he then went on to champion protection for veterans, securing faster production of uparmored Humvees in 2005.

2008 Democratic Convention Speech

Just. Fucking. Wow. His appearance was not publicized, and everybody figured he’d stay away since he’d just announced that he was suffering from brain cancer, and then the guy strolls into the place and just slays the crowd, making a grand defense of Liberalism and the good that it can provide. The Democrats needed a fighter going into the general election, and they got it in the form of a 76-year old brain cancer victim who dragged himself from his bed because it was Just That Important.

And, yes of course we can’t say all this without mentioning the horror of Chappaquiddick and the general poor behavior, boozing, and womanizing that would destroy the average American and politician, and made a few good dents in the guy over the years. And, of course, the fact that he benefited greatly from a position of wealth and power that was basically handed to him. But it’s not as simple as all that. Ted Kennedy took that position of privilege and, over the course of a long and distinguished career, used that power to help the little guy. Look back on any great stride in civil rights over the past four decades and chances are Teddy was right there, championing for minorities, women, gays, and the disabled.

More importantly, even as he worked out sensible compromises with his Republican colleagues, he never shied away from a good fight in the name of Liberalism. Try as they might, nobody could tar him with the word “liberal” because, to him, it was not a bad word. And, at the end of the day, there was still good old democracy in action. Even Republicans loved him. The Reagans were surprisingly close friends, particularly in later years as Nancy and Ted took up the cause of stem cell research.

They don’t make them like Ted Kennedy anymore, and it’s a goddamned shame. He will be greatly missed.

Edward Kennedy, Senate Stalwart, Dies [NYTimes]