Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy, one of the Senate’s most iconic liberals, has died at the age of 77 from brain cancer.
Kennedy had recently requested Democratic governor Deval Patrick and the state legislature change the succession process (previously changed by the Democratic legislature in 2004 to prevent Mitt Romney from appointing a Republican to John Kerry’s seat) so that there would be an appointment instead of the required waiting period before a special election; however, it looks like that we’ll need to wait until a special election occurs to fill the vacancy.
The best way to honor his memory? Let’s get universal health care done, just as he’d want. One bright side is that maybe this tragedy will provide Senators the moral kick in the pants to get it over the hump.
Im crying right now!!!
I second the statement on passage of health care.
More appropriate place for me to put this:
I first heard it here on SSP in another thread. Wow. I just didnt think itd happen so soon. This is very, very sad. It shouldnt matter if you agree or disagree with his politics he deeply cared for this nation and its people and tried so hard to help it.
Sorry, a little, tiny, short rant here. FOX News isnt even covering this live right now. theyre going back to a Greta re-run. They have basically admitted, right there, that theyre constituency is conservative & Republican and they are catering to their views, such as for ratings (they are assuming they dont want to watch alot of live coverage of Kennedy’s death which i think many would. just like how many Dems did of Reagan).
Watching CNN right now. I wonder how far Hyannis Port is from Martha’s Vinyard. It would be nice if Obama is able to quickly go see the family.
RIP to Teddy. I started to tear up when I first read it (via Facebook, of course). It seems so bizarre to even imagine the Senate without him.
Keep the Kennedy clan in your thoughts; losing Eunice and Ted in less than a month is surely incredibly difficult.
I’ve been out drinking for the last several hours and only found this out as soon as I got home when my room mate who drove me home told me.
I’ve been offered a job to run campaign media consolation for the foreseeable future, but I’d have to give up my current cushy on campus job to do it, and I was so torn up about this an hour ago. Now, I’m just numb and don’t care about my issues any more. This is just . . . someone punch me and slap me. I need help waking up from this. I am in shock.
he will be missed
I’m still in the holy shit, too shocked to cry state… the same feeling I had the day I overheard someone at the resteraunt where I was eating say that Paul Wellstone had been fatally injured in a plane crash.
For some reason one of my first reactions was to check the Wikipedia page for the HELP Committee. It felt like a blow to the chest to see Kennedy’s name replaced with Vacant. Now, it says Dodd is the acting chairman, but in his position as Banking chairman I’m sure he will not remain in that position.
Next is Harkin… will he give up his Agriculture chairmanship to take up HELP? I guess I have a hard time seeing which would be better, HELP is more powerful nationally, but Agriculture is a good position for a Midwestern senator, I know that.
If not the next up is Mikulski. Followed by Gang of Sixer Bingaman.
Wonder what will happen when the Senate comes back together.
Ted Kennedy was a great man and his actions made America a much better place. He will be missed by many!
my fathers a boston irish catholic and if ur one of them the kennedys are royalty. not having one of them represent us in congress (pat dosent count, hes in ri) is flabbergasting
but now its down to business. whos gonna take his spot. personally, my bet is ed markey. hes just as liberal and has been waiting to move up for decades. theres quite the list of people to run, though. besides ever single member of the ma house delegation, theres former rep marty meehan, lt gov tim murray, st senate pres therese murray, worcester mayor konnie lukes, west springfield mayor ed gibson, boston mayor tom menino, cambridge mayor denise simmons, ag martha coakley, fmr ag tom reilly, fmr gov hopefully n business dude tim gabrielli, soc bill galvin, … then theres always dukakis…
for the gop, i doubt mittens will run, hes got his eye on the big kids chair, former lt gov and 2006 gov nom kerry healey, every other fmr gov (weld, cellucci and swift) as well as some randos who dont stand a chance over ne of the dems listed before. i doubt mihos would be pulled away from the gov race as deval has had a pretty shaky term numero uno and hes could actually take the gov down
i wouldnt be surprised if d-turned-i tim cahill runs as and indi or turns back to the blue side
Now let’s honor his memory.
This is really a kick in the chest for me, like the Pope dying a couple of years ago was for everybody else.
RIP, Senator. You’ll be missed.
Ted Kennedy was not just the most effective legislator Congress has seen in at least two generations, he was the last living link to the Kennedy Dynasty (aka Camelot). A time when idelism, hope, and optimism kicked off a decade of change and activism that established America as we know it today. Especially now in this crucial time when Obama is trying to pass health care, his voice will be sorely missed. Unfortunate as this may be, maybe Kennedy’s death will be a rallying cry for pro-reformers to get that final push to pass this thing, public option and all.
That said, the special election Massachusetts has to have will most likely send another Democrat, since I don’t see any Republicans on the horizon (other than Romney, who’s planning to run for President) that could actually win it. Of course, no Democrat could ever replace someone like Uncle Teddy.
Rest in Peace, Senator.
I really wish I could skip class now at 9 now and just cry all day. I have so much I have to do today and I just want to start drinking like an Irishman now in his honor.
There’s no one like him and there never will be. The only thing about this that is good is that Teddy isn’t feeling anymore pain.
RIP Sen. Kennedy, there’ll never be another one like you.
He fought so hard for the rights of people. He never gave up. I still find it hard to believe he is gone. After his brothers died, he still remained strong. He led the Kennedy torch for 41 years, letting us know the Kennedys were still strong. His brother JFK changed the world and RFK would have.
Ted Kennedy, we will never forget you. Always remember that we are hoping you at last have peace.
He’s gone to where the weary are at rest.
I was present for the rally at Bender Arena where Teddy endorsed Obama, a moment that many prognosticators today are saying was a seminal one in the campaign. As important as it may have been for that reason, the memory has taken on a whole new resonance for me personally given his passing.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.
Ted will be dearly missed.
he was a great senator, perhaps one of the most effective ever.
but this being swing state, anybody know the rules for the special (& the status of the law change that sen kennedy himself was advocating for allowing for a temporary appointment).
“In his honor and as a tribute to (Ted Kennedy’s) commitment to his ideals, let us stop the shouting and name calling and have a civilized debate on health care reform which I hope, when legislation has been signed into law, will bear his name for his commitment to insuring the health of every American.” – Sen. Robert Byrd.
When it was going nowhere. In a similar vein health care would be a fitting tribute to Ted. I love that family.
but the Massachusetts legislature needs to get back in and quickly pass a law to allow Patrick to make a temporary appointment.
Reading Redstate this morning (as I often do, for some masochistic reason) I was really revolted to the point of almost being ill at the reaction to Senator Kennedy’s passing. True, he was a complicated, flawed person, and things like alcoholism and Chappaquiddick will always be “above the fold” lines on his biography. But he was also, especially later in life, universally known as a kind and genuine person by all who knew him. He also has achieved a record in the Senate that belongs at the same level as Clay, Webster, and LaFollette.
For ONE DAY you would hope these vile, contemptable teabagging nutjobs could at least keep their hypocritical pie-holes shut, if nothing else. But no. It shows what has happened to the Republican Party. Look at what decent, honorable conservatives like Nancy Reagan and Orrin Hatch are saying about Senator Kennedy today compared to this rabble.
A sad day for all.However when he didn’t attend his sister’s funeral and he sent the letter about his successor I knew things were not looking good.We could have
used more senators like him.Remember back In 2002 he never
fell for Bush’s Lies about Iraq.
At 538 I sent message to RW trolls those cheering about his
death can go to hell.
http://community.livejournal.c…
I posted this earlier today. I had planned on it for a while, but Ted Kennedy’s passing away kinda kicked me and convinced me to take care of it ASAP.
Those electoral-vote.com articles have some interesting thoughts, including some talking points you and your progressive friends may find useful in talking to independents and conservatves.
In memory of Ted Kennedy, let’s get this thing done.
First off I want to say I wish the best to Kennedy’s family in dealing with their loss. But I am seriously shocked as to the emotions Kennedy’s death has caused some bloggers on here.
I wish to ask, with all respect, what makes him such a great man in the eyes of so many here given what kind of things hes done?
Sure, the man was an ultra liberal that many conservatives, including myself, would have to take years to find something we agree on. But this man was a father, a friend, a brother, an uncle to many, many people. How bout instead of pointing out the negatives of his life, we look at the positive? I will certainly miss Ted Kennedy. My liberal friend and I were just talking about how weird a US Senate would be without a Kennedy or Robert Byrd. Today is a sad,sad day in the US