David Pleasant

Good grief. Cynthia Tucker of the Atlanta Constitution-Journal posits “John McCain could be the Senate’s new Ted Kennedy.” That has to be the most far-fetched thing I’ve ever heard her say, but then again she’s not someone I follow regularly. That pretty much explains, I guess, why I haven’t followed her.

One of Ted Kennedy’s last requests was to change the succession law in Massachusetts to allow for the governor of the state to appoint his successor rather than have a special election five months later as provided for under current law. Well, the Party of No strikes again. They intend to fight any effort to change the law.

Ted Kennedy has been the Lion of the Senate for a number of years, but it hasn’t always been that way. Certainly not at first. He had much to learn and as Tom at FiveThirtyEight notes, he did not have to look far for mentors. Take a look at the heavyweights in the 88th Congress in 1963, Kennedy’s first full term.

Alabama’s John Sparkman; Arizona’s Barry Goldwater and Carl Hayden; Arkansas’ J. William Fulbright; Connecticut’s Abe Ribicoff and Thomas Dodd; Georgia’s Richard Russell; Idaho’s Frank F. Church; Illinois’ Everett Dirksen; Indiana’s Birch Bayh; Louisiana’s Russell Long; Maine’s Edmund Muskie and Margaret Chase Smith; Minnesota’s Hubert Humphrey and Eugene McCarthy (and later, Walter Mondale, who filled Humphrey’s seat at the end of that Congress); Mississippi’s John Stennis; Montana’s Michael J. Mansfield; Nebraska’s Roman Hruska; New York’s Jacob Javits; North Carolina’s Sam Ervin; Rhode Island’s Claiborne Pell; South Carolina’s Strom Thurmond; South Dakota’s George McGovern; Tennessee’s Al Gore Sr. and Estes Kefauver; Texas’ Ralph Yarborough and John Tower; Virginia’s Harry Byrd; Washington’s Scoop Jackson; West Virginia’s Robert Byrd; and Wisconsin’s William Proxmire.

While some are not what I would consider to be exemplary or role models (e.g. Thurmond), few could credibly argue they were not skilled politicians or didn’t wield great power.

On a side note, a little bit of history here. Which one of the senators listed was the victim of an assassination attempt?

Ted Kennedy’s passing makes for a very sad day. For those that can remember the assassinations of his brothers, it is more than just the passing of the Lion of the Senate. It is a substantial milestone in American political life.

Although Teddy came from great wealth, his life’s work was dedicated to improving the lives of the less fortunate and to achieving equal rights for all. There is much I could write about his death and what it means to me, but for now I’ll leave it at this. We would do well to reflect on his good works and how it relates, or doesn’t, to our current political environment.