Ted and Vicki: A Love Story

Eight posts. Give it a rest. Less = more

Ted Kennedy died?

Making her no less a DUPE than Liz Edwards, Hillary Clixon, Jackie Kennedy, and Sissy Sanford.

Think I’ll pop my last Billy Beer tonight.

Anybody ever hear that you can actually update a prior post instead of starting a new one on the same topic. Much more professional to do it that way.

“Ted Kennedy was redeemed in his third act, and that redemption couldn’t have happened without Vicki.”
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For redemption, one has to take responsibility for one’s acts and pay the price. Kennedy never paid the price for killing Mary Jo Kopechne. I don’t see how “redeemed” is any way to describe this man. Yes, he did some good. But he also has the annoying legacy of a dissolute man telling the rest of us how to live our lives. And the utter absurdity of this man lecturing Samuel Alito about morality belies the “redemption” idea peddled about this largely unsavory man.

“His Massachusetts approval ratings were dipping below 50%, and he badly needed a fresh storyline to lay on top of the embarrassment that came with testifying in the 1991 Palm Beach rape trial of his nephew, William Kennedy Smith, and the subsequent indignity of having to sit mute through the sexual harassment allegations against Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas.”
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The embarassment, of course, which is whitewashed, stems from what Kennedy was doing that night. A drunk, womanizing lech really cannot yap about sexual harassment. It seems even Ted Kennedy had some shame.

I think hula, that given the fact that he has died, some decorum is in order. I think you can criticize without using the words “scumbag”. “Dissolute” is far more genteel.
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One thing is true. Kennedy was often a very kind man. Some of his actions after 9/11 reflect that.
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I don’t think falsely attributing “redemption” or whitewashing his dissoluteness does him any favors. Jesse Helms got the “warts and all” treatment. Shouldn’t Kennedy?

God bless John McCain: He just suggested they rename Reagan Airport for Teddy!

I wasn’t a fan of Ted Kennedy’s, but…Jesse Helms?

Entry into politics
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In 1950, Helms ‘played a critical role as campaign publicity director for segregationist Willis Smith’ in the U.S. Senate campaign against ‘the most renowned Southern liberal Frank Porter Graham’.[30][31] Graham, who supported school desegregation, was labelled by Smith (a conservative Democratic lawyer and former president of the American Bar Association) as a ‘dupe of communists’ and a proponent of the ‘mingling of the races’, as a played out on fliers including the phrase ‘Wake Up, White People’ in the virtually all-white Democratic primaries.[31][32] After winning the election, Smith hired Helms to be his administrative assistant in Washington, D.C..

…”warts and all”?
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Is there really a comparison?
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Never mind –let’s not think of reasons why Ted Kennedy was comparable to Jesse Helms on the eve of the former’s death, shall we?
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Forget it; sorry I mentioned it.

What’s interesting is the disdain that some still have for Kennedy. I don’t because at sixty and after a divorce, I can’t get health insurance. Thanks Teddy for Cobra. Although I had sons, I know many families that had daughters that played sports, Thanks Teddy for Title 9. Last fall a neighbors son voted in his first election, since I live in the south, probably not Obama, but thanks Teddy for lowering the voting age. Was Kennedy a champion of the poor and education, of course he was but for all us with children, he was also a champion of all of us. IMO the best compliment that I can give the man, is thank you George Bailey.

Was he flawed, well duh, we all are.

My point, of course, is that Jesse Helms after long service etc. got truthful treatment. Kennedy gets a whitewash.

Kennedy also played on his privilege so that he didn’t have to “play by the rules”. I guess that’s acceptable, so long as he hands out goodies (often from the sweat of others’ brows) to people.
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Title IX has serious problems, by the way.

Title IX has problems and you are correct about that but not compared to what it has achieved. Hey I’m a female and I graduated high school in 67 and college in 71. We could go back to the good old days where the jocks just played football but that’s up to you. Mia Hamm is still my idol. What do you suggest we do?

repeal it–women’s sports are here to stay . . . . and that’s a good thing.
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and discriminating against men isn’t made right simply because women were discriminated against beforehand.
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I have a baby girl. You can rest assured I will encourage her to be active physically.

Well spob, I hope you tell her that Ted supported her. By the way I have no idea where you live but in the south there is no danger of discrimination against men.