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Kennedy remembered: 'finding meaning, value in defeat and loss'
For Catholics, the Kennedy legacy was an ambivalent one.
Aug. 26, 2009
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PDF versionSen. Edward Kennedy will always be remembered for the closing words of his address to the Democratic National Convention after he lost his bid for the party’s presidential nomination in 1980: “For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives and the dream will never die.” It is fitting that his finest rhetorical moment in a life of superlative oratory came after the one election he lost.
For it was Kennedy’s most Catholic attribute that he could find meaning and value in defeat and loss. Indeed, to give voice to hope and to dare to dream after losing one brother to war, two brothers to assassins’ bullets, a sister to a plane crash and another sister to a distorted notion of therapeutic treatment for the mentally disabled, those words were a human accomplishment, not merely a rhetorical one.
Much the same can be said of Kennedy’s entire career. Few facets of the relationship between the citizenry of America and their government were not touched by legislation Kennedy wrote, sponsored or voted for, and in most instances that relationship was bettered for having been touched by him. In the 1960s, black Americans benefited from the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act and the poor and the elderly benefited from the adoption of Medicare and Medicaid.
In the 1970s, Title IX opened up opportunities for women that had been inconceivable even a decade earlier. In the 1980s, he championed the rights of workers and government assistance to the needy when they were under attack from the Reagan administration, and he led the way in securing funding for the treatment of HIV/AIDS. In 1990, he was a cosponsor of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which revolutionized the way our society treats the disabled. Later in the decade, Kennedy championed what has come to be known as SCHIP, providing health insurance to poor children. He defended the dignity of immigrants when his political opponents tried to demonize them. When Kennedy said, “The work goes on,” he meant it.
The cause endured as well. Kennedy said that “the cause of my life” was the fight for decent, affordable health care for all Americans and he continued that fight even as his own strength weakened in these past months. He acknowledged the life of privilege that provided him with the best of care and cried out against the injustice that prevented those less privileged from getting any care.
Perhaps his final gift to the nation will be that his death will change the political debate about health care, which has been hijacked by lies, distortions and fear-mongering in the past month. Just as his brother Jack’s death changed the debate on the Civil Rights Act, turning it from a forlorn hope to a monument in memory of the recently deceased president, perhaps Ted Kennedy’s death will cause his former colleagues in the Senate to finally, at long last, reach agreement on health care reform.
The dream of which Kennedy spoke was the liberal dream and liberalism has fared ill in the years since Kennedy’s 1980 speech. The Reagan Revolution was premised on the belief that government is not the solution to our nation’s ills but the problem. That undemocratic sentiment was anathema to Kennedy’s career and worldview and he led the opposition to Reaganism when it attacked workers’ rights, government assistance to the poor, and progressive taxation, to say nothing of its belligerent foreign policy.
Teddy, unlike his brothers, was given the gift of length of years so he was able to witness the demise of Reaganism, when the trainwreck of spread-eagle capitalism brought the nation’s leading corporations hat-in-hand looking for bailouts from the federal government last year. He took no delight in the pain and suffering caused by the economic meltdown and he was ever averse to adopting an “I told you so” stance. Ted Kennedy did not keep score, which is one of the reasons he earned the reputations of simultaneously being both the Senate’s leading liberal and the senator most likely able to forge a bipartisan consensus on any given issue.
For Catholics, the Kennedy legacy was an ambivalent one. His brother had broken the glass ceiling of the presidency, putting a final nail in the coffin of organized, political anti-Catholicism. But he did so by assuring the nation that his religion was “private” and would not affect his conduct in office. This distinction proved as improvident as it was philosophically untenable and it laid the groundwork for Ted Kennedy’s greatest political failure, his inability to include the unborn among the voiceless for whom he was a voice. Had Kennedy maintained his pro-life stance he might have kept his party, and the nation, from its easy embrace of abortion rights.
That failure cannot be minimized but neither can it be allowed to cancel all the good that he achieved in his many years in the Senate. When he spoke of “those whose cares have been our concern” he was speaking of us all. This child of wealth cared deeply and effectively for the children of poverty.
This man of learning cared deeply and effectively for the educational opportunities of all. This senator who mastered the halls of power cared deeply and effectively for the powerless. He endured unimaginable sufferings, some of them self-inflicted, but instead of growing hard or bitter he grew more compassionate and sensitive. He made a difference in the lives of his fellow citizens and in the life of the nation, almost all of it for the good. To say that he will be missed is a commonplace. He, and his work, must be remembered, not just missed, and remembered as he would want, as a prod to further action on behalf of the social justice for which he fought all his life.
Michael Sean Winters is a regular NCR contributor.
I was never ambivilent about
I was never ambivilent about Ted Kennedy. He was a great American and we are far poorer for his loss.
Let's remember Sen. Kennedy's
Let's remember Sen. Kennedy's life and legacy by doing everything we can to get health care changed in this country.
If the United States Senate,
If the United States Senate, House of Representatives and the President and his family can have what amounts to universal health care coverage, and no one complains about the cost to the taxpayer, then why can't we all? I say it's because, like always, the haves don't want to share with the have nots. It's too bad that we can't sue to get the coverage that we should have. By the way what kind of coverage does the Supreme Court have?
Please let me have the
Please let me have the choice!
I'm a brain cancer "survivor" for a lucky 5 years now. It changes your life in ways hard to imagine because, obviously, it's your brain. For most of us it makes speaking a challenge; it makes memory and ability to concentrate difficult; you can find yourself mad for no reason at all. And that is before the glioma comes back -- it's a mysterious animal, and the only thing doctors will honestly tell you they know for sure about these tumors is that they will come back, and when they do, they'll be more aggressive than before. So you live with that knowledge. You try to put it out of our mind, but the changes it left behind remind you every single day.
I'm not trying to ask for sympathy, I'm really not. I will give myself credit for never having said, "why me?" I've always assumed, "why not me?"
I've seen patients suffer through years of debilitation. Inability to walk, talk, control bowels and many other humiliating effects. Above all when it comes to that time, I don't want to be that burden to my family. I don't want my wife to be changing my diapers and my kids to see me waste away. They have important contributions to make to this society and I want them fully free to move on. They have much better things to do than wait on me.
When the big slide starts, I want to be able to make the choice of when I die. I want to be out of the way and give my family the chance to move on with their lives, my wife to remarry and my kids to not have to watch their father whither away.
You can call that selfish and maybe it is. But I know that time comes I pray to God that he'll take me swiftly, or this country will allow me to make that choice on my own.
And by the way, people also struggle greatly financially because the insurance company ultimately finds a way to dump you from their coverage.
"His brother had broken the
"His brother had broken the glass ceiling of the presidency, putting a final nail in the coffin of organized, political anti-Catholicism." Really?!? seems NCR, CTA, and like minded groups have taken this up.
A professor of mine said in
A professor of mine said in regard to Catholic Moral Theology on social issues that if it were truly understood in this country, it would be roundly rejected along with the moral teachings on sexuality. While Sen. Kennedy wasn't perfect, nearly all of the legislation he either sponsored or wrote clearly reflected much of the key tenants of catholic social teaching. Further, by not keeping score and all, he insisted on treating everybody with dignity even if they disagreed with him. He was born into power and prestige, yet he consistently worked on and tirelessly promoted policies that benefited the least of us. Jesus himself says in Matt 24:40 "Truly I tell you, whatever you did to the least of my brothers, you did it to me." (my translation from the Greek) He lived that better than most Americans and for that alone, he will be missed and deserves a place among the the ranks of the angels and the martyrs in paradise.
M Tisdale Great questions! I
M Tisdale
Great questions! I have a few more for you to consider: If Senator Kennedy can have tens of millions of dollars, why can't we all? If President Obama gets to fly on his own, goverment payed for 747, why can't we all? And if the president gets his own personal doctor who travels with him where ever he goes, why can't we all?
By Jove, I think you're right! The haves don't want to share with the have nots!
But I'm sure if the Democratic health insurance plan gets enacted into law, we will all get medical care equal to that of Sen Kennedy and President Obama. You can bet your liver on it!
So "pro-life" has only to do
So "pro-life" has only to do with the life of unborn babies? Aren't the rest of us alive and isn't someone like Ted Kennedy pro-life when concerned about the lives of the rest of us, too? Or does my life, or the life of the poor or the immigrant or the person of color or the Iraqi not matter? I care about unborn babies but the picture is much bigger than that, Mr. Winters.
Very interesting that the
Very interesting that the author brings up the subject of abortion in commentating on Ted Kennedy's legacy.
What, then, was Kennedy to do? Move to ban all legal abortions in the United States? Or, something else?
That is the ultimate dilemma of the abortion issue, and as the saying goes, some problems have no solutions.
Or at least, some critics
Or at least, some critics have no solutions.
Yes! He should have moved to
Yes! He should have moved to ban "legal" abortion - even if it cost him an election. We should seek the praise of God above that of others. The deliberate killing of a child is not "legal" in the Divine Law. It is a grave sin that cannot be outweighed by doing other really nice things. And that is fact, not judgement. We must all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
This problem does have a solution, and no amount of talking around the issue that children are dying who cannot make that choice for themselves will make this go away. This isn't being a "one issue" Catholic. Why can't we have a Catholic who accepts ALL of life?
Is it OK to kill Iraqi
Is it OK to kill Iraqi children? They are just as innocent. Or are Iraqis not a part of ALL life in the Catholic viewpoint?
He should have stuck to his
He should have stuck to his beliefs in the early 70s when he said that all abortion should be illegal and that all life from the earliest stages protected. But when the Democrats began to be bankrolled by abortionists and supporters of eugenics (which is what Planned Parenthood is all about). Then he sold his soul (perhaps literally and figuratively) for the power that comes with office and didn't look out for the protection of all life.
I find it interesting that
I find it interesting that there have not been outcries from Bishops or ProLife activists about Pres. Obama giving the eulogy in the Boston Mission Basilica, for the Catholic Funeral of the late beloved Senator Edward Kennedy, when so many were outraged that President Obama was going to University of Notre Dame to deliver the 2009 Commencement Speech.
Comments?
Catholic funerals are not
Catholic funerals are not supposed to have eulogies. But who expects Church law to be honored? Obama giving the eulogy for Kennedy is like Cher giving the eulogy for Sonny at his funeral. Tweedledum & tweedledee!
I am grateful that I have not
I am grateful that I have not seen the Anti-Kennedy viewpoint here which seems to be shared by many who consider themselves Christian but are very Conservative.
For myself, I am stunned that he is gone for in a very real way I began my life with many Godparents since I was a ward of the commonwealth of Massachusetts. And I am proud to say that among those many Godparents were John, Robert and Ted Kennedy.
Even more than that, living through the tragedy of what happened in Dallas, having moved there in 1963 from Boston, the Kennedy name inspired me in my High School and College years to run for public office.
And I have to wonder what my life would have been like, if I had known then what I know now, that all three brothers were distant cousins.
In the final analysis, he touched many millions of lives as did his brothers.
And I sincerely hope that those who scream at him and others who are not conservative would pinch themselves and realize that at the heart of our Catholic faith lies the redemptive power of Christ who through his Saints have given us many ways of coming closer to him and gaining heaven too.
Lastly, read up on St. Faustina and say "The Chaplet of Divine Mercy".
I can't say that I will shed
I can't say that I will shed any tears on his passing. Leave him to heaven! I would not want to be in his shoes when I stand before the judgment seat of God.
People lionize him as the great defender of the poor and downtrodden. This is a lot of nonsence. He had no interest in defending the most innocent & vulnerable among us, namely the unborn. These liberals who are allegedly the great defenders of the poor, etc are just interested in spending someone else's money (taxes) for wasteful social programs which do little if anything to help the poor and disadvantaged.
No one on the political spectrum denies that there should be a safety net for those who can't care for themselves and have no family willing to help them. There should also be some help & subsidies to the working poor to keep them working. Why should people like Kennedy get credit for this when everyone just about agrees this government help is needed.
But safety nets should also tax families who won't help their own relatives. Programs for the working poor should be effective and help them keep their dignity. Big Liberal Spenders like Kennedy are always for minimum wage laws which end up removing jobs for the poor.
And what type of person was this Kennedy character? Look at the whole sad & pathetic episode of Mary Jo Keppechnie. That episode is a paradigm for the lack of moral decency in this man's life. May the good Lord give him a long stay in Purgatory to punish him for his many sins!
Describe for me the inherent
Describe for me the inherent dignity of not being able to properly feed your family, or take your kids to the doctor when they're sick.
There are plenty of people out there who would keep the safety net more like a minnow net - as small and ineffectual as possible. And they are well-represented by the politicians they buy.
Just this morning, I read a quote from one of Benedict's encyclicals which said something to the effect that you don't give a man charity until you've already given him what he is due as a human being.
Years from now, while the good senator and I are being purged of our many sins - please don't bore us with your endless prattling about the judgement seat. I'm sure you'll find more than enough like-minded folks there to discuss everyone else's faults.
Ted Kennedy Claimed to Have
Ted Kennedy Claimed to Have Slept with over 1,000 Women
Submitted by Eugmc on October 7, 2009 - 4:20pm.
In a chapter of his autobiography, the late Senator Ted Kennedy confessed to having slept with over 1,000 women and spending more than $10 million in hush money to keep his womanizing ways a secret. If you crack open the book, however, you won't find a mention of this in there anywhere. That is because horrified family members and advisers cut it out before the book was published.
A close source also revealed to the National Enquirer that before he died of brain cancer at age 77 on August 25, Kennedy also revealed that he had planned to seduce Mary Jo Kopechne on the night she drowned. The source said:
"While dictating his memoirs into a tape recorder, Ted decided to tell the whole truth about his life - including his love life. He said that his first lover was an Irish nanny. She was about 19, and Ted was only 13.
When his mother found out, she sent the nanny back to Ireland. Rose made Ted pray on his knees for hours to ask forgiveness. But Ted recalled that even his sore knees couldn't wipe the smile off his face.
From that day on, he says he seduced as many women as he could, from maids and cooks at the family's Hyannis Port compound to college friends that his sisters brought home."
The source added that Kennedy even admitted to having planned to seduce Kopechne the night his car plunged off the road in Chappaquiddick.
"But his lawyers and friends begged him not to open that door. They said that even after his death, it would hurt his legacy and haunt the family.
He relented about Mary Jo, but went on to admit that he'd seduced the wives of some of his closest friends and even his brothers' girlfriends."
Ted had hoped his book would tell the truth about his life, but family members decided to hold off on including certain parts of the book out of respect to the family's reputation. Even though it was removed from the book, it seems the revelations leaked out regardless.
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