On the Thinker

"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." - Edward M. Kennedy, speaking at the Democratic National Convention in New York on August 12, 1980, having lost his party's nomination for the presidency to Jimmy Carter.

Today we lost a mighty statesman in Edward M. Kennedy. The patriarch and keeper of the flame of the Senate died late Tuesday night at his home in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts after a year-long battle with brain cancer. My thoughts and prayers go out to his wife Vicky and to the entire Kennedy family. Much will be said about his life in the coming days, weeks, and months, including much about the shrouded Chappaquiddick incident, but as we will see from the endless outpouring of sympathy, tribute, and reflection upon Kennedy's life, he was a man who held the respect of millions from all walks of life.

The last Kennedy warrior in a line of heroic brothers, Ted Kennedy devoted his life to serving the American people and fighting for universal health care. During a time in which the political fruit was most ripe, Senator Kennedy's illness prevented him from employing his remarkable oratory skills to engender support for health care reform legislation. However, it remains in question as to whether the loss of the "Last Lion" of the Senate will be particularly grievous to the health care reform movement. Indeed, Kennedy's Senate vote was considered of such importance that he wrote personal letters to Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and state lawmakers, urging them to change a state law to allow the governor to appoint a replacement should Kennedy be unable to cast his vote. Alas that his premonition proved true. Yet, it is equally likely that Kennedy will become a martyr for health care reform. I cannot ignore the cruel irony in that given Kennedy's insistence that the cause of his life was fighting for health care reform, his death might prove stronger than any words of wisdom he could have conjured in life for President Obama's reform initiatives.

Despite his self-pronounced legislative legacy, Kennedy's life work expanded well beyond the health care horizon. He was a champion of the middle class, for workers' rights, civil rights, education reform and more. Ever-shadowed by the accomplishments of his older brothers in an idealist period, Ted Kennedy worked tirelessly to become a skilled lawmaker. Over the years, he navigated the legislative process masterfully, achieved notoriety for his bipartisanship, and crafted legislation that changed the face of American politics as we know it.

Historians such as Robert Dallek have often said that John F. Kennedy lived an "unfinished life." Yet it seems more precise to portray all three of the Kennedy brothers as having lived unfinished lives. It is a cruel fate for Senator Kennedy that he did not live to see his dream fulfilled. But I believe that his words, as I have quoted above, were not hollow. The Kennedy legacy is one of inspiration, respect, and admiration for one's country. In studying the events of the 1960s and beyond, I can find few other individuals, besides perhaps MLK, who inspired our nation to accomplish such unlikely feats and inculcated unmeasured hope to generations of Americans.