On the Contrary

The passing of Ted Kennedy impacted me more than I thought it would.  I have to admit I shed a few tears.  Through all the years that I have followed him, he always stood for the little guy.  He fought for education, civil rights, gay rights, women’s rights, and of course, health care for all of us.  When Bill Clinton started leaning to the right, he was unafraid to criticize him.  When the nation was rushing to war in Iraq, he was unafraid to vote no.  I am a little depressed because I am not sure there is anybody to stand up for me anymore.

I remember when it wasn’t cool to be liberal and Senator Kennedy stood up and said, “I am liberal and I am proud of it.”  He never attacked anyone personally, but he was unafraid to roar like a lion when he saw injustice in the Senate.  Where Republicans were trying to limit government, he was trying to find ways for government to help.  Where conservatives try to tell us what we can’t do, he was always imagining what we could do.

I think what he represented to many of us was a belief in shared responsibility and that we are all in this together.  For the younger generation he epitomized resurgence and all that was good about being a liberal.  He represented indefatigable striving against inequality and injustice, and most of all hope for a better tomorrow.   Losing him was like losing one of our great generals in a never ending war against little minds.  I am just not sure there is anyone to take his place. He passed the torch to Barack, but so far there has been no lion from him.   At any rate, may he rest in peace.  He damn well deserves it.