Tuesday, August 26, 2008

The Lion of the Senate Roars Again


All my life I have revered this man . . . affectionately known to all as "the Lion of the Senate." Though I was born on John Kennedy's election day . . . . though I admired the promise of Bobby Kennedy and then watched in horror as he was slain in 1968, his promise cut cruely short. I've always loved and admired the Kennedy family as a whole. They are a special family. But Teddy, honestly, has always been my personal favorite.

Why? Because in spite of his being wealthy beyond my wildest dreams, he has fought hard his entire life to champion the rights of the little guy - the average Joe - the most vulnerable and powerless in our society. He worked for 4 decades to bring about the changes in America that his brothers only dreamed about and barely started. He firmly believes in liberal viewpoints that shone brightly in the 1960's and 1970's during the years of my youth, but have sadly become darkened, and nearly dead during the '80s and beyond. He has been one of the few strong lights of hope showing us that YES a few of us still believe in those liberal ideals and someone is out there arguing on our behalf.

As Caroline Kennedy said, if you believe in these things he's fighting for, then he is YOUR senator too. He's certainly always been a Senator after my own heart.

The rest of the DNC event last night was okay - just okay, I think they could have rallied better during the first 2 hours, but seeing Teddy give his amazing speech waws a moment that left me awestruck and moved beyond belief.

Teddy, your strength and character is like none other. What a contribution you have made - and I hope someone else picks up your torch and carries it forward before it goes out.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Very well said! I loved seeing how strong he looked last night. I'm grateful he found the strength to do this for Barack. Love all the Kennedys too.

Catherine said...

Oh, when they cut to Caroline dabbing at her eyes while he spoke, I nearly lost it. Well said. He looked and sounded wonderful, and I'm sure the crowd's response was good for his health.