“Michelle and I were heartbroken to learn this morning of the death of our dear friend, Senator Ted Kennedy,” President Barack Obama said Wednesday morning about the passing of the great, liberal senior senator from Massachusetts.
The president called Kennedy a “singular figure” in American political history.
“For five decades, virtually every major piece of legislation to advance the civil rights, health and economic well being of the American people bore his name and resulted from his efforts,” Obama said.
Senator Edward M. Kennedy died at his home in Hyannis Port on Tuesday, August 25, 2009. Kennedy’s valiant struggle with brain cancer was a national storyline alongside Obama’s ascent to the U.S. presidency, which Kennedy supported – at a very critical time.
He was 77.
He is survived and mourned by his wife, Vicki, his children Ted Jr., Patrick and Kara, his grandchildren and extended family – and a mourning nation that includes a great many African Americans who benefited from his leadership.
“For the last four decades, Ted Kennedy led every fight to advance civil rights, voting rights, protection for working people and seniors and healthcare reform,” said U.S. Rep. Wm. Lacy Clay, who worked alongside Kennedy in Congress, as did his father William “Bill” Clay before him.
“My father and I revered Ted Kennedy as a friend and colleague. We send our thoughts and prayers to his wonderful family who must bear this terrible burden.”
St. Louis American Publisher Donald M. Suggs – a veteran of national politics and nearly an agemate of Kennedy’s – remembered his unwavering leadership from the political left.
“He was right about civil rights, voting rights, Iraq, health care for everyone – he was consistently liberal, even when it was not popular or practical politically and no one else was willing to fight,” Suggs said.
“Born into wealth and privilege, he nevertheless was a tireless advocate for the things he believed in, a more fair and just America for everyone – and so much of his work brought special benefits to the African-American community. We miss him, and we will always be deeply appreciative for his strength and compassion.”
Marc H. Morial, president and CEO of the National Urban League, said Kennedy had a shared sense of mission with his organization, which fights for the rights and economic empowerment of African Americans.
“As one of the last U.S. senators who fought for the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Senator Kennedy stood for many of the same rights that we fight for daily – equality, education, employment, and health care,” Morial said.
Suggs and other leaders in St. Louis’ African-American community had direct interaction with Kennedy when Judge Ronnie White went through his Senate confirmation process for an appointment to the federal district bench here. White, who would become Missouri’s first black state Supreme Court justice, was rejected narrowly by a partisan U.S. Senate, despite Kennedy’s vigorous efforts on his behalf.
White – who has been demonized by Missouri Republicans for his own liberal stances – recognized a kindred spirit and mentor in Kennedy.
“He believed in his principles and stood by them,” White said.
The legendary senator later intervened personally in an attempt to get President Bill Clinton to offer White another federal appointment in the very last days of his administration.
“I got a call from Senator Kennedy when he was trying to get the president to re-nominate me,” White said.
“I was there on a Thursday, and Clinton was leaving the White House on that Saturday. We just ran out of time.”
Health reform after Kennedy
Now, it is Kennedy who has run out of time.
Many of those who share his political convictions wonder what effect his passing will have on the dynamics of the U.S. Senate and the Democratic Party, which is facing criticism from the left on its willingness to compromise on health reform.
“He was the smartest, most effective legislator we had,” said former St. Louis comptroller and political commentator Virvus Jones.
“He got passed major, historic bills – SCHIP, the Civil Rights Act. And health care reform will suffer without him.”
Lacy Clay vowed to prevent that from happening.
Clay said, “We who remain will rededicate ourselves to winning the fight that Senator Kennedy devoted his life to … providing high quality, accessible health care for every American.”
One of his colleagues from Missouri in the U.S. Senate, where he served for nearly 47 years, shared more personal reflections upon Kennedy’s passing.
“This man was so much more than his image,” said U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill.
“His love for the little guy and his affection for the underdog influenced everything he did. And importantly, his sense of humor and contagious laughter made him real and approachable in spite of his power and privilege.”
McCaskill’s senior Republican colleague from Missouri, U.S. Senator Kit Bond, stressed that he had worked across the aisle with Kennedy on the Family Medical Leave Act, birth defects prevention, community health centers, children’s hospitals and Parents as Teachers.
“Senator Kennedy was not only known as a tremendous public servant, but also as a gentleman within the halls of Congress,” Bond said.
“He was a great ally when we worked together and friendly and courteous – yet formidable – when we disagreed.”
Other Republicans focused less generously on Kennedy’s personal failings, including his murky role in the 1969 drowning death of Mary Jo Kopechne on Chappaquiddick Island in Massachusetts. Contemporary investigative journalism revealed protective efforts by local law enforcement and belated accounts of the incident by Kennedy that did not square with the evidence.
Even Kennedy’s hometown newspaper, The Boston Globe, included a veiled reference to the Chappaquiddick incident in the sentence that leads it front-page news obituary of the state’s greatest senator.
The first black man who rose to U.S. president to a great extent on the strength of Kennedy’s critical support during the primary process, however, had nothing but praise for his former colleague in the U.S. senate.
“I valued his wise counsel in the Senate, where, regardless of the swirl of events, he always had time for a new colleague,” Obama said.
“I cherished his confidence and momentous support in my race for the presidency. And even as he waged a valiant struggle with a mortal illness, I’ve profited as president from his encouragement and wisdom.”
