Those of you who have siblings, imagine that you were never your parents' favorite. Imagine that, though you were born into a family of unbelievable privilege, the hopes and dreams of its dynastic future rested on the shoulders of your other brothers.
Imagine your oldest brother - the one being groomed for immediate ascension - is killed while fighting for his county. Your Irish-Catholic parents never relent in the grieving process for their firstborn.
Imagine your two other brothers aim to take up the mantle of the slain eldest, while your sisters marry off, one by one, to wealthy families and become graceful - but silent - matriarchs.
Imagine those brothers are then assassinated, leaving you as the remaining male heir to the closest resemblance America has ever had to a royal family. Immediately you have a burden to carry - a quest to embark on. You're no longer the rich kid with the toothy grin who bedded all the New England princesses and flirted with the idea of playing professional football. You're the last American hero who's job it is to save the nation.
But are you qualified? I mean, just because you're a hero, does that make you perfect? Don't heroes have tragic flaws that can doom them and their families forever? What if you falter? What if you fail?
Ted Kennedy wrestled with these issues all his life, but that's not what makes him a hero because everyone combats his or her own set of issues brought on by their own upbringing. It's his longevity despite all his flaws that makes him heroic.
Of course he was deeply flawed - the drinking, Chappaquiddick, etc. - all heroes are whether we'd like to believe it or not. But still, he rarely compromised on behalf of the constituency he represented for 47 years. He kept on forcing us to question whether or not we, as a nation, should expect more from our leaders while still allowing them to make mistakes.
He wasn't perfect and I didn't agree with all his policies, but he earned his nickname as the "Liberal Lion" of the Senate. No matter what, he never stopped roaring.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Why Ted Kennedy was an American hero
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4 comments:
"It's his longevity despite all his flaws that makes him heroic" Really? You really believe this? He was just a spoiled little rich kid born into an extremely powerful family. If his name had been anything other than Kennedy, he wouldn't have survived Chappaquiddick. He would have spent 47 years in prision instead of the senate.
No one's saying he never leaned on his last name. But in spite of Chappaquiddick he kept on in public office. I think that takes some kind of balls to screw up and keep going, especially since it's much easier to screw up and quit.
Good stuff, Matt. Refreshing to read!
Lauren
Matt...Well said.
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