Buzzflash
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Reddit"I would not be here as a presidential candidate were it not for some of the battles he fought as a senator. He battled for voting rights and civil rights when I was a child. I stand on his shoulders." Those were Senator Barack Obama's words Tuesday as he responded to news reports that Senator Ted Kennedy had been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor.
In his 45 years as the Senate's fighting liberal, Kennedy has been a tenacious champion of civil rights, health care, labor rights, education and a sane foreign policy. As historian Ronald Steel observed the other day, he was a Senator "who showed how government could be made to serve the people."
Kennedy once said that " the best vote I've cast in my 44 years in the US Senate" was the one he cast against President Bush's 2002 Iraq war authorization Resolution.
As a result of his opposition to Iraq, and through his support of the most vulnerable and the voiceless, his support of causes lost and found, Kennedy has set the standard for leadership and shown through his credo of perseverance what we must do to rebuild this country and reengage the world.
At the Nation, our hearts sank when we heard the news. But if there is one thing we know about Senator Kennedy, it's that he's a fighter.
l
Katrina vanden Heuvel
Thoughts on politics, current affairs, riffs and reflections on what’s in the news and what’s not--but should be.
Kennedy was of course essentially the "liberal Reagan".
For good or ill, and he was a huge influence on politics...one key thing usually half-mentioned, being his primary challenge to Jimmy Carter in 1980, which nearly ousted an incumbent President and could have posed the ideological battle of the century against Reagan (likely still losing, maybe not as badly).
But now, all sympathies to him and his family. I have friends who have suffered from brain tumors and it's probably the scariest of cancers since it effects the mind, not just the body.
Best wishes to him.
Posted by Mask at 05/21/2008 @ 7:12pm
I have the greatest respect and admiration for Ted Kennedy and his family and all they have done for the progressive cause.
I hope he gets well soon so he can see the culmination of all this work with the inauguration of Barack Obama as the next president of the United States.
Posted by Metteyya at 05/21/2008 @ 7:55pm
Posted by JOMAMMA at 05/21/2008
Try installing a 5,000 gallon tank in your garage. You'll need it after the Strait of Hormuz is turned into a landfill.
Posted by Sorelish at 05/21/2008 @ 9:37pm
Posted by Metteyya at 05/21/2008
He will not get well. You cannot cure Gliomas unless they are caught by accident and are operative. His are neither.
Posted by Benchrest at 05/21/2008 @ 9:57pm
Disagree almost always with Ted Kennedy, but have always felt that he is an honest liberal and truly believes in what he is fighting for. However, I believe that he has become a much better man as he as gotten older----this happens to most of us---he made many mistakes when he was a younger, but so did I---all we can hope for is time to improve--sorry to see that his time may be running out.
Posted by Len Mosse at 05/21/2008 @ 10:27pm
Posted by Len Mosse at 05/21/2008
We all get our turn.
Nice post.
Posted by Benchrest at 05/21/2008 @ 10:36pm
Posted by Benchrest at 05/21/2008
You survive brain cancer. It is never cured. His is also in a bad location, probably effecting the speech and strength centers in the brain. It is telling that they went for only for a biopsy rather than resection - not a good sign.
Posted by srjenkins at 05/21/2008 @ 10:55pm
Posted by srjenkins at 05/21/2008
Agreed.
Posted by Benchrest at 05/21/2008 @ 10:58pm
It's time for the rest of us to fight as hard as Teddy Kennedy does for the issues you describe. We can't let others do it for us anymore. From local school boards and town halls, to state legislatures to Washington. Use him as an example, and as Tom Hartman says, "Tag, you're it!"
Posted by KristinBVT at 05/22/2008 @ 06:01am
Katrina vanden Heuvel, (S.I.C.) (SELL-OUT IN-CHIEF)
A few salient points on your complete surrender and appeasement to the REPUBLICRAT A.K.A. THE WAR PARTY WITH TWO RIGHT WINGS:
1. While this is a tragic time for Senator Kennedy and his family, he should have retired from the U.S. Senate long ago and moved on to bigger and better things.
2. I can't wait for Barack Obama to drop the hammer on you suckers who think that his "BUSH LITE" campaign agenda is good for America.
3. When John McCain becomes the next U.S. President, I want you to remember the day when you stabbed Ralph Nader in the back and sold out your faithful following at The Nation. And I will say to you and the rest of the suckers who have jumped on the sinking BandWagon called the Obama Candidacy that "I told you so............."
When will you and the rest of your appeasers have the courage to call yourselves "Liberals" again?????????
Posted by POSEIDON at 05/22/2008 @ 08:41am
Posted by Frank42 at 05/22/2008
Three points...1. Biden is from Delaware (though born in Pennsylvania), which is not considered "New England".
2. Bush is from Connecticut, which is.....so is Joe Lieberman!
3. Including FDR, of the last 6 Democratic Presidents?....4 of six have been Southern or south Midwestern (Truman).
Posted by Mask at 05/22/2008 @ 09:06am
Ed Dee
and hillary is any better?
remember,
obama is the least worst of the worst!
Posted by frosty zoom at 05/22/2008 @ 09:18am
POSEIDON
well,
(what's it been now, 376 years?)
of bush
will drive anybody to pragmatism.
Thursday, May 22, 2008 9:27:30 AM
Posted by frosty zoom at 05/22/2008 @ 09:20am
"Kennedy once said that " the best vote I've cast in my 44 years in the US Senate" was the one he cast against President Bush's 2002 Iraq war authorization Resolution."
That's only because he's been casting bad votes for the last 43 years.
Posted by ACook at 05/22/2008 @ 1:16pm
Posted by ACook at 05/22/2008
ACOOK, want to try again to explain how Ted Kennedy "enriched himself" in the US Senate as you claimed???
Posted by Mask at 05/22/2008 @ 2:29pm
However, I believe that he has become a much better man as he as gotten older----this happens to most of us---he made many mistakes when he was a younger, but so did I---all we can hope for is time to improve--sorry to see that his time may be running out.
Posted by Len Mosse at 05/21/2008
Well said Len. God speed to recovery Senator!
Kennedy's oratory and outrage supportive of the disenfranchised in our society could generally be counted on. He kept it pretty darn clean after past mistakes made as a young man when there were unbelievable and unrealistic expectations placed on him to follow the footsteps of his brothers.
Posted by OneVote at 05/22/2008 @ 3:44pm
#
Posted by ACook at 05/22/2008
ACOOK, want to try again to explain how Ted Kennedy "enriched himself" in the US Senate as you claimed???
Posted by Mask at 05/22/2008 | ignore this person | warn it
You mean the question that AC ignored during the previous thread? I'll bet he doesn't answer it this time, either. At least not with anything that would be factual.
Posted by jmusolino at 05/22/2008 @ 4:58pm
Posted by Len Mosse at 05/21/2008
Posted by OneVote at 05/22/2008 | ignore this person | warn it
Excellent points, Len and OV. Excellent!!
Posted by jmusolino at 05/22/2008 @ 5:01pm
Kennedy's brain tumor.
The results are shocking!
http://www.votenic.com
Posted by votenic at 05/22/2008 @ 6:00pm
"You mean the question that AC ignored during the previous thread? I'll bet he doesn't answer it this time, either. At least not with anything that would be factual."
Posted by jmusolino at 05/22/2008
First off JM, I'm a woman and can't always answer back right away because of my job. I don't have the luxuary of working from home like a few individuals here. I'm lucky if I can get to a computer during my lunch break.
Posted by ACook at 05/22/2008 @ 8:10pm
"ACOOK, want to try again to explain how Ted Kennedy "enriched himself" in the US Senate as you claimed???"
Posted by Mask at 05/22/2008
No, you don't need an explaination. You know full well Kennedy has always enriched himself.
Posted by ACook at 05/22/2008 @ 9:16pm
I <i>2. Bush is from Connecticut, which is.....so is Joe Lieberman!<i>
Mask, you are an expert on looking at "inconsistencies" but not of your own. I was making my point of this school of New England that is a far statistical outlier from the rest of the country and was wishing it continues to produce these enriching political individuals.
To help you understand, the density of liberals is at least 10 fold from anyone else. That does not impede that people like Lieberman exist, but there is also one and then a liberal in say Alabama. As for Bush, he was raised in Texas and is culturally from there. Please get the whole picture, and don't be factual with the microscope and blind with the train coming to you.
I was not implying either that they have come to be Presidents, that only confirms your wrong take. That also confirms sadly how far from the average US citizens are the NE liberals. It takes a southern (and centrist) Dem to get the Presidency, but only the New England school has kept a consistent flow of leftist ideas that can really change this country.
I accept good natured, well reasoned criticism to get into a good debate, but not the kind of attitude of: "hey, I gotcha"... which is your attitude. Please explain your positive thinking and maybe I will consider criticizing you as well. Want a debate?, select the topic please I can't wait.
Posted by Frank42 at 05/22/2008 @ 10:06pm
No, you don't need an explaination. You know full well Kennedy has always enriched himself.
Posted by ACook at 05/22/2008 | ignore this person | warn this person
Actually, ACOOK, you do need to explain that, and you do need to provide proof of your accusations. As I said on a previous thread on which you made that ridiculous assertion, Senator Kennedy has, in fact, not profited one dime from his public service. Like a good little rightie, you tend to project the vile behavior of the Bushes, Cheney, Duke Cunningham, Tom Delay, Wolfowitz, Scalia, Thomas, and the rest of that ilk onto everyone else. The simple fact is that Ted Kennedy has spent 45 years in service to those who are far less fortunate than he, in marked contrast to those thieves now running this government, who have made it their business to use the power of government to accumulate even more wealth than they already had, to grab power for its own sake, or to do both. You made an accusation. I challenged you, Mask challenged you, now I'm challenging you again - provide proof of that accusation. Otherwise, you're little better than just another right-wing liar.
Posted by jmusolino at 05/23/2008 @ 01:30am
When Bush (both G.W. and the Old man) and Cheney take their kickbacks from Haliburton, Caralyle Group, KBR etc... are they paid with 30 pieces of silver? Because that would be appropriate.
Posted by koroviev at 05/23/2008 @ 02:28am
frosty zoom,
I can appreciate your honest belief in Obamania, but I can assure you that "Bush Lite" is anything but "pragmatic"...........
---------------------------------------- POSEIDON
well,
(what's it been now, 376 years?)
of bush
will drive anybody to pragmatism.
Thursday, May 22, 2008 9:27:30 AM
Posted by frosty zoom at 05/22/2008 | ignore this person | warn this person
Posted by POSEIDON at 05/23/2008 @ 07:05am
POSEIDON
oh, i expect nothing.
Posted by frosty zoom at 05/23/2008 @ 08:34am