Edward M. Kennedy (1932-2009): A Remembrance

by Pa Rock
Liberal American

Edward Kennedy, the liberal lion of the Senate, died last night, and the ideal of America is sadly diminished by his passing. Teddy, the youngest of the Kennedy brothers, spent almost half a century in the United States Senate and left his distinctive mark on every progressive piece of legislation to work its way out of that august body. The thing that I personally respected most about this truly great American was that he was always proud to be recognized as a liberal.

I saw Ted Kennedy in person back in the day at the annual Jackson Day celebration in Springfield, Missouri. Young Democrats, of which I was one, were recruited from the campus of Southwest Missouri State to help usher and be general gophers at the dinner that culminated the big political weekend. Young Senator Kennedy (age 37) was the keynote speaker that night, and things were very exciting because people were certain, or at least very hopeful, that he would soon be President. That dinner was held on April 26, 1969. (I googled it!) His Presidential aspirations drove off of a bridge in a place called Chappaquiddick 83 days later.

Tonight, in remembrance of Senator Kennedy and to honor the passion of his political life, my friend, Odessa Benson, and I drove across Phoenix to be in attendance at the first stop of Organizing for America's bus tour for health care reform. It was a good crowd, full of enthusiasm, standing out in the warm Arizona night cheering on speaker after speaker. (There were a few scraggly-assed protesters pimping their sisters across the street, but I didn't see any weaponry.)

One lady whose name I didn't catch gave an impassioned account of how her insurance company had screwed her over and caused her to suffer months of near mortal pain - until she finally secured services of a lawyer who was smarter and meaner than her insurers. Two city councilmen and one Arizona state legislator (who is one of Odessa's college professors) spoke, as did the state's assistant attorney general. I was most impressed, however, by the presence and participation of Dr. Nicholas Vasquez, an emergency room physician at St. Joseph's Hospital in Phoenix. He told stories about some of the indignities that patients have been subjected to here in Phoenix because their insurance companies fight to not allow necessary treatments and generally go to extremes to screw people over in the name of profits.

The crowd was fun, and there was plenty of time to mingle and meet people. I signed a petition in support of medical marijuana, and learned quite a bit about Phoenix politics from some of the local movers and shakers.

John McCain was holding a town hall meeting two blocks away, and I had a conversation with a woman who had been there and had asked him the first question of the evening. When the old sailor said that he was opposed to government-run health care, she reminded him that the armed forces have government-run health care, as do senior citizens, as do members of Congress - himself included. Apparently he had nothing coherent to rebut that with. McCain, whose father was in the Navy, has, in fact, been taken care of by government-run health care his entire life. So it's good enough for him, but not for the rest of us? Hmmm.

Only in Arizona: Apparently one lady at the McCain event became so agitated in voicing her support of a national health care program that some armed police escorted her out of the hall. The woman was blind! Apparently also, the police were the only ones at the McCain town hall with guns. Our infamous armed assholes must have been in church organizing the militia that will round up the sinners when Jesus returns!

Phoenix was the first stop on the nationwide bus tour that will take in ten more cities before it rolls into Washington, D.C. Tonight's event stirred the faithful into action. I signed up to be a volunteer in this effort - and that's saying something because I am lazy and guard my "free" time zealously.

It would have been wonderful if Senator Kennedy could have lived to see his lifelong dream of a national health care program come to fruition, but in his absence, those who admire the work that he did for all of us need to double down on our efforts to get this legislation enacted. It would be the most fitting memorial that a grateful nation could provide.