I wrote the this post a year ago on August 25, 2008. Kennedy's death on August 25, 2009, feels like a wink. There's a book I read called When God Winks, that talks about quiet, almost unnoticeable moments, that remind you that God is paying attention. Sen. Kennedy's death is a reminder that this health care reform battle has been waged for a long time. It's time to move forward. I'm not sure that anyone has the "correct" solution, but we have to do something.
R.I.P.
A few nights back on TV, I happened on to Edward Kennedy's 1980 Democratic Convention keynote speech. It is, quite possibly, one of the best speeches I've ever heard. Laying there, watching the room full of people whose clothing and hairstyles made them look like extras from an episode of "Welcome Back Kotter", Ted Kennedy's words felt as contemporary and important as anything said during this year's race. In some ways, that was both good and bad. Ted spoke passionately about health care and the concerns of the common man. He spoke about employment. He applauded his party for its commitment to equal rights. He touched on Republicans attempting to show empathy for those suffering economic distress, but not having the voting records to prove that they really care. He quoted Ronald Reagan who once said, "Unemployment insurance is a prepaid vacation plan for freeloaders." Does that sound eerily similar to Phil Gramm's "mental recession"? While being struck by Ted's passion and believing in everything he was championing in that 1980 speech, I began to feel some reservations. Much of what Ted was talking about, health care, jobs etc. was to be realized for the future; so that kids would grow up and have these rights and resources. As far as 1980 is concerned, 2008 is the future. Why are we still seeking the same things? All of a sudden Hillary and Obama's pleas for affordable health care seemed dated and less visionary. Where are the equal rights? I suddenly began to wonder if there really is a future. We're not going to evaluate our current politicians twenty years from now to see if they really accomplished what they promised to do. Their time will be over and we'll be on to the next set of promises...for the future. I have a friend who makes a joke whenever there's some sort of overblown social, or political issue, he simply says in a faux frenzied voice, "What about the children?!?" Sure, I want children to grow up to find a world that is still intact, but hey...what about the adults? What about right now?
Getting back to Ted, what I found most impressive was the humility and strength he displayed as he gave this keynote address after conceding to Jimmy Carter. He clearly still felt that he was the strongest candidate. He spoke about his issues important to him, but right upfront, he strongly put aside his individual goals and focused on the needs of the Party and the nation.
"My fellow Democrats and my fellow Americans, I have come here tonight not to argue as a candidate but to affirm a cause. I'm asking you--I am asking you to renew the commitment of the Democratic Party to economic justice. I am asking you to renew our commitment to a fair and lasting prosperity that can put America back to work. This is the cause that brought me into the campaign and that sustained me for nine months across 100,000 miles in 40 different states. We had our losses, but the pain of our defeats is far, far less than the pain of the people that I have met. We have learned that it is important to take issues seriously, but never to take ourselves too seriously."
Kennedy and Carter had a tough and nasty primary campaign that stayed contentious right through the Convention. Though he was losing, Kennedy refused to drop out. I don't believe that Hillary and Barack's fight has been as rough, but as we know, the wounds linger. I hope Hillary can rise to the challenge the way Ted did and I hope that the results are much better for the Democrats than they were in 1980.
