The declining Kennedy brand

I've never got the whole Kennedy fascination, but I'm only in my 30s. And I also think Joe McCarthy is a hero...maybe that's the problem. OK. Not really. Bit this Camelot thing, esp. when it's presented as if the whole country was just enraptured by the clan. It seems that that part of the country that thought (and thinks) they're the whole country was enraptured by the clan.

That Ted Kennedy is a liberal hero speaks ill of liberalism. Womanizer, drunkard, hypocrite, and very possibly a murderer. I might have liked JFK had I been from a different generation, from what I know of him from history, but the rest of that clan, esp. Ted, is a disgrace.

What's startling to me is that despite the huge crowds that turned out for Ted Kennedy's endorsement of Obama, the endorsement that seemed to matter to the people I talked to was Caroline's.

If it's true that what really matters in American politics today is symbolism, I think Obama should go for Ron Reagan's endorsement. If both Reagan and Kennedy passed Obama the torch, how could he lose?

Well, for that comment, Teddy's entire life and work -- and those of his brothers and relative -- are just OUT THE WINDOW! Yesiree.

I thought the whole idea of "the torch being passed" was as much from Robert as from John -- to complete the mission Bobby Kennedy started in 1968.

It was interesting reading the Chappaquiddick speech verbatim here on CC, though. Ted Kennedy, even if you hate him, has been a powerful Senator with a lot of influence on public policy for 47 years -- pretty remarkable, when you think about it.

At the same time, these days, even in the Kennedy clan in Massachusetts, if that was the best speech Ted could come up with to explain his disgraceful (at best -- let's not even get into the "at worst") behavior, somebody would have said, "Ted, it's over -- resign and get out of Dodge."

I, too, have never understood the utter slobbering fascination and adulation heaped upon the Kennedys. Papa Joe was reprehensible as he played around on his wife Rose, was an anti-English while he was Ambassador to the Court of St. James, a bootlegger and who knows what else.
the only thing that JFK did that I can say I admire is that he implemented a tremendous tax cut at the beginning of his administration.
If a Republican had done what Teddy had done to Mary Jo Kopechne he would not be in the Senate.
The third generation Caroline, Bobby Jr. patrick the whole lot have never worked a day in their lives.

The whole lot are definitely "do as I say, not as I do"

See Obama tonight? He pulled HIl-billys chair out for her after the debate. That is class people.

sinsonte, If "ballet dancer" means ballet dancer, why bring it up?

Because male ballet dancers are not conservative. He's a lib.

I'm guessing that's Rod's point.

What about female ballet dancers?

Even the left handed ones Max? Sure sign of the liberal elite is being left handed.

"One might start at the 1960 election, which was stolen with an assist by the mob."

Let's put this old urban myth to bed once and for all, shall we? Assuming for the sake of argument that the allegations against Richard Daily and the Chicago machine are correct in every detail and that the Illinois electoral votes were stolen from Nixon, it would have reduced Kennedy's electoral total from 303 to 276, well above the 218 needed for election. And no tale told has the number of votes stolen exceed the 120K Kennedy margin in the popular vote, an irrelevancy that Bush underscored in 2000.

"Even the left handed ones Max? Sure sign of the liberal elite is being left handed."

Left handed? Hmmmm...I don't know about that one. Ambidexterous is okay though.