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Why the Lion of the Left Was Right
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The Daily Beast’s Meghan McCain on what senators of both parties—and tomorrow’s politicians—can learn from the life and career of Ted Kennedy.
Like many Americans, I watched as Senator Ted Kennedy was laid to rest over the weekend after his year-long battle with brain cancer. The day marked not only the end of the Camelot era, but seemed to signal the final passing of many things politically. I certainly didn't agree with Senator Kennedy's politics on many issues, but as I listened to his friends, family, and Senate colleagues—including my father—tell stories of the man they knew, what was so evident was that Ted Kennedy always believed you could find compromise on the really important matters.
My father regarded Senator Kennedy as an old-school politician who brought a sense of camaraderie to the Senate floor. Alas, this era of collegiality and respect, the era of Tip O'Neill and Ronald Reagan, is over.
I remember meeting the senator around age 14, going into his office with my father and thinking what a larger-than-life figure he was. Broad, booming voice, wearing a bright blue suit—he looked exactly the way you picture a Kennedy in your mind. His personality took up the entire room.
Growing up, I remember my father often speaking highly of Senator Kennedy during town-hall meetings and his stump speeches, always mentioning their relationship as an example of a Republican and Democrat working together constructively to bring about change. One memory that my father recently spoke about was when he and Senator Russ Feingold were given the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award, but the weekend of the ceremony happened to coincide with my little brother Jimmy's birthday. So my father called Senator Kennedy to explain that he wouldn't be able to attend because of my brother’s birthday. Senator Kennedy told my father to bring Jimmy along and promised him they would celebrate his birthday in a memorable way. My brother and father still talk about that birthday because the Kennedy family went over the top with multiple cakes, lots of presents, and several renditions of “Happy Birthday.” It was obvious that Senator Kennedy understood the importance of family and balancing those duties with the complications of political life.
Above all, I know my father regarded Senator Kennedy as an old-school politician who brought a sense of camaraderie to the Senate floor. Alas, this era of collegiality and respect, the era of Tip O'Neill and Ronald Reagan, is over. The recent reaction in the blogosphere to Ted Kennedy’s death proves that. After reading some of the discourse online, I was both surprised and disgusted at what was being written. I was shocked that even in death, people were having partisan quarrels about his legacy which led me to writing a tweet saying, "I just don't know what kind of life of anger you lead if you can't put politics aside for a moment to respect a man’s passing..." Immediately, this post was used yet again by some as an example of my "secret liberalism." Because what—apparently I can only respect a politician who had served nearly five decades in the Senate if he was a Republican? I don't know how or why we got to this place in politics. Why death is used as yet another excuse for mudslinging and party rhetoric. It is depressing to think that we have come to an age where you can only mourn a man's service to his country if he abides by every single political tenet you believe in.
Whenever people ask me if I want to run for office, my answer is always no. Among the many reasons is that I don't want to go into an industry where there seems to be a complete inability to meet in the middle on issues. Why would anyone want to work in an us-versus-them environment? This is why I have always had tremendous respect for politicians who are willing to fight for what they believe in, but understand how to compromise to get something done. When I talked to my father on the phone this weekend after Senator Kennedy's funeral, he said to me, "Those that don't believe there are second acts in politics didn't know Senator Kennedy".
If nothing else, I hope that the death of Ted Kennedy inspires high-school students in civics classes and political-science majors in colleges all across the country. If they listened this weekend to all Senator Kennedy was able to accomplish in his remarkable life, they too will realize why public service—in any capacity and for either political party—is and should continue to be a worthy calling.
Meghan McCain is a columnist for The Daily Beast. Originally from Phoenix, she graduated from Columbia University in 2007. She is a New York Times bestselling children's author, previously wrote for Newsweek magazine, and created the Web site mccainblogette.com.
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Meghan McCain is a columnist for The Daily Beast. Originally from Phoenix, she graduated from Columbia University in 2007. She is a New York Times bestselling children's author, previously wrote for Newsweek magazine, and created the Web site mccainblogette.com.
Thought it before and I'll say it now: if Ms. McCain represents a significant number of folks in her generation (and at least some of my north Texas college students appear to be of like mind), then maybe this "death of collegiality and compromise" in Congress that has been much discussed with Sen. Kennedy's passing is just a transitory episode. I certainly hope so. Intransigant partisanship has grown increasingly ugly in both parties. Kudos, as always, to Ms. McCain. I'm an "old liberal," but I see a bright promise in Meghan and her generation.
Yes, I am an "old liberal" also, feel the same as you do.
While I agree with Meghan about the loss of civility and compromise in our current political system, I must place the blame squarely at the feet of the right-wing media. Rush and Sean and Glenn and Ann, and the 1000 right-wing talk radio facists have alot invested in keeping us at each other's throats. Fake News spews out totally false and misleading information day after day. If I listen to Lou Dobbs for a few minutes, I feel personally assaulted. It doesn't have to be this way. I've noticed in the healthcare debate, that the extremists who are showing up at some of these forums don't even seem to be mainstream republicans. Yet, republican politicians are embracing them. The national discourse is vicious and disheartening. So what to do? I think we all can agree that there is a good idea or two on the other side, can't we? Turn off the Fake News, clear your head, and gather your information independently. Sadly, I have several neighbors who won't talk to me since the election because they know I supported Obama. We need to insist that all media be truly "fair and balanced".
"Rush and Sean and Glenn and Ann, and the 1000 right-wing talk radio facists have alot invested in keeping us at each other's throats."
GET REAL.
. . . and Chris and ED and Keith and Rachel and Lawrence (O'Donnell)
and David (Schuster), mature, "objective and civil" left wing television
"journalists," have a lot in keeping us at each other's throats.
And by the way. How do you far left kooks
think Lou Dobb's Mexican American wife feels
about being married to, as you like to say, a "racist ? "
How does Lou Dobbs' Latino children feel about their
"racist" father ? Or his in-laws from Mexico who live with
Dobbs and his wife ?
There are 'extremists' on both sides of the debate and to just single out conservative voices is naive and one of the reasons we are in the mess were in. You, as a lib only 'want' to see one side. Be 'fair and balanced' yourself before you cast stones.
IMO, they are not equivalent. The right-wing rhetoric is vitriolic, while the left-wing rhetoric is more satirical and humorous. Who on the left has suggested poisoning supreme court justices as Ann Coulter has or Nancy Pelosi as Glenn Beck has? Rush Limbaugh compared Obama to an oreo, Glenn Beck said Obama's a racist who hates white people. I have watched with sadness as some of my friends and relatives have turned from fair-minded republicans to extremists thanks to Fake News and right-wing talk radio. I guess you wouldn't recognize it in yourself. Give me some names on the left of media personalities who engage in the same type of vitriolic rhetoric. Ed and Rachel and Lawrence and David might have a left-wing slant but it's just not done with the same level of hateful intensity.
DeeAmbro, you're right, they're not equivalent -- at the moment. libs were vitriolic when they weren't in power, and the neocons are now. that's just how the pendulum swings.
and it's why i think all primaries should be open to independent voters.
FOX................The ONLY news outlet run by a political operative. Guess which party.
The AM radio band is almost exclusively right wing talk.
Being civil and compromising does not consist of attacks and highlighting what's different. It means finding that common ground and building off that foundation. It's just sad that the common ground highlighted in this thread is the fact that both the left and the right are populated by bloated bags of hot air looking out for their own intrests(ratings)
Left vs right MSM vs Fox. Its clear the the number of media outlets lean left and thats a fact. Fox alone as a major network leans right. There are some fair people on both sides. You name one person on Fox, i can come right back with one on MSNBC or ABC or CBS or PBS, etc. Its just the nature of television now. But to say that the loss of civility and compromise is due to Fox and the right wing media just goes to show how delusional you are. Go ahead and believe that if you want. Nothing i can say will change your mind that the blame probably lies somewhere in the middle, Both Fox and the other news channels. You are as pig headed as those you blame. But thats your problem i guess.
Getting to Megans article, I agree with what most of what she says but she never address's the main sticking point with so many and no one seems to and thats the death of Mary Joe Kopechne. Yea a lot of republicans disagreed with some of his legistation and beliefs but to say that 40 years of service to his country in the senate somehow makes up for the fact that he killed some one is hard to over look. Yes i feel sorry for his family at his passing. Loosing a loved one is hard of course. He did have an extra 40 years that Mary Joe never had tho.
How about if everyone stops listening to these talking heads? All they are doing is reinforcing the point of view of their audience on the left or right. They are not reporting the "news", they are giving opinions. If you want the news, stop watching the boob tube and start reading actual news and don't limit yourself to one source. If you want opinion, watch the The Daily Show, at least they poke fun at both sides.
All of the people sophia listed have never aired a fantasy poison pelosi skit, or said that the only way to talk to a conservative is with a baseball bat, or accused any republican of trying to murder tens of millions of Americans, and have never compared any republican to Hitler with anywhere near the ferocity that right wing media hacks have. Its so typical for the hypocritical to cry- THE OTHER SIDE DOES IT TOO- well they do but to an almost infinitely less extent and you know it. We have US senators now calling Obama illegal president, communist, fascist, murderer of old people and children, racist, will let terrorists in to overthrow America- unprecendented sedition and its coming from the right, so leggo my eggo and open your eyes and shut your trap long enough for your brain to work.
As a devote Libertarian at heart, I am always mystified at how we can get so handcuffed by one sidedness. Isn't it sad that the Ms. McCains blog can create such comments, and the side that has been throwing such vitriol against Bush and the Republicans finds it so hard to take what they dish out.
The radio piece is interesting too, as anyone who heard Air America can attest, it was filled with closed minded one sidedness. The fact that right wing radio has an audience and left wing radio does not, sort of speaks for itself, doesn't it? Perhaps the self righteous left isn't so righteous after all, or are they just "more enlightened".
Lets stop this nonsense and get back to the issues. We may disagree, probably will, but if we work together to discuss things, we can sand off the rough edges to get the a square peg to fit a round hole and maybe then America can come back to the things that made us great, the melting pot of all backgrounds as "AMERICANS" not hyphenated americans.
I remember Ted Koppel being asked what he thought of the rise of the right wing radio commentators. His response was that democracy is a work in process and, like a pendulum, constantly changes. As long as the pendulum is moving, if I may paraphrase him, I feel confident.
Further, I would like to point out what an amazing display of optimism I felt as a result of watching the Kennedy family. Ms. McCain, embrace that spirit that you applaud and perhaps you will join the family business. Even a Democrat admires the likes of your father, Orin Hatch, the late William F. Buckley and others who somehow keep the pendulum moving.
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This comment has been removed by The Daily Beast's editors.
Man, I will it would swing back to something more palatable soon.
I could agree more.
Wonder why Mr. Simcox has that perpetual smile lately? It's because Ms. Megaton McLame is the gift that keeps on giving. This heifer should move to Vermont with her newest galpal Rachel Madcow-- they could live happily everafter. Need cab fare?
Mr. Nick: "Megaton McLame"!! Clever, clever, clever. I'm pleased to see the kind of bright mind an 8th-grade education can produce.
You must get a great view of your large intestine with your head planted firmly up your ass.
Gee Meghan. Let me tell you what I have learned about Ted Kennedy over the years (being that I'm old enough to be your mother). Ted Kennedy left a woman to suffocate/drown - depending on the story - but had enough of his wits about him to swim off and go home to sleep off his drunken stupor. He also had enough of his wits about him to gather his lawyers. He didn't report the "accident" until the following day, but only AFTER his family had pulled enough rank to sweep it under the rug. The Kennedy's paid off the Mary Jo Kopechne's family. Paid them off. That's a guy you look up to? He killed someone and never apologized or even admitted that he was responsible. I haven't badmouthed the man at all, living or dead. It is not my place to judge him. May he rest in peace and may God deal with him accordingly. Why don't you just give up, sweetheart and call yourself a liberal. You wouldn't pass for a republican here in the south.
I don't think Meghan needs to be patronized by the likes of you.
People make mistakes, yes even horrible mistakes that end up with people dead. It's how we live with these mistakes that make us who we are. It would seem that Mr Kennedy gave a large portion of his life fighting for other people. While you seem to be a bit of a bitch wrapped in a nice warm cloak of self importance and self rightouesness. I don't believe in heaven or hell but if they do exist i hope the devil has a special place for you.
people make mistakes? hahahahahah.. rumors abound that Rose Kennedy often told close associates she made a mistake when she hatched ted kennedy-- a womanizer, a cheat, a blowhard, a divider. history won't be kind to this most pathetic of kennedy brothers.. the weakest of the trio... a real shame he was the one who lived longest.
I find it humorous that this poster seems to think that Senator Kennedy is somehow an aberration in the ranks of politics because he has a horrible stain on his soul as a result of some unthinkably awful actions he took over the course of his life. Please wake up. First Lady Laura Bush ran down someone with a car and never served a day in jail. Ms. McCain's own father deserted his first wife, a horribly disfigured and broken women, so he could enjoy the fruits of the good life with the daughter of a criminally connected beer baron in AZ.
I am sure that as the misguided poster has wished the Senator is resting in peace. I am confident that God, in his infinite wisdom has dealt with the Senator's transgressions in accordance to His principles of unconditional love and forgiveness.
Now it is up to that same God to bring some sense to people like the poster. May it please be His will. Because I have to say, it is getting kind of annoying to us adults, who understand how the world works, to listen to the annoying cries of these emotionally immature people other wise known by the misnomer of "conservatives".
Look you incompent oaf, Senator Kennedy appologized numerous times for this tragedy, and attended Mary Jo Kopechne's funeral. If as you say her family was paid off and never said a demeaning word about Senator Kennedy than why are you? You Christian dogs, that Christ would be and is ashamed of contribute to all the misery in this world. You are a old disrespectful FOOL. Why don't you give up and call yourself a purveyor of lies, because you are certainly not an intelligent Republican you moronic southern scum.
I don't like the tone of KimberlyHaney's comment, but she makes several valid points. Senator Kennedy had an extraordinary career, but most of it is due to his birth into one of the most prominent political families of the 20th century. I doubt that he would have had such a career if he had been born into any other family. We celebrate his life today largely because of the historic legacy of his relatives.
As for the sins of his past - yes, he did express remorse about Chappaquiddick, but let's face it: he got away cleanly with actions that would see the rest of us land in prison for a very long time. I shudder to think what the police and federal legal system would have done to me if I had done the same thing he had done. And stop for a minute and think about what would have happened if he had been a black man. But he didn't have to face any of those consequences. I think KimberlyHaney is right to suggest that the family of the deceased was paid off generously - even today, no one has really heard anything negative from them, which means they probably signed a non-disclosure agreement in return for a generous financial settlement. I don't blame them for this, since no amount of public screaming and chest-beating to the press would ever bring back their beloved daughter. But it illustrates again how special and privileged the Senator's life was. He could do anything, and never have to face the consequences. Nice life, that.
It's also worth noting that in addition to his distinguished reputation for diplomacy within Congress, he also had an equally notorious reputation for hard partying and rampant womanizing. I always got the impression that he would have accomplished a hell of a lot more if he'd actually put his public service ahead of his personal fun.
On the eve of his passing, I think that his greatest contribution to America was his support of the Obama presidential campaign. I truly believe that he and his niece Caroline were responsible for rallying the entire Kennedy family behind the Obamas. He also helped work behind the scenes to bring the DNC on board. In doing so, he helped change the course of American history and redefine the nature of racial politics in the United States. In spite of everything, that's not a bad legacy to leave behind.
Thank you. What was amazing about Senator Kennedy was his ability to understand that a political challenge sometimes needed assistance from across the table. Kennedy reminds us that politicians were put there to fight for US. Not TV time, nor book deals. Kennedy died doing what he loved to do, fighting for Americans. You might not have always agreed with his fight, but you admired the courage it took to do so.
Judge Bork might have a different memory of the Massachusetts blowhard, Clarence Thomas too. Doesn't matter, history will not be kind to ted kennedy, the most pathetic of the kennedy trio. A shame he lived the longest. Here's hoping he burns in hell as I type this tribute.
History has already been kind to Ted Kennedy, but I suspect reading books isn't really your strong suit.
I'd trade in every member of the Bush family to get Ted back for a month.
So, maybe he was involved with a woman's death some 40 years ago (I urge you to apply the burden of proof to this story that you likely apply to Obama's birth certificate). I think I'd take that in a political figure over falling asleep on the watch, letting our country get attacked, then retaliating against the wrong country. The hell reserved for him must be paradise compared to the hell that awaits Bush and Cheney.
Exactly, SnakeHead. Bush and his cronies killed thousands in the Middle East. But of course, since the majority of them aren't white, conservatives don't give a damn.
Well done, well said Meghan. Great article as always.
hmm...you do understand that your dad's remark was a sly backhand at sen kennedy and the accident that occured early in his career right?
Megan, extremely well said! You are speaking for alot of people across the political spectrum.
This hateful behavior is not tolerated in the workplace of regular Americans or in schoolrooms. It should not be tolerated in our government.
You are so right! OMG; it's such a relief to know that I'm not the only one who feels this way!
If I were out in public cheating on my wife, drunk as a fat, slobbering skunk, I guarantee my employer would want nothing to do with me. My career would be over.
This is to say nothing of taking a mistress to a party among my colleagues, leave in a drunken state, drive into a pond and leave the poor girl there to die while I call the lawyers and my brothers to see how I can get out of it! Good Lord, they would lock me up and throw away the key. People would come with pitchforks and torches, chase me down, and probably lynch me!
No, this hateful behavior would certainly not be tolerated in my workplace, and it's a damn good thing, too!
PS Meghan, I keep waiting for you to get better at this. You still write like a junior high girl. What exactly did you do at Columbia? Oh, wait...I know.
I'm not sure what exactly you are trying to imply Meghan did at Columbia but I think your comment is off topic and unecessary
Yes. Kennedy is a perfect role model for college student of what not to be, if you have a soul or integrity not just a name and time. Do not murder, do not cheat in college, do not commit adultery, do not walk in on you nephew while raping someone, then help to cover it up (PROVEN) do not an·ni·hi·late! innocent patriotic Americans like Judge Bork for party over country. so long ted - Mary Jo can now rest in peace while every one else continues to drink the kool-aid.
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/rich-noyes/2009/07/18/40-years-chappaquiddi ck-ted-kennedy-would-have-brought-comfort-mary-jo-k
The silence from the Vatican tells more than any blogger can possibly say. Burn in hell senator. At last you're getting Borked.
"Above all, I know my father regarded Senator Kennedy as an old school politician who brought a sense of camaraderie to the Senate floor. Alas, this era of collegiality and respect, the era of Tip O'Neill and Ronald Reagan, is over. The recent reaction in the blogosphere to Ted Kennedy's death proves that."
I was happy to read this, Meghan. The utter lack of civility, respect, and intelligent discourse in what passes for politics (and the rest of life) these days is disheartening to put it mildly. It's as though anger is the new black, and the more unbridled your rage, the cooler you are.
Pull out some old movies and get a taste of how people used to (or were supposed to) handle differences of opinion. Look at Mr. Deeds Goes to Town or Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. The passion was there but so was the civility -- at least on the part of the good guys.
I doubt the anger will go away among the "elders" of society (funny how that term used to imply wisdom gained over the course of a life) but I do hold out hope for younger generations, who can see how destructive and, ultimately, pointless and futile such anger is. Limbaugh, Coulter, Hannity, and O'Reilly and their clones will, with any luck, rapidly become laughingstocks, going the way of girdles and sock suspenders.
The vile hate, anger and flat out dishonesty on the leftwing websites and Air America and msnbc doesn't bother you? Shouldn't you be wishing that they have to go away too? I'm smelling some hypocricy here.
There is a difference between the slant you might find in any media source and the outright misinformation played 'round the clock on Fox and right wing talk radio. There is a Christian staion right next to my precious NPR that I sometimes accidentally tune to that is also merely spouting Republican misinformation. Talk - opinion shows and pundit shows are inexpensive and easy to produce. Journalism, is hard and expensive, and I'm sure that few find your news sources to be journalism. What are you doing here anyway? Don't you fing the Beast to be more fair than, say Fox?
You'd think that of a phenomenon so pervasive and prevalent as the "hatred" from the left the wingnuts find in every utterance they could actually cite one or two or three maybe even with video. I know it wouldn't take all that long to come up with actual evidence of say mAnn coulter wishing to poison Justice Steven's creme brulee.Surely one of our esteemed wingnuts can find at least one instance of comparable "hatred" from the constant stream of it that flows from the left.I think folk like thinkagain are bent over so far they've lost sight of what they're actually smelling.
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Keith Overbite & Rachel Mancow ... hahahahahahah ... countdown to no ratings. wonder if chrissie matthrews' leg is still tingling?
The concept of civility is not just tied to news sources and high profile figures. It should be pervasive throughout all political parties from top to bottom. All you need to do is read the comments on Meghan's columns to see the hatred bursting forth from BOTH sides. People need to grow up and act like intelligent adults capable of civil conversation. ESPECIALLY the younger demographic. You don't know the true meaning of "uncivil" until you've been in college in DC during an election year.
So the vile hate, anger and flat out dishonesty on the rightwing website and Fox "News" doesn't bother you? It bothers me that both side think they are right and it is the other side's fault for what ever the problem may be.
Actually some of the rhetoric on the liberal side does bug me as a liberal. In fact it bugs me just as much as some of the things on FOX news. I try to get my news by reading it rather then watching because I think tv news tends to oversimplify issues.
Recently, in a discussion with a father (age 50) and his son (age 25) who I had just met, they alluded to their family's "hate" of this and that. They were so proud of their hate! I laughed, thinking it must be some kind of joke. No! I was told, with a straight face "some people deserve to be killed, Dee". I've never heard anything like that before. I do know that the father is an "Ayn Rand" guy but I don't know about the son. Later, my husband told me he thought that was a joke, but usually jokes involve some smiles and laughter, so I was really disturbed by it. Anyway, I was saddened by their talk of "hate". What happened to "loving one another?", especially among the religious right, who so love to preach to the rest of us about Jesus? Some people need a refresher course at bible school!
Do you always profile people after meeting with an extremist? I am part of the 'religious right' and I can safely say they as a group are the most lloving people I have ever had the pleasure to be associated with..
Yes, I know some nice, good hearted republicans...until they find out I'm a democrat! You are being taught to hate and fed lies day in and day out. Turn the channel and you might learn the truth.
margent7 - DeeAmbro was doing exactly the opposite of what you accuse her of! She couldn't believe she was faced with such hostility and hate, and you call that "profiling"? As for your saying your group are the most loving people you ever associated with, there are countless examples of THEIR hate (gay people, abortion doctors) displayed on a daily basis. I assume you've read the Sermon on the Mount? FORGIVE ALL! Do you believe in the death penalty? If so, you're a VERY bad Christian.
"The utter lack of civility, respect, and intelligent discourse in what passes for politics ..."
I assume you're referring to Senator Kennedy's vicious attack on Robert Bork.
Couldn't agree more. I despair at the state of political debate in America these days.
Meghan you constantly impress me. I would really love to debate with you sometime, because while our views are very different, 99.9 times out of 100 I have great respect for you and the way you say things.
An article on the passing of Senator Kennedy is not the place to go into it, but the problem with politics is not the differences of opinion, it's the way they're expressed. Senator Kennedy inspired mutual respect in almost everyone he worked with I'm sure, and gave it back I'm sure as well. Thank you for writing this, and telling yet another sweet story of his generosity and respect for family, which I think we all know is so important to the Kennedy's having lost so much, so tragically.
I can ramble, I'm sorry. Simply thank you again. I'll keep checking back.
Beautifully written, Meghan. Thank you.
Meghan says "Because what-apparently I can only respect a politician who had served nearly five decades in the Senate if he was a Republican?"
What was THAT sentence (grammatically speaking)? There is such a thing as "poetic license", but it only refers to artistic writing and has no place in "real" journalism.
Yes, it does. Of course if you take it out of context (typical) and modify the syntax (necessary to destroy the meaning) you could cast some doubt. But then one must look to the agenda of the poster to see why they would do something like that. Grammar policeperson? Right Wingnut? Really turned off Oldster? Or are you truly trying to improve Meghan's rhetoric skills?
I wonder if Megan's dad ever sits her down and gives her a history lesson on how Reagan was treated during his term. Also, I recall some vile things hurled at John McCain during the campaign ----- such insults toward him as a senior citizen and how they are senile and losing their bearings. But of course, that didn't faze you huh? At least Kennedy had good reason. We need someone bright, cheery, cool, intellectual, smart, handsome, thin, articulate, clean, etc. should I continue? How's all those attributes going for the One?
McCain joked about his own age. A lot.
It was fair game.
I mourn Kennedy's passing. Yes I'm a bleeding heart liberal. I'm unapologetic about it. And I'm glad that Megan is not Anne Coulter, Malkin, Hannity, Beck or Rush. They have become the face of conservatism and it turns my stomach. Megan's article proves once again that she is a class act.
I am also glad that she is not giving in to those voices. They are destroying civil dialogue.
We ,on the left, actively berated psychos who wanted to speak for us-- Churchill Ward. etc.
Some on the right have decided to embrace their loons as their spokespeople.
If civil discourse is to have a future in this country, it is up to the likes of Megan. I know that many think the future of the Republican party is up to her. I think that it goes beyond that. The vitriol spouted by the radical right far surpasses anything the left says or does.
No one on the left took rifles to peace protests during the Iraq war... YET at least TWO people have taken high powered rifles to the town-halls.
That is not the mark of civil discourse. That is the mark of a serious lack of respect for the office of the President and of Congress.
Hopefully, Megan's sane voice will prevail.
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There is no comparing right wing hate mongers vs left wing truth tellers. One side hates everything not conservative and the other side spends time debunking all the lies and hate that spew from the likes of Rush, Sean, Ann and that idiot loser Beck! For those comparing the two is like saying the Jews were wrong to critisize their nazi captors in the camps and both sider were equally guilty....NOT! Just because you have two sides doesnt mean both sides are equal..they are not..the nazi were terrorist and warmongers and the Jews and to a lesser extent the invaded countries were the victims. I have yet to ever hear any conservative tout any program ever introduced in the United States that benefitted all Americans......not one..In fact I think a case can be made that the conservatives have gone out of their way to increase the wealth of the coporations and the upper class at the expense of the poor and middle class. And lets not forget one big item...you lost the elections. Just as republican conservatives gleefully went to war with Iraq against the wishes of the Progressives because "elections have consequences" we will get health care because elections have consequences...Get over it you losers! You're just mad and angry that your days of white man's stupidity rules are over. If you think its bad now, wait another 10-20 years and you'll be no more than a regional party if you even survive. Your real anger isnt healthcare, its a black man with a funny Arab sounding name who trounced an old white war hero and a bobble headed beauty queen who wasnt fit to even serve as a govenor. And why you prop up Palin after all the ignorant things she said is one thing, but to still support her after "quitting" on her own state is without question the lowest you can go. Its nice to see that no matter how gutless, how vile or how despicable a person is, they are welcomed in the gop as long as they hate liberals and President Obama. Funny how you never saw liberals taking guns to town hall meeting...but then again the gop didnt have town hall meetings....they had pro war rallies and anti war protesters were kept well away from Bush the coward at all times. Only cowards need to walk around with gun at a town hall meeting. You cant win on the issues so you have decided threats of violence is better than democracy. Can you say 1933 Brownshirted Nazis?.......They did the exact same thing the republicans are doing now. LOSERS!
Hear, hear! Yes, elections have consequences. Some on the right seem to be suggesting that because they simply do not agree with the results, violence is necessary. Meghan, keep talking...you're the republican's last best hope for a reasonable conservative party. While I'm not a republican, I mourn for the respectable republican party of the past with a positive idea or two. Now it's all just negativity and anti-government, anti-immigrant, anti-union, anti-liberal hate-mongering. Anti, anti, anti. Is it any wonder we voted for hope?
You are typical of the delusional Left, who are unable to see their own viciousness and mendacity.
"delusional left," aye? That sounds pretty loving and constructive. Sarah Plain, Michael Steal, Amnesia Gonzales, Dick Chains, Limbagg, Hammity, and O'Really?, are not vicious (and daily) liars at all are they now? We poor educated liberal elitist anti-americans are so unable to see the light of day. The right declared war on us long before we even realized it so ponder that.
HOW are the left delusional? You're statements are factless and meaningless without an explanation.
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Right on!
There's truth and then there's bullsh*t!
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"Alas, this era of collegiality and respect, the era of Tip O'Neill and Ronald Reagan, is over."
Hmm, I always though Tip O'Neill and Ronald Reagan treated each other with a lot of disrespect. Still, your words are impressive. I'm a proud Democrat who has a lot of respect for you.
If they listened this weekend to all Senator Kennedy was able to accomplish in his remarkable life, they too will realize why public service-in any capacity and for either political party-is and should continue to be a worthy calling."
The Liberal Lion Rotund Royalist
There's one more individual, sort of the liberal lion of the U.S. Senate, and that would be Ted Kennedy. If there's one issue that Ted Kennedy likes more than any other, it's taxes. In his mind, he's the Robin Hood of the U.S. Senate. He's going to steal from the rich and give to the poor. He talks about tax cuts or bonanzas for the rich and giveaways. He supports the inheritance tax in the name of social justice and says repealing it would benefit millionaires. He believes it's that simple.
That's what Ted Kennedy says about taxes. But what is the Kennedy record of actually paying taxes? Ted Kennedy of course is a millionaire. You'd think the inheritance tax would affect him. How has that worked out? The reality is that the Kennedys have set up dozens of trusts around the world to avoid paying the very tax that he says is important to pay in the name of social justice: the inheritance tax. What's particularly ironic about this is, for a long time, their largest asset was Merchandise Mart, the real estate conglomerate. When they decided to set up a trust, where do they domicile that trust? Anybody want to guess? Was it Massachusetts, their home state? Florida? California? Delaware?
The Kennedys domiciled Merchandize Mart, with more than $600 million, on the Pacific Island nation of Fiji. Has Ted Kennedy ever been to Fiji? I don't think there's any record that he has. But they picked Fiji because it avoids IRS scrutiny, the sort that you would get if you domiciled the trust in the United States.
The reality today is that Ted Kennedy receives money from trusts established numerous times, from 1926, 1936, 1978, 1987, and 1997, and those trusts of course are designed to avoid paying the inheritance tax.
What does this actually mean in practical terms? Let me give you the bottom line. Ted Kennedy supports an inheritance tax of 49%. Forty-nine percent of what you have goes to the IRS after you die. Now, what rate did the Kennedys pay? The Kennedys have transferred $300 million, this is all according to their records, they have transferred $300 million from one generation to the other, and out of that, they have paid $132,000 in taxes, which is nowhere near 49%? Actually it's .004 percent. The Kennedys, like a lot of other people on the left, love the idea of paying taxes for other people. When it comes to themselves, they're not so interested.
"Kennedy earned C grades at the private Milton Academy, but was admitted to Harvard as a "legacy" - his father and older brothers had attended there, so the younger and dimmer Kennedy's admission was virtually assured. While attending, he was expelled twice, once for cheating on a test, and once for paying a classmate to cheat for him. While expelled, Kennedy enlisted in the Army, but mistakenly signed up for four years instead of two. His father, Joseph P. Kennedy, former U.S. Ambassador to England, pulled the necessary strings to have his enlistment shortened to two years, and to ensure that he served in Europe, not Korea, where a war was raging. Kennedy was assigned to Paris [I wonder who went in his place and what happened to him. Also, does anyone know if there were any unsolved drownings in Paris during the time of the Korean war?], never advanced beyond the rank of Private, and returned to Harvard upon being discharged."
The tax evasion goes on,
the hypocrisy endures,
the unmitigated gall still lives,
and the supply of mindless fawning sheeple shall never die.
Uhhm, I think you maybe missed the point of the article. She was talking about peole like you, as basically being angry and small. I don't know how you missed that, but maybe your misdirected rage has caused you to have poor comprehension. In general, I mean.
Meagan and you are learning less and less about more and more and ultimately you will both know nothing about everything.
You forget that Bush was a proud C student at and that he dodged the service by cleaning Coast Guard toilets. By the way so did Dick and Rumsfeld. For every "liberal hypocrite" there are 10 conservative draft dodgers.
Bush was in an Air National Guard pilot and officer. Rumsfeld was a U.S. Navy pilot and officer. You may be thinking of Joe Biden and all his deferments. Of course, none of them got to serve in Paris during the Korean war.
the White House released personnel and payroll records showing Bush was paid and credited for service during the period in question. And despite a six-month gap in service while working on a Senate campaign in Alabama, Air Force Reserve records show Bush was credited with enough points to meet his requirements for that year -- barely. --factcheck.org
As for Rumsfeld and Cheney, they overextended our military for a war of choice and we can't use the military option in any new situations that may come up. Please don't insult us by saying these guys are patriots or heroes or anything but fools. They thought Ameria's power was infinite. The Bush administration was a FAILURE!
Maybe you can get Sarah Palin or Michael Steele to explain the article for you in terms you can understand.
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That was very refreshing and just plain classy. Perhaps Meghan McCain could speak out more from the sidelines, like Sarah Palin, without the stupid hateful drivel. Someone on the right needs to help the Republicans come back to the middle, or at least to sanity.
James, you snivelling pansy, you might have noticed that when the currently unemployed Sarah Palin makes a public statement -- pardon me, when she posts something on her Facebook page -- the political ground actually shakes. As compared to, say, when Meggie's Dad makes a formal, public campaign appearance in, say, Chicago, with 7 million people within 30 miles, and no one knows he was there? Or say, when the great commentator Meghan posts something on a liberal blog, and gets 23 comments?
Maybe you don't actually know where the middle is...James. Consider the possibility that you are something to the left of middle?
I have hope too.
Juts don't let any Kennedys drive you home.
"Alas, this era of collegiality and respect, the era of Tip O'Neill and Ronald Reagan, is over."
Ummm ... you're kidding, right?
"Robert Bork's America is a land in which women would be forced into back-alley abortions, blacks would sit at segregated lunch counters, rogue police could break down citizens' doors in midnight raids, schoolchildren could not be taught about evolution, writers and artists could be censored at the whim of the Government, and the doors of the Federal courts would be shut on the fingers of millions of citizens for whom the judiciary is - and is often the only - protector of the individual rights that are the heart of our democracy... President Reagan is still our president. But he should not be able to reach out from the muck of Irangate, reach into the muck of Watergate and impose his reactionary vision of the Constitution on the Supreme Court and the next generation of Americans. No justice would be better than this injustice."
I have such contempt for Miss McCain that I can only assume she's too stupid to Google up that choice little quote from Teddy Kennedy's era of collegiality and respect. Or maybe she lacks the command of the English language required to understand what Kennedy was saying.
I feel like I'm taking crazy pills. Does no one here realize that Ted Kennedy is one of the foremost drivers of the hateful politics we have today? His actions, perhaps more so than any other, drove the two sides apart. Does anyone remember Robert Bork? How bout when Ford pardoned Nixon and Kennedy said something about how it's unfair that there are two sets of rules, one for the "high and mighty"? Yeah, that's right, he said that about five years after a late night out in 1969.
He was a smiling crocodile, he was out to destroy everything conservatives stood for, and if that meant ruining the lives and careers of people in the way, well so be it.
As for Ms. McCain, I respect her dad greatly, but he and she don't seem to understand that the other side is not concerned about getting along with you. They will shake your hand with a knife behind their back in the other hand. I am also inclined to have less respect for someone who has served in the Senate for five decades, Republican or Democrat. The Capital is not your castle ladies and gentlemen, the founders never envisioned someone being in office their whole lives with no other career. What kind of perspective could a multi-millionaire who has lived in palaces in D.C. and Boston and Hyannisport his whole life really have for the regular folks? Kennedy represented the political side of a society sick with celebrity worship and an inability to review a topic for more than 30 seconds.
Right(ish) message, different author please.
Ted Kennedy known as the great "compromiser"? HA. He wasn't called the "Lion of the Senate" because he compromised to get things done- he earned that name by sticking to his principles and consistently working for liberal causes. There was definitely compromising going on, but more often than not, it was on the part of the right. Ted Kennedy was a proud liberal and I don't think he would like to be remembered as a centrist.
And it's no secret that many Republicans (and Democrats) tried to get in with Kennedy just because of his family. Even after his death, John McCain and a few of his Republican colleagues tried to latch on to the power of the Kennedys by saying how they would've loved to work with him on healthcare reform...conveniently forgetting that they had voted against Ted Kennedy's healthcare bill just a couple months ago.
Please Mr. Obama, I don't wanna go
Hey, Mr. Obama, please don't make me go
I had a dream last night about my comin' medical care
Somebody said "You won't get the kind of care that Kennedys get, what you'll get is ObamaCare!'"
And there I stood with a rag in my mouth upon which to bite.
Look at them waiting lines there, they're hardly even movin'
And there's a bureaucrat at every one
Hey, Mr. Obama, you mind if I be excused the rest of the decade?
HEY GRANDMA, DUCK YER HEAD!!
(Sound of Carville's clipboard whizzing by)
Hmm, you're a little bit late on that one, Granny
Whooh, I bet that smarts!
Please Mr. Obama, I don't wanna go
Listen, Mr. Obama, please don't make me go
There's a bureaucrat a'waitin' out there, just fixin to decide my fate
A complainer I've been called cuz I don't wanna wind up screamin' or dead
I wonder what the Kenyan word for friend is
Let's see-friend- kemo sabe, that's it!
KEMO SABE!, HEY OUT THERE-KEMO SABE!
Nope, that itn't it
Look at them durned power mad control freak fascists
They're runnin' around like a bunch of wild Mengeles, Emanuels and Kevorkians-heh, heh, heh
Tom, your brain just took another crap. I'm embarrassed for you. You must be too, on some level.
You must develop a sense of humor, James, as the Boy Blunder is going to be President for almost another 3 and a half years. BTW - clean up your juvenile language.
clean up my juvenile language. that's rich. You do realize you have been making really dumb comments, right? I really would refer you to re-read the article and try to make your comments more in the spirit that would make this conversation pleasant and constructive. But no, you just think you are some know it all, and you are not. The guy just got buried. I can't resist replying to someone who uses a blog to make general rants about the guy who beat his president, etc. even when that's not what the article was about. PS-Just try to pretend that Obama could possibly be any worse than Bush. It's just not possible.
Excuse me, I know Obama did not defeat Bush. Just sayin' you are mad because your guy lost. That's what it's really all about, right?
Wow, Tom.
Tell me. In an alternate universe, assuming the Kennedys really have been doing what you say, would you hate all rich people who cheat the system, or just them?
It's sad how much time you must spend on your pathetic little poems. And as far as juvenile language goes, I challenge you to clean up your racist language first. I wonder what the Kenyan word for bigot is.
A mind is a terrible thing to waste. You lost it. I guess its ok with you that the same congresspeople and senators bitch about government health care yet here you are they are taking advantage of our military government run health care hospital. Not just any old hospital but the best in the nation. I wonder how many regular GIs have to wait while a senator or congressman or woman or a family member go get elective surgery and they have to wait. You do know that does happen? I know it happened to my husband once when he was waiting for his appointment and a general walked in and of course he was pushed aside. But he knows rank has its privileges. But I will be damn if some congressman or senator should be able to do that.
Thank you.
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