‘Lion of the Senate’

Thursday, Aug. 27, 2009 | 2:07 a.m.

Last summer’s Democratic National Convention brought forth one of those speeches that instantly conveyed not only its momentary drama but also its historical importance.

It was delivered by Sen. Edward M. “Ted” Kennedy, who had suffered a seizure three months before that portended the end of his life. His physical self had weakened, but his voice, the same voice that had earned him the unofficial title “Lion of the Senate,” was as strong as ever.

“For me, this is a season of hope — new hope for a justice and fair prosperity for the many, and not just for the few ...

“And this is the cause of my life — new hope that we will break the old gridlock and guarantee that every American — north, south, east and west, young and old — will have decent, quality health care as a fundamental right and not a privilege.”

That old Kennedy roar was unmistakable and it brought the crowd in Denver to its feet. While everyone was either smiling broadly or cheering wildly, the moment was poignant because everyone knew Kennedy had been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor, and that they were witnessing one of his most passionate, but also perhaps one of his last, great moments in the public spotlight.

Ted Kennedy, born Feb. 22, 1932, in Brookline, Mass., died late Tuesday. The news was stunning, not because it was unexpected, but because the final reality began setting in that the last of the famous Kennedy brothers — John, Robert and Ted — whose lives had played such consuming roles in our country’s recent history, had passed.

A Congress without Ted Kennedy is hard to imagine.

It wasn’t always that way. During Kennedy’s 1962 special-election campaign for the Senate seat that had been vacated two years earlier by his brother, President John Kennedy, he was verbally roughed up in the primary.

As The New York Times reported, his opponent, Massachusetts Attorney General Edward McCormack Jr., nephew of then-House Speaker John McCormack, told Kennedy during a televised debate that “if your name was simply Edward Moore instead of Edward Moore Kennedy, your candidacy would be a joke.”

That stung, and Kennedy found himself being tested after winning the seat that year. Massachusetts voters gave a strong answer as to how they felt he handled the tests — a majority voted for him in every Senate election over the next 47 years.

This support poured forth despite some failings in Kennedy’s personal life, failings that drew negative publicity but will not define his legacy.

History will record Kennedy as a standout public servant, one who overcame some speculation that he might be hazy and lazy and went on to become one of the most passionate and hardworking members ever to serve in the Senate.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said, “It was the thrill of my lifetime to work with Ted Kennedy ... Because of Ted Kennedy, more young children could afford to become healthy. More young adults could afford to become students. More of our oldest citizens and our poorest citizens could get the care they need to live longer, fuller lives. More minorities, women and immigrants could realize the rights our founding documents promised them.”

With those words, the Nevada Democrat delivered the essential qualities of Ted Kennedy that have defined him for decades and will define him for as long as people study political history.

The Boston Globe wrote that in the mid-1980s, Kennedy became reconciled to the fact that his place was in the Senate, not the White House. “The pursuit of the presidency is not my life. Public service is,” Kennedy said then.

Those were true words. Kennedy’s indelible imprint is on almost all of the legislation that has most affected American lives over the past decades. Civil rights, education, worker safety, voting rights, the war on cancer and, his signature issue, health care, all have been bettered by his passion, sense of justice and willingness to work with Republicans.

Ted Kennedy fought hard for the current health care reform initiative. We hope members of Congress honor his memory by agreeing with the roar so well received last summer in Denver, that quality health care is a fundamental right.