A Senator from Massachusetts has left office in the only manner possible for an incumbent Democrat, i.e., in a coffin. The New York Times leads off their story on Ted Kennedy’s death with “his sometimes-stormy personal life.” When I think of Ted Kennedy, though, my first thought is always sadness at the death of Mary Jo Kopechne, a promising young woman killed by Kennedy, who waited more than eight hours before seeking help for her rescue. One expects politicians to impoverish constituents with reckless spending; one does not expect them to kill constituents. Some photos of Mary Jo’s hotel room and Chappaquiddick are available in the middle of my Cape Cod photo essay.
[Some friends asked today how I would have summarized Ted Kennedy’s biography, if not the way the New York Times did. I observed that he had spent his entire life either as the child of a wealthy family or as a government employee. Never having held a job in the private sector and never having been exposed to the risk of losing a job or a paycheck (either as a child or an adult), he created many new laws and regulations on private businesses (most of the laws that apply to private employers do not apply to Senators themselves in their relations with staff). In his personal life, rather than donating to charity (source) or working directly with the unfortunate, he enjoyed drinking and partying. He drove a car off a bridge, trapping a young woman inside, managed to save his own skin, left her to die, and did not attempt to summon help that could have saved her.]
Update: I just noticed that Barack Obama gave a televised speech from Martha’s Vineyard in praise of Ted Kennedy. Though he was speaking just a few miles from where Mary Jo Kopechne died, President Obama did not mention her. Barack Obama did note that there was nobody in the Senate who had earned more “respect” and that he was one of “the most accomplished Americans ever to serve our democracy.” I guess if all of our government workers were similarly accomplished we would no longer have to worry about overpopulation.
Update 2: A friend sent this article from a newspaper in the UK, with some more details on Mary Jo Kopechne.
Update 3: Another English newspaper, this time carrying a piece by Joyce Carol Oates, the American novelist.
To me the man’s greatest legacy is that of illustrating a few horrible truths about American society- if you are one of the beautiful people it is acceptable to murder someone in the public eye and not only escape punishment, but be (re) elected as a public figure. I am sad for the death of Mary Jo, but terrified to be among a society that either has a very short memory or is completely apathetic.
To me, the worst of it the view of him as “champion of the poor.” This view that he’s always fighting for the little guy. Come on. He wasn’t just a “wealthy kid,” he’s a member of one of America’s “first families” and they are mega rich (I have nothing against being rich, but no one in Teddy’s generation did anything to earn it).
Do you think he ever had to shop for food? Make food? Make a bed? Think about a paycheck or do I have enough $$ to buy this or that? Not once in his life!
What he had was a lust for power and fawning sycophants. Teddy, you wore out your welcome decades ago, but you didn’t realize it, living in your own bubble.
Of course the President and the press don’t mention Chappaquiddick, because not only would it stain the man, it would stain the society that allowed him to remain out of jail, and the people who knowingly elected him into office decade after decade.
(Of course, that stain always remains, mentioned or not, and stains us all.)
It doesn’t bother me so much that Ted Kennedy was a pathetic, drunken, unfaithful wretch of a human being…. he has plenty of company… but it’s horribly disturbing that such a pathetic wretch of a human being was sometimes treated as if he deserved respect. Shame on those who do that.
It’s nice to read a post that isn’t gushing over what a great man Ted Kennedy was. If you look at his history he was basically a spoiled, self-centered rich kid that only grew up very late in life. Everyone always talks about how cursed the Kennedy boys were. From my point of view, most of their bad luck was self-inflicted and really doesn’t warrant much sympathy.
BT: I don’t think being born rich precludes a person from being a “champion of the poor”. Bill Gates, for example, was born moderately rich, became insanely rich, and is now spending his money to help some of the world’s poorest people. Ted Kennedy, on the other hand, drew a fat salary from the federal government (paid for with tax dollars collected from Walmart employees), never gave more than a tiny percentage of his income to charity (according to financial disclosure documents filed during at least one campaign), and, if he attempted to help anyone financially it was always with tax dollars confiscated from someone other than himself (except for the perhaps one millionth share that he paid personally). His personal money was mostly spent on booze, floozies, and beach houses… the rest of it was probably wasted.
It amazing how our country honors the despicable and those that disgrace our country continue to be elected. I’ve yet to see or hear on TV or radio how he left Mary Jo to drown.
“And the Lord said to Cain, Where is Abel your brother? And he said, I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper? And [the Lord] said, What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to Me from the ground.” AMP Gen 4:9-10
Surely everyone deserves to be judged on the arc of their life’s work and contributions, not just on one auto accident (which was investigated by a grand jury and for which he was never indicted). If you want to be argue about a legal decision that you think should have gone the other way, that’s fine, but to judge the man’s life on this incident demonstrates either gross negligence or stubborn close-mindedness or some combination of the two.
Most objective people agree that that the man was an effective senator, dedicated to promoting worthwhile social issues such as universal healthcare, voting right, racial equality. And, rightly so, it is mostly on these accomplishments that the NYTimes and the president are reflecting when speaking about the man’s life.
In other words, feel free to keep harping that the incident was all a gross miscarriage of justice. Just don’t claim that you are “summarizing Ted Kennedy’s biography” please.
i never could understand why god could never forget adams only one act of disobedience and all of adams race suffered because of it…one sin left us all in a state of seperation from god …that didnt seem fair…but somehow we are the same cause we cant forget what happened on that midsummer june night with ted kennedy and mary jo….sin is serious…and must be paid for….jesus the 2nd adam made things right again…praise the lord for that….really ted kennedy should have told us all what he did…we are our brothers keepers…
It appears there is an absence of speaking truth to power, certainly by the establishment media.
Ad hominem attacks are always a distraction from serious discussions, but I think his record of actions and ideas speaks for itself.
Let’s just say that the leading American socialist has passed away, and the effect of his death on the direction of our government is unclear right now.
Let’s just hope that Kennedy Care does not get implemented, since it would certainly drive our health care system off a bridge and leave us all behind to drown in debt.
Mike: It wasn’t “just one auto accident”. Most Americans who claim no special virtues and whose praises are not sung by President Obama (1) do not drink and drive, and (2) if they do get into an accident, try to summon help for anyone injured as soon as they are physically able. In all of American history you would be hard-pressed to find more than a handful of incidents like Chappaquiddick. Young man crashes car into water, abandons woman to drown, does not summon help, and lies about key aspects of the incident for decades afterwards (e.g., claiming to have swum across the channel when the hotel clerk reports him as having walked in wearing a dry suit). I did not say that Ted Kennedy couldn’t be forgiven for this, only that he should not be held up as an example of what is best in the American people (if he is the best that we can do, we are in deep trouble).
As for being “an effective senator, dedicated to promoting worthwhile social issues”, he was most effective at getting reelected and continuing to draw a government salary. If he promoted particular issues it was at no personal cost to himself. Almost any American could sit at a desk in Washington, periodically cashing a government paycheck, and advocate that other peoples’ money be spent on one cause or another. It wouldn’t make me Mother Theresa if I sat in D.C. and said “I want a schmuck in Iowa to pay taxes to help the unfortunate here in the ghetto.”
I wouldn’t have been shocked by the New York Times or Barack Obama if they had taken a bit of time to remember Mary Jo Kopechne.
linkim: We can forgive Ted Kennedy for killing Mary Jo Kopechne, but we don’t have to celebrate him as some sort of American hero. Nor do Mary Jo’s surviving relatives need to hear Barack Obama talk about how great Ted Kennedy was without mentioning their beloved lost Mary Jo.
@Mike Stubna: I think you may be on to something, since in President Obama’s eulogy for Sen. Kennedy, he commented that the Chappaquiddick Police “acted stupidly” in arresting Kennedy, and that the local Grand Jury acted “real smart” when they didn’t issue any indictment against him.
In fact, you might say, based on his future good intentions at the time of the accident of “promoting worthwhile social issues, ” that Teddy Kennedy was the real victim of the Chappaquiddick “auto accident” since people who want to quibble about some old “legal decision” keep bringing it up when discussing his character and legacy.
What I can see is that more and more people are questioning authorities & politics. And I do not refer only to US but also to Germany or Eastern Europe. What I can read between the lines is that the criticism is not oriented to an individual but to a system. A system “invented” and “implemented” by the Greeks, around 500 B.C.. With such a deprecated system (for the information era) it’s a wonder that it still works. And it will work as long as we, the peoples, are the sheep with no brain and no questions and they, the rulers that can do everything.
For sure it will take some time to change something but, not to forget, Louis XVI, the French king, did also not like the revolution that shorten his head (literally). Internet and television facilitate fast information transmission and replication and that was not the default 2.500 years ago.
Let’s not forget that he was thrown out of Harvard for cheating twice, then joined the Army where he was stationed in Paris during the Korean War.
Let’s not also forget that this incident occurred 2 days before Apollo 11 landed on the moon. Much as South Carolina Governor Sanford’s infidenlity scandal was forgotten due to Michael Jackson’s death, Kennedy was a beneficiary of media distraction. Of course Sanford didn’t basically commit manslaughter…
Thank God someone has the courage to say the truth. I too saw him for what he was and am dumbfounded that his heinous crime is ignored.
Lois, David, et al: I didn’t mean to turn this into a “let’s villify Teddie” thread. I just wanted to express confusion as to why he is being celebrated as a hero and, implicitly, an example for young people. We could have said that he did a good job representing the interests and desires of the Democratic voters of Massachusetts, lowered the flags to half mast for the standard two days (for a sitting U.S. Senator), asked for a moment of silence to remember Mary Jo Kopechne, and moved on. That wouldn’t have bothered me. I don’t feel the need to single him out as America’s most villainous citizen, but nor do I see why we should go into mourning for Ted Kennedy as one of America’s most virtuous citizens.
You started the post with both their names and you are surprised that this has degraded into a hatefest?
I think his history and personal life were a disaster. Am I going to emulate him? Not in any way, though I wouldn’t mind owning a nice trim sailing vessel.
Try to look beyond the hate and disgust at his imperfection, and you find health clinics in poor neighborhoods, support for kids being the first of their family going to college, major funding for the effort to cure cancer, campaign finance reform in the ’70s. There are plenty of his actions in the senate that could have him labeled a Socialist, or a self-serving Masshole, but in the end there’s plenty of positive things he accomplished too.
Josh: When I see a health clinic in a poor neighborhood, it doesn’t occur to me to be grateful to the politician who voted for it. I am grateful to the taxpayers (or private donors) who paid for it. If I vote to spend money that you earned on something that a lot of people will agree is worthy, am I more heroic than you?
Throughout time the people of the world have been mezmorized and facinated by men of power. Many of these men’s behavior range from being just corrupt to that of being mass murderers. Their lust for power has directly or indirectly cost the lives of millions and the enslavement of billions of others. Yet they are featured on the cover of Time magazine and even have even been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize…..So why is it so hard to believe that a powerful politician like Ted Kennedy, who has never held a real job in the private sector, has lied to his constituants and the American people. He has cheated on his spouses , dishonored his oath of office by pushing through legislation contrary to the United States Constitution, and put himself and his party’s needs over the needs and best interests of the American people. Remember he is only responsible for the death and coverup of one young woman, not the death of millions that were killed by Stalin, Mao, and Hitler. One needs to be aware that these monsters are still reveered by many. Relatively speaking Teddy really isn’t that bad!!! Or is it that he was kept in “check” by the United States Constitution and not allowed to accumulate the power needed to become a real “monster”. Instead he has been limited to becoming just another dishonest and corrupt politician. Power corrupts..absolute power corrupts absolutely.
Great article!
The news coverage reminds me of mourning after Generalissimus Joseph Stalin’s death in Soviet Union in 1953.
Now, speaking of Mary Jo, I believe it truly was an accident, and Kennedy’s strange actions followed by the false testimony was meant to cover up his romantic escapade with another woman (possibly, Rosemary Koeugh whose purse was found in the car) form the “Broiler Room Girls” party.
The only logical explanation of Kennedy’s ridiculous behavior and unconvincing explanation is that at the time the accident happened, he had no idea that Mary Jo was sleeping on the back of his car while he and his female companion, both under the influence of alcohol, were rushing to the beach to satisfy their lust. They both managed to escape, leaving unknowingly Mary Jo to her slow and painful death in a sank car.
When Kennedy and his buddies realized that Mary Jo was in the car, it was too late to invent a completely new scenario, so they came up with a modified one that would minimize damage to Kennedy’s political career.
Should Kennedy report the accident right after it happened, as he was required by the law, Mary Jo would have been, most likely, spared.
So, was Kennedy a monster who knowingly left a human being in need in order to protect his own ass? I don’t think so. Was he a self-centered opportunist (like the one pictured in the movie “Emperor’s Club”) who thought that he was above the law as long as he could get away with what he’d done? You bet he was.
P.S. The “mainstream” media brouhaha of Kennedy’s “redemption” tacitly ignores one inconvenient fact: he never came clean and never revealed what really happened that tragic night. (Why am I not surprised?) Should he do so, I would probably be among those calling for forgiveness and for giving him a chance to straighten his life.
Most writers have the essential component of the Kennedy-Chappaquiddick saga wrong. The knee-jerk Kennedy haters call him a “murderer”. The facts indicate otherwise. Murder ~ NO! Manslaughter ~ probaby YES!
Mary Jo Kopechne did NOT drown. She in fact suffocated. The woman perished while trapped in the submerged Oldsmobile sedan while under water in a dark tidal pond. It was long ago figured that Kopechne survived for at least an hour or more after the crash by breathing from an air pocket. No matter how it’s sliced, that has to be a tough way to die.
With a little detective work it has been figured that the real Chappaquiddick story was fundamentally different from the extensive lie promoted by Kennedy himself. Facts strongly suggest that Kopechne disappeared from the party at an earlier time. She’d mentioned to more than one person that cigarette smoke and the stuffy atmosphere at the cottage were making her feel ill. It was figured that Mary Jo Kopechne after making her way outside, found the unlocked Oldsmobile 4-door sedan, laid down across the back seat and fell asleep. There was no conspiracy or plot involved. It was a matter of simple happenstance.
Later that night, the routinely drunk Teddy Kennedy left the party with another woman, got behind the wheel of the Oldsmobile and aimed the car in the direction of the beach road. Kennedy, with one other person in the front and another laying down on the back seat only made it as far as the narrow Dike Bridge. With his driving skills impaired, Kennedy lost control and drove the car off the bridge and into the Chappaquiddick – Poucha tidal pond.
Perhaps it was the cold ocean water that helped Kennedy sober up enough to escape along with the front seat passenger. It is held that at the time, Kennedy did not know that another person was in the rear of the car. He made it back on foot to a point where contact was made with political minions. Somehow, the operatives got Kennedy over to the main island of Martha’s Vineyard, where he was checked into a motel. Records later showed that numerous phone calls were made back and forth from Kennedy’s room telephone during the night. He was later seen, in the early morning, having breakfast at the restaurant while casually chatting with other guests.
Meanwhile, sometime after dawn with the receding tide, police discovered a partially exposed Oldsmobile sedan next to the bridge. Upon closer examination, the body of a young woman was found in a corner area near the rear window of the car. Artificial respiration, as it was known then, was carried out, but Mary Jo Kopechne could not be revived. Noticed at the time, was that no water could be found in the woman’s lungs. Early on, it was figured that Kopechne had not drowned but instead had suffocated. Despite Massachusetts state law in such a case, no autopsy was ever performed on Mary Jo Kopechne’s body to discover the true cause of death.
Kennedy’s later contrived story had him at the risk of his own life “diving repeatedly in an effort to save Miss Kopechne”. At the time, innumerable Massachusetts residents, including me, were outraged. Political stooges had taken depraved actions of the drunk miscreant Teddy Kennedy and spun the homicidal debacle into a performance of heroism.
Despite all, the contemptible Kennedy was elected again and again to the United States Senate by the people of Massachusetts. To this day, I have been unable to find anybody who even admits to having voted for Kennedy. In life and now death Theodore Edward Kennedy was on every level a despicable human being. Hopefully through the sobering light of time, the actual facts will be accurately weighed.
In the meantime, the entire federal election system along with congress and senate requires a good strong enema. This nation needs to return to the procedure of a true representative republic operated on actual democratic principles. Perhaps with Kennedy’s final flush through the sewer pipe of history, that much needed cleansing can now begin.
I heard Ted Kennedy’s interview live. I was one of those naive people that thought our news media was fair and just reported ALL the facts. Well, we all know that thanks to cable and the internet we can find out the story ourselves. The news never stated -at least as I can recall that she was alive for that length of time after the accident. If he actually dove several times to save her he is actually at minimum guilty of manslaughter. That means he knew she was alive and left her to die in that car.
Talk about torture- I can’t imagine her, if this really occurred seeing him dive down, he seeing her struggling , more than likely have eye contact with her, assuring her he would return and then in her final breath realizing he had lied to her.
I think the scenario would be much better just admitting he didn’t know she was in there. It would be so much easier in my mind to accept.
Why didn’t the family insist on the autopsy and justice? Were they threatened as well as given money? Why hasn’t there been an interview or any response from Mary Jo’s family? The media has done more to find out what happened to a girl in the Caribbean than in our back yard.
A close friend of mine shared with me that, while on vacation on Cape Cod, Ted hit on his wife. He is a former professional athelete, so I assume his wife is attractive. It reminded me of another story, told years earlier, of how Ted got sexually aggressive with a young girl I knew. If I have two Teddy stories, I can only imagine how many other stories are out there from those who were approached by this man. The incident at “Au Baaaa” in Florida (where William Kennedy Smith was accused of rape) is just one Saturday night out with the Kennedy Clan at the Kennedy Compound. Rest assured, there were so many more evenings/early mornings, most of which ended without the need for police involvement (see, Kennedy relative Michael Skakel – his aunt was Ethel Kennedy – and murder he committed in Connecticut) but many ended with someone getting taken advantage of.
The problem we face is not so much another Kennedy is gone; the real problem is that there are so many more of them still taking advantage in the name of the poor and downtrodden. How many poor ever, era, got um, era, invited to the Hyannis Compound for a trip on his beloved sailboat.
@ Jim Zerga: Senator Kennedy’s actual name is Edward Moore Kennedy, not Theodore Edward Kennedy. (“Ted” is a nickname for “Edward.”) This error begs the question of whether your other so-called facts are also erroneous.