Movies, books, and stories abound of heroic figures who have sacrificed themselves for something greater. We hear of people whose lives have transcended the narrow paths that most of us walk, they have become something greater because of their passion and dedication for what they believe in.
I do not know Ted Kennedy at all, I only know OF him quite a little bit (much more about JFK and Bobby) but it has become apparent to me watching my favored candidate Obama assemble the voice of this nation behind him that Ted Kennedy is a genuine American hero. There is great sadness over the airwaves and online at his being diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor, I won't speculate about what that means for his future or what sorts of new hurdles he will now be facing because of it. Instead, I am writing to say that as bad as this news is... it will strengthen Ted, and strengthen his proffered candidate Obama.
When Ted Kennedy endorsed Obama there was a HUGE uproar, Clinton tried to rally other members of the Kennedy family behind her to show that she had a piece of their legacy within her candidacy and the media went apeshit. Of course, because of the fickleness of politics we did not see a 'bump' or even watch Obama win Massachusetts's (Kennedy's home state). Let me tell you hear and now, the nature of Ted's endorsement went above and beyond narrow political interest, or the 10 months that would lead up to the election of the next president.
Let's revisit Ted's words:
I feel change in the air.
Every time I've been asked over the past year who I would support in the Democratic Primary, my answer has always been the same: I'll support the candidate who inspires me, who inspires all of us, who can lift our vision and summon our hopes and renew our belief that our country's best days are still to come.
I've found that candidate. And it looks to me like you have too.
...
Let there be no doubt: We are all committed to seeing a Democratic President in 2008.
But I believe there is one candidate who has extraordinary gifts of leadership and character, matched to the extraordinary demands of this moment in history.
He understands what Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. called the "fierce urgency of now."
He will be a president who refuses to be trapped in the patterns of the past. He is a leader who sees the world clearly without being cynical. He is a fighter who cares passionately about the causes he believes in, without demonizing those who hold a different view.
and finally...
I love this country. I believe in the bright light of hope and possibility. I always have, even in the darkest hours. I know what America can achieve. I've seen it. I've lived it--and with Barack Obama, we can do it again.
I know that he's ready to be President on day one. And when he raises his hand on Inauguration Day, at that very moment, we will lift the spirits of our nation and begin to restore America's standing in the world.
There was another time, when another young candidate was running for President and challenging America to cross a New Frontier. He faced public criticism from the preceding Democratic President, who was widely respected in the party. Harry Truman said we needed "someone with greater experience"--and added: "May I urge you to be patient." And John Kennedy replied: "The world is changing. The old ways will not do...It is time for a new generation of leadership."
[transcript here]
If you are reading this, do not quail or fear what this diagnosis brings for Ted Kennedy, because if you read his endorsement you will realize what I have come to believe: cancer did not come too soon to his life, he has already passed the mantle.
The time to fear the future is not now. We do not have question if a world without Ted Kennedy can no longer move forward. Or tremble that there may notbe another Atlas to take Ted's place in holding up that American core that Bush has been trying to topple from the stubborn shoulders of those like Teddy who still believe. Ted Kennedy walked on that stage, and admitted to the world that it is time for the next generation to take on that mantle.
That day Kennedy admitted that his tireless fighting had been instrumental to protecting what he believed in. He told Americans that the 40 years of fighting for the America that he, and his family, loved more than anything else world had not been in vain. These old guards had held back the tide that strove to swamp America in trivialities and hubris, that they had kept the U.S. focused on the issues, and that they would keep fighting. But, he admitted to us that they would no longer be in the forefront. He overcame the incredible diversities that face every American, then he overcame the tragedies of his family, and ever since he has continued to fight to surpass the shortcomings of Congress.
I know that everyone here feels a piece of them break and shatter as the mortality of this larger than life man splashes the headlines, but there is another part of Ted Kennedy that will never die. It is his hope, it is his belief in America as the greatest nation in the world and of his place amongst the greatest people in the world. When he fought to protect us, his legacy will carry on in even the most mundane things we do every day because they are enabled by greats like him. But even beyond that more tangential connection we all share, is the way that he imbued Obama with the direct responsibility to carry mantle passed by JFK and the rest of the Kennedys.
I would like to think, though I have no way of knowing, that when Ted heard the dire news he said to himself "thank God." "Thank God I found the next man to carry on the fight. Thank God I lived to see the day when America would jump to its feet again, to stand behind a leader they believed in and who believed in them. Thank you Senator Obama for giving me some peace of mind, that though my story may come to an end sooner than I liked, you are there make sure that the ball is not dropped for the people I love."
Anyways, God bless America, my prayers go out to Ted Kennedy and his family, and to everyone who looked up to this man. I also hope that he watches over Obama, because I really do believe he has the potential to stir a slumbering America and put us on the path to making us great again.