House of Eratosthenes

Uh oh. Time for a potential sympathy vote. This is a bad, bad thing…in the same way the California Supreme Court decision was a good thing, in that it reminded conservatives that democracy itself was being banished from our democratic republic for good. Thereby potentially inflating the conservative side of the vote as, on that side of the spectrum, rerun episodes of Everybody Loves Raymond might have sunk a few notches on the priority list.

This could have a similar effect on the other side. Liberals aren’t wild for issues to begin with…thinking about issues makes liberals look bad. They’re much wilder about personalities and human interest stories.

So I wish Massachusetts’ Senior Senator a speedy return to good health. And if that’s not possible, a debilitation just barely serious enough to put him out of the upper chamber for good. But an otherwise healthy, and long, life.

Outliving by a good stretch, any memory the everyday voter would have of his name. To watch his legacy vanish before his bloated baggy eyes.

And to think about what he did.

Update: Ace’s blog is not to be populated with distasteful comments about the Senator.

You know what? If you need to vent, go ahead and do it here. It’s not that I have any passionate hatred for Senator Ted…it’s more like I am tired, just to bits & pieces, of the double standard. And, in my world, deliberating cause and effect is always within the boundaries of good taste. Sen. Kennedy has been the cause of some very bad effects.

I don’t want to wish death on anybody, but his vision for the country is just-plain-bad for the country. If his career is reaching a closure, we’re all better off. Let the commemorations be quiet and brief.

Update 5/18/08: Looking good, but not out of the woods just yet. Healthy enough to turn on the TV and watch a Red Sox game. Condition not life-threatening, but serious.

The worst-case scenario, in my mind, would be for his condition to be sufficiently grave to merit the appointment of a successor, but for the wounded lion to limp onward out of respect to his “contributions,” “lifetime achievement” and “legacy.” That, in sum, would be handing Washington to the cloakroom-smokeroom types.

My sentiments are somewhere between those of commenter #25…

I disagree with him on almost every issue, but wish him a full recovery. Then I can disagree with him again. That is truly the greatest gift this country gives to the world.

…and 44…

Y’all are far too kind. Policy is one thing, but personal culpability for a young woman’s death another. As they said on another blog, may God have mercy on him. That’s all.

The one thing about Ted that everyone seems to forget, is that he could easily have gone home to catch a nap while a woman drowned in his car, and then gone on to fill out another forty years in our nation’s legislature just passing laws. That isn’t what Ted Kennedy did. He has been passing not only laws, but judgment on whether the rest of us are decent people or not.

Update 5/19/08: I don’t want to start another post about this man. I don’t have that much respect for him and I don’t think he is (or should be) that consequential. If he was just another Guy Smiley gift-of-gab no-talent guy like Bill Clinton, substituting silky bromides and platitudes in place of real achievement, I’d think more highly of him. But Clinton had some real talent. Kennedy was just born into his…whatever ya call it…”position.”

Anyway, had to link this. It’s a reasonable and powerful argument about why the Kopechne matter should have a much stronger bearing on things than most people think. Me, I don’t put quite so much emphasis on that single tragic event. It’s important, but mostly as a metaphor for how Ted Kennedy treats people before and after Mary Jo’s passing.

He just doesn’t think we’re worth very much. This is, in my mind, a reflection of what anti-war activism really is. It’s a ceiling to be placed on the level of effort energized for the purpose of defending us from harm. Somewhere beyond a couple of descents into five feet of water, when your clothes are already soaking wet anyway — but falling short of an actual cry for help, when you’re feelin’ all smashed & sleepy.

and then, perhaps, a warm place in hell for his sins.
- pdwalker | 05/17/2008 @ 13:49
Dude. He’s old and drank like a fish. There’s no real Karma here except for his unwillingness to curb and disastrous habit. I don’t wish any ill will on him, either. Will just hope for the best.
- petrita1 | 05/17/2008 @ 16:06
He never had any business being in the Senate, post-Kopechne. He gets someone killed, serves another four decades in the Senate…and, as well all know, during that stretch of time he isn’t just any ol’ Senator. He’s directly responsible for some of the most hard-left legislation to come out of there.

Contrast that with the story of Congressman Bill Janklow, a Republican who habitually behaved as if speed limits were for other people, and threw a motorcyclist after running a stop sign, killing him instantly. Janklow resigned, and settled for a million dollars.

These aren’t isolated situations. Scandal after scandal after scandal, if it’s a Republican, down he goes. If it’s a democrat in general, or a Kennedy in particular, the storm will be weathered. In fact, I have the impression that one of the reasons our “leaders” as a whole are so much farther to the left compared to the people who are supposed to be voting them in, is that the whole “scandal” phenomenon has degenerated into nothing more than a journalistic mechanism to throw Republicans out of office while democrats are left more-or-less alone. We’re at a point now where it just isn’t cute anymore.

His vision for America is decidedly anti-American. Yes I agree, let’s not wish ill health on anyone. But if this is the end for him, it’s tough for me to shed tears. Let him pick out a favorite hard-lefty designated successor, and see if that successor has the name recognition to win some elections, & if so, how many.
- mkfreeberg | 05/17/2008 @ 17:32
MKFreeburg-

Yes, you’re right about Ted’s B.S. and being in the Senate when he should have been convicted of involuntary/voluntary manslaughter, but I was under the impression that the main reason for your post was inform of Kennedy’s health status and your attempt to remain neutral. I appreciated hearing your opinion, of course, but notice how your comment is almost as long as your post? You must have been opening the door for yourself to vent as well, in case the visitor’s comments were too short with not enough Cholula for your indulgent update.
- petrita1 | 05/17/2008 @ 17:54
Yes, it’s a frequent occurrence around these parts. We tend to notice around here, the length of a complaint has no connection whatsoever on it’s validity or lack thereof.

I could be even more scathing than that. Fact of the matter is, when Americans close their eyes and form an image in their brains of a “corrupt senator,” the image they have always formed is…old. Fat. White. Male. Spoiled rotten. Born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Accustomed to living according to a different set of rules. Hypocrite. And very, very, VERY drunk, all the time.

He simply hasn’t brought credit to the Senate. That really isn’t my opinionated assessment of the matter. It’s measurable.
- mkfreeberg | 05/17/2008 @ 23:54
“Yes, it’s a frequent occurrence around these parts. We tend to notice around here, the length of a complaint has no connection whatsoever on it’s validity or lack thereof.”

Huh? Do you mind paraphrasing? (please)

The rest, in other words, would be “Yes, I wanted to vent, too.” Your last sentence, though, would be met with opposition for the sake of that “fifteen minutes.” I glanced over a couple in Google where people were paying homage to Kennedy as if he had been influential in a positive way, namely this guy:

Obama said yesterday: “Ted Kennedy is a giant in US political history. We are rooting for him and I am optimistic about how it’s going to turn out.” (Of course, he didn’t say “a giant” what.)

He’s supposed to be out of danger now, by the way. Hopefully, he’ll be well enough to retire comfortably outside of the hospital.
- petrita1 | 05/18/2008 @ 01:45
P.S. Tags didn’t work. Is it my browser?
- petrita1 | 05/18/2008 @ 01:47
P.S. Tags didn’t work. Is it my browser?

Most likely. You say “I glanced over a couple in Google where people were paying homage to Kennedy as if he had been influential in a positive way, namely this guy:” and then it looks like something got left out. YouTube embeds don’t work.

As for venting, like I said in the main post, exploring cause-and-effect isn’t in indecent taste and I would argue it isn’t venting either; it is the obligation of every US voter to consider it with regard to both senators and the congressman, as well as the challengers for those positions. The “Giant” that is Ted Kennedy has managed to escape much of this during his 45 years+. With the most ideologically well-defined democrats, somehow the question is consistently re-defined to what exactly it is they “deserve.” Ted’s brothers were killed, Obama’s a black guy and Hillary’s a woman — they all “deserve” to be President.

My impression is that Ted relies on this redefinition-away-from-cause-and-effect, because if he were presented to his constituency that way he’d be thrown out on his butt. They’d see him as perhaps worth keeping because he’s more influential than most — but only because he’s “hooked in” and shares financial prospects with people he shouldn’t…much worse than the most corrupt Republican. He’s got the right numbers in his Rolodex. In other words, he’s the very picture of a senator who doesn’t really work for The People.

Here’s what I’ve never understood about Ted: He seems to enjoy the backing not only of the extreme leftists, but the “centrists” as well — those who claim to be tired of the “partisan bickering” and yearning of a “common-sense compromise,” proof that their leaders can “get along.” Under the dome, his methods have consistently been consistent with those of enemies engaging other enemies. He’s been a giant in U.S. history alright…a giant in making sure things are done the democrat way, for democrat bosses, and hell with everyone else.

My wishes for him — let’s just say I hope he comes out of this as healthy as possible. Healthy as he can be, without continuing to serve.
- mkfreeberg | 05/18/2008 @ 08:10
I didn’t use youtube. When I put in the tags and previewed, I saw the tags, not bold type, or italics. For instance, in the preview, something like this: sample or this sample Am I using them wrong?
- petrita1 | 05/18/2008 @ 10:14
Never mind, it’s the preview that’s not working.
- petrita1 | 05/18/2008 @ 10:15
Okay, I’ll pass along a note.
- mkfreeberg | 05/18/2008 @ 10:40
The Gorgon had surveyed the building again in the night, and had added the one stone face wanting; the stone face for which it had waited through about two hundred years. It lay back on the pillow of Monsieur the Marquis. It was like a fine mask, suddenly startled, made angry, and petrified. Driven home into the heart of the stone figure attached to it, was a knife. Round its hilt was a frill of paper, on which was scrawled:

“Drive him fast to his tomb. This, from Jacques.”

–A Tale Of Two Cities – Charles Dickens
- vanderleun | 05/18/2008 @ 22:00

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