Kennedy

[king_nerd]

His death may have come at the worst possible time, but I find it hard to lionize the man.  Chappaquiddick was a tragedy and for all the good he did, he's still responsible for that.

Comments

[allthingsaaron]

Yeah, I pretty much. I appreciate the very progressive things he fought for in congress but I can't bring myself to like the guy as a person.

[fionn_mac_lir]

Exactly. Nobody can deny the good he's done, but he had a part in an innocent person's death, and then used his family connections to evade justice.

You know, like a mobster.

[king_nerd]

It's a really mixed bag with him. I wonder if he did so much not only out of political conviction but also out of guilt. As though he could atone by doing good, maybe?

[fionn_mac_lir]

Could be; between guilt, his brothers' legacies, and the fact he would have been president if not for Chappaquiddick.

[allthingsaaron]

Yeah, most likely a combination of those things. I'm sure the man was wracked with guilt until his last second alive and he funneled that into the policies he felt would benefit the most people. At least he didn't wallow it in or vanish off the political scene after the tragedy and he actually did everything in his power to do good for the common man.

[malrick]

I think he could have won if he ran in '76. Any Dem was beating Ford it would have only been a matter of winning the nomination.