Ted Kennedy, political icon

The Kennedy family has been a part of my life for all my life. Being a 55 yr old white male, I have, of course, memories of the Kennedy family from early childhood. I remember where I was when JFK was assassinated. I remember where I was when RFK was assassinated. I remember all the bad AND good things that have happened in Ted Kennedy's life. I have always felt the Kennedy family was jinxed, but they always fought through it and prevailed. Now Ted Kennedy is in for what will probably turn out to be the fight of his life, a brain tumor.

Lets face it, the Kennedy clan is the backbone of the Democratic party. Senator Obama gaining the full endorsement of Ted and Caroline Kennedy is a boom to Obama's campaign. So long as Ted Kennedy remains alive and "in the loop" Obama will have not only Kennedy support but also the full backing of the Democratic Party. So what happens if Ted dies before the election in November? Does this effect Obama's chances of winning the election? Sure he has the full backing of the party NOW, but how much of that is because no one wants to go against the wishes of Ted Kennedy? How often have we seen support for candidates change with the death of someone in Washington who is very powerful? Even in these times of media driven politics, how many times have we seen attention turn FROM a candidate to other distractions when focus needs to be on who we're going to vote on in November? How often have we seen the short term memory of our country cause distractions and cause people to vote for someone they probably shouldn't, all because they forgot about certain things in that candidate's past?

It is this reporter's honest opinion that if Ted Kennedy dies before realizing his dream of having Obama be the president, Obama may as well hand the election to Hillary or McCain. It greatly worries me that the change we need in Washington won't happen if Ted passes from this earth too soon. He is a champion of the average man and woman. He has caused more change in this country that any man since his brother John. I wish him well but if his survival is taken out of our hands and he joins his brothers, he will be sorely missed.

Any candidate can make pie in the sky promises about what he is going to do once he or she is president. But without support from (as he's often been called) a lion in the Senate, and without a Democratic not just majority but 2/3 majority, those promises can often fall by the wayside due to Republican opposition. This is one major reason why when I listen to candidates make promises, I look at those promises in the light of......"sure it sounds great, but will he/she be able to get it passed through congress?" This is where someone like Ted Kennedy comes in handy as a mover and shaker within the congress. Who will step to the plate and try to fill his shoes? No one can, history shows that to be true, because Ted Kennedy has Goliath size shoes.

I feel it has been an honor to be alive during the life, times and trials of the Kennedy family. And this is even with full knowledge that the chances are 99.9% that I will be homeless by next month and probably be homeless till after election day.