Dylan Hales

August 26, 2009

I never liked The Kennedys and never believed in Camelot, but Ted always seemed to be the worst of the bunch. A transparently drunk, fat and old, bozo with none of the charm of his STD-ridden older brother Jack, to me Teddy was always a symbol for everything that was wrong with liberal politics.

That a man whose entire life was built on a sense of entitlement would be the advocate for every senseless spending program under the sun shouldn’t really surprise everyone. That he became a punching bag for right wingers even less so.

But picking on Teddy for his shortcomings is like shooting fish in a barrel.  More often than not conservative criticism of Kennedy was about picking an easy target and firing away in order to deflect attention from the Right’s own bizarre political fetishism.  This got particularly bad in the Faux News era where the Senate’s “Lion” became the tool by which all other Democratic politicians were bludgeoned to smithereens.  “More liberal than Ted Kennedy” became a meaningless stock talking point for Sean Hannity and friends with “more liberal” often being used as a euphemism for “opposes the needless mass murder of Arab children.”

I don’t take joy in Teddy’s death, but I don’t have to think twice about saying that the world is a better place with one less grimy politician.  Still, may he rest in peace.  The gasbags and GOP shills will have to settle for Nancy Pelosi from here on out.