RIP Ted Kennedy

[Hudson]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Kennedy

[Zyklon]

Wow, very sad indeed. I stay out of American politics, but I'd heard of this guy a few times.

[Dutch90]

RIP

At least one of the Kennedy brothers lived a full life.

[beckmen]

My one boss is a right-winger (but don't let that fool you, he's really an OK guy!), and when I saw that he was dead I mentioned something and he said "The murderer is dead.". I didn't want to start a political debate, so I just shut up right then and there, but could somebody please explain what the hell that statement meant?

[Dutch90]

Maybe Ted Kennedy was pro-choice?

[Hudson]

That seems most likely. I honestly don't know much about him.

[SM]

My one boss is a right-winger (but don't let that fool you, he's really an OK guy!), and when I saw that he was dead I mentioned something and he said "The murderer is dead.". I didn't want to start a political debate, so I just shut up right then and there, but could somebody please explain what the hell that statement meant?

Probably the Chappaquiddick incident.  I'm guessing a lot on the right would share this opinion.  Until his recent illness it was what I knew him for, more than anything else.

Or maybe just cos he was a lefty, and your boss thinks all lefties are murderers.

[CompanyMan]

I don't think all lefties are murderers. We righties are warmongers so we are the killers!

Think what it would have been like if W. or Jeb, let's say Jeb ran away after crashing his car and some woman was found dead in it. The fun that would have led to... not ole' uncle Tanqueray Ted. Kennedies get a legal pass!

But, I am not here to trample the mans rip Thread. Had I ever met him I would have extended him the same courtesy of any political person. Addressed by their title, and called sir. Wether I agreed with them or not.

[SM]

Didn't the whole Chappaquiddick thing get investigated though, and nothing ever really came of it?  Except for the damage to Ted's reputation.  Or is that considered something of a cover up?  Not overly au fai with the details.

[beckmen]

OK, well if he was suspected as killing somebody while driving drunk, that would explain it.

[CompanyMan]

What more explanation can be given? I er, was um, driving drunk with a young woman. My er, um car slid of the er, um bridge. I escaped and ran home. er, um, leaving her to drown.

Take that, take the Kennedy's owning the entire area up there in the Northeast, and Massachusetts, and no jury would ever convict them. Of course I am talking out of my ass here, but still. He drove off the road. A woman drowned in his car, and he admittedly left the scene on foot. But that was all OK.

Let that happen now-a-days. Let it happen to a ( R ). See the storm of shit that ensues. I know it was the 60's but hey. Law is law.

Kennedy is like a Ring of Wishes when it comes to getting lucky with the law in that part of the country. Not so much on the political trail of course.

[SM]

Well none of that makes him a "murderer".  Negligent certainly.

And if all the details seem to be public knowledge, there doesn't seem to be a cover up.  Did anyone in government see fit to hoof him out of office in the last 47 years over it?

Seems like a majorly fucked up - but not enough for it to be considered criminal.

Or am I missing something?

EDIT - Found what I was missing.  Don't look like the punters are buying it...

[Vulhala]

Wasn't he also an IRA supporter? It would have been way before my time but I remember someone saying he was accused of fundraising for them and all sorts. Is that true? I know he arranged for Gerry Adams' trip to the states when no one else would touch him.

[maledoro]

RE: Ted's "incident with Mary Jo", it's nothing more than sleaze being milked by those who oppose him. Until his death, one could tune into American AM radio and someone would be mentioning Chappaquiddick even after all of these years.

As for him being an IRA supporter, I have yet to see proof of it. I did a quick Google search of "Edward Kennedy IRA" and got linked to various blogs, but I haven't seen what proof they have.

[Vulhala]

No, I've looked into it and there was never anything proven. Apart from the Gerry Adams thing. He was part Irish though wasn't he? I guess at the time of the troubles, there were quite a few Irish-Americans who were sympathetic to them.