On the initial night of the DNC, I assumed that Michelle would steal the show. After months of conservatives deriding her for finally being proud of America, I thought that she would take the stage, be pretty, not imply that she was embarrassed of her country, and be the toast of Denver until Hill-dawg took the stage the next night. What I failed to account for in my assumption is that our country’s most accomplished murderer would give such a rousing address.
I have always been amazed at the charmed life that the senator from Massachusetts has been afforded simply because of his genealogy; apparently having a brother that was an attractive-yet-terrible president and another that was an attractive-yet-terrible potential president are the only qualifications for a life-long senate seat in that oh so advanced state in the east. All that family tragedy, plus now he has an illness to boot? How can someone not sympathize with the guy?
Oh yeah, because he killed that girl that one time.
Americans have the shortest of memories – we take “forgive and forget” to the next level. Now that Edward Moore Kennedy has a terminal illness, even bloggers at the ever-conservative National Review are willing to give the man a pass and praise his DNC speech. The Democratic Party even decided the man deserved a seemingly endless masturbatory tribute video dedicated to his yacht and much thinner brothers. Over the last twelve hours, the only thing I have been turning over in my mind is, “How in the world are people holding up this man as someone to be respected and revered?”
In July of 1969, a young woman died because of the arrogance and likely drunkness of Ted Kennedy. The esteemed senator left a party with a woman - not his wife, of course - and shortly thereafter accidentally drove off a bridge. Ted was able to escape the car and swim to shore, but the girl, Mary Jo Kopechne, was not. Instead of running to a nearby house and calling the police/firemen/hospital/someone, though, Kennedy walked past four houses and returned to the party that he’d left around midnight.
Fast forward to 8 a.m. So, you know, just short of 8 hours later. Teddy was back at his hotel, arguing with his friends whether or not the accident should be reported. So the situation is Ted drives off a bridge into a body of water at midnight, while with a woman that is not his wife, and escapes the car while leaving the woman in it; he returned to the party he’d left earlier and attempted to have friends lie abouthis whereabouts; Ted then went back to his hotel as if nothing happened; eight hours later the car was reported as being sunk independently by residents that lived adjacent to the body of water that Mary Jo was drowned in.
According to the diver that went to investigate, Mary Jo was found in the part of a car that an air bubble would’ve formed, and “[h]ad [he] received a call within five to ten minutes of the accident occurring, and was able, as I was the following morning, to be at the victim’s side within twenty-five minutes of receiving the call, in such event there is a strong possibility that she would have been alive on removal from the submerged car.” But, you know, that would’ve certainly cramped Sen. Kennedy’s political ambitions, so that wasn’t really a possibility.
Cowardice and coverup: these are the words that I think of when I see the Great Senator on stage. The event ended with no warrent being issued for Teddy’s arrest, even though Massachusetts law at the time dictated that there should’ve been since there was probable cause - I’m not sure whether this was was thanks to his family’s political clout or probable mob ties. Regardless, the Esteemed Senator waxed apologetic on camera, paid over a hundred thousand dollars to Mary Jo’s family, and the incident was considered concluded. No harm (except to Mary Jo and the integrity of the US Senate), no foul.
So forgive me for being cynical about Teddy’s speech at the DNC - I suppose to me, having a terminal disease doesn’t negate manslaughter. Maybe I’m being too hard on the guy. My real issue, though, is why haven’t the Republicans hammered the Democratic party on this? Is there some political equation that dictates “tragically dead brother + tragically dead brother + serious illness = pass for killing a young woman”? And for a party that’s been accused of treading on women, why would the DNC want someone that, you know, killed a woman as an opening-night speaker? It’s only the start of the second day of the convention, and I already feel like I’m on crazy pills or something. And just wait, it’s the Clintons tonight!
