Why Boston backed Teddy (Why did Ted Kennedy win the Senate Eight times?)

MSNBC ^ | 8/27/2009 | Miake Taibbi

[SeekAndFind]

After Ted Kennedy was elected for the first time, at age 30, his home state sent him back to the Senate eight times, all but once by unassailable margins.

Here in Massachusetts, people understood him and wanted him on their side – and it wasn't just because of his the name.

It was the accent that was as much Boston as Brahmin. It was his collection of imperfections and failings trumped most of the time by his stubbornness, real passion and just plain will.

And there was something else about him that made him an untouchable here: He came from a patrician family that often, as an entity, angered people but he was the one that plain people seemed to be able – and eager – to relate to.

There are a lot of stories about his "everyman" qualities being told around Hyannis, where he was often just another guy in the produce aisle. But he carried that accessibility everywhere.

Jimmy Sullivan, the co-manager and bartender at the Union Oyster House, a landmark restaurant in the center of Boston, explained how Kennedy exuded those qualities whenever he came in over the years – often by himself.

"You sit at the Oyster Bar and you can't help but be a regular guy," said Sullivan. "You're sitting face to face and back to back with all the regular people. He used to come in all the time…For a guy who came from wealth, he had a genuine soft spot for the working guy."

It was part of his political skills. I've seen it, as has any reporter who covered him. He would look someone he was just meeting right in the eye, wordlessly repeat the person's name, and remember it later.

[Gritty]

Is it too late to give Taxachusetts back to England?

[scory]

You are being too kind. That and I am getting to be mean in my old age.

[Hot Tabasco]

My name is David Kopetchny, MaryJo was my first cousin

David's parents obviously never taught him how to spell his last name...........Its Kopechne

[raccoonradio]

But unfortunately people like us are outnumbered. I have people on my facebook—whom I like for reasons other than politics—who have been posting RIP Ted, God Bless Ted, He was a legend etc type of fawning. I try to bring up the Chapp. incident, etc. But you can’t change their minds.

And what’s making me really sick is what’s happened to the Boston Herald. Outside of Howie it’s really sickening Ted worship (and will they sell a lot more papers to suckers because of it? You bet! They ran special commemorative editions when Obama got elected. Trying to remember if they did so when W got elected. It’s all about money and the Herald knows all the Kennedy admirers out there.

And today I took a daytrip to visit my Dad on the Cape and saw all the electronic signs saying the following (plus at least one overpass banner)

THANKS TED
FROM THE PEOPLE OF MASSACHUSETTS

Not from me!