The Last Lion
I gotta say, I’ve had it with politicians. All of ‘em. Republicans and Democrats alike. They can’t get anything done. All they do is hurl insults at each other. They spread lies and misinformation and right now they are putting democracy in serious jeopardy. In a recent poll, more than 8 out of 10 voters are worried about the future of American democracy. Has anybody told these gutless pols that their job is to look out for our best interests, not theirs?
What I’m trying to say here is where the hell is Teddy Kennedy when we need him?
Sure, Teddy was no saint. He was a boozer and a skirt-chaser and a wild Irishman. You could call him a poster boy for bad behavior. But if you handed Teddy the bullhorn, he took it. He always fought for the people. And you can bet your ass he wouldn’t tolerate what’s going on in D.C. today. He was always the guy to cross the aisle, work with Republicans and get it done. He’d duke it out with Republican senators all day but then let bygones be bygones over a steak dinner and a coupla drinks. Maybe more than a couple. Christ, today if you have a coffee, a drink or dinner with a member of the other party you’re the Outcast of Poker Flat. That ain’t right.
When I was a kid, I volunteered at Kennedy’s Holyoke headquarters when he ran for the senate for the first time. It was 1962 and Teddy was 30. I got to know him a little bit when I helped his aide Don Dowd coordinate Teddy’s family trips to the Mt. Tom Ski Area. He’d bring his and his brother Bobby’s kids. JFK, Jr. came one winter and I got to work with his Secret Service detail.
I remember one trip when Ted showed up at the Mt. Tom entrance where I was positioned to greet him and bring him up the hill. He came rambling up in a beat-to-hell, ratbag station wagon and I said to him, “Where’d you get this hunk of junk?” He laughed and said, “Hey, I’ve got a GTO back at the compound.” Teddy had a great laugh. Lotta gusto. Sure could use some of that today.
Keep your dukes up.