It has taken all day for me to even begin to process the loss of Senator Ted Kennedy. I was lucky to be able to see “the Lion” in-person on a number of occasions and those memories and images have been buzzing through my mind all day.
I have a vivid memory of watching Teddy during the 2002 “Fighting for Families” bus tour in support of gubernatorial candidate Shannon O’Brien and Sen. John Kerry as he gave an impromptu and rousing speech to striking labor workers somewhere in western Massachusetts. I recall that his speech began in a low whisper and the crowd quieted to hear his words. As he continued to talk about the plight of the union members and the need for fair working conditions, it was if someone suddenly hit a switch and his voice became loud, animated and it rang throughout the crowd. On that occasion and a number of future encounters, I remember closing my eyes while Teddy spoke so I could just listen to his voice and that all-too-familiar Kennedy accent. The voice alone carried with it such a rich and important piece of the American experience.
Sadly, Teddy was forced to give many eulogies throughout his life and some remain among his most famous speeches. I have spent time today searching through them and I thought there would be no better way to eulogize him then to simply let the words that he offered when people needed to be comforted and given strength speak for themselves.
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
Rose Kennedy (Ted’s mother)
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Robert F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy, Jr.
“We dared to think, in that other Irish phrase, that this John Kennedy would live to comb gray hair, with his beloved Carolyn by his side. But like his father, he had every gift but length of years. We who have loved him from the day he was born, and watched the remarkable man he became, now bid him farewell.”
The former Governor of Massachusetts has officially announced that he will seek the Republican nomination for President of the United States of America. Romney was, for the most part a failed Governor, having little accomplishments to point to. He did not seek a second term as Governor, because, well, he would have lost to this guy. Oh yeah, he’s also a liberal Democrat. UPDATE: Not that there is anything wrong with that.
Deval Patrick has beaten Republican Lt. Gov. Kerry Healy for Governor of Massachusetts according to MSNBC. With some precints reporting, Patrick has won with 56% percent of the vote, making him the second black Governor ever in the nation.
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Deval Patrick
Democratic Candidate for Governor, Massachusetts
Michael Dukakis, Former Governor of Massachusetts
1988 Democratic Presidential Nominee
Or is it Day 15? I’m not really sure as the days are starting to blend into each other. We’re so busy all the time that I have to force myself at times to pull my head away from the computer or the Treo and see what’s really going on around me. Even at the concert the other night I caught Peter repeatedly checking his blackberry. So much to do, so little time. It really doesn’t feel like we spent 5 nights in Boston. Mandy and Arty – we owe you.
Right now I’m in the backseat of the van on I-90 as we drive west through Massachusetts. It’s still a bit early in the season but the leaves are starting to turn and it’s pretty beautiful out here. James Taylor is on the iPod as the perfect compliment to the drive as we enter the Berkshires. It’s the end of New England and the East Coast for us as Matt plans out our precise schedule for the next few days from the front seat. I caught up on some work this morning and I already read the morning news so I might just take this opportunity for a little nap. Ahh the life of a blogger: taking a nap at 9:45 am. Here’s hoping our internet connection holds up for the rest of the day.
Sometimes it’s a bit lonely out here on the road so drop us a note in the comments if you’re following today’s ride.
Sadly what with Boston traffic we missed Sen. Ted Kennedy speaking at the Institute of Politics at Harvard. On the good side of things, we found the Whole Foods in Cambridge. We’re off for the night….
Deval L. Patrick, who rose from poverty on the south side of Chicago to corporate boardrooms and a top post in the Clinton administration, won the Democratic Party primary for governor tonight, becoming the first African-American to win a major party’s nomination for the top job in the state.
Patrick far outpaced his two better known rivals, businessman Christopher F. Gabrieli and Attorney General Thomas F. Reilly, with strong showings in blue-collar urban enclaves, in liberal and conservative suburban towns, and in Western Massachusetts. He also swept Cape Cod. Early returns showed Gabrieli running second and Reilly a distant third.
Reilly appeared before supporters at about 9:45 p.m. to congratulate Patrick for running an “outstanding campaign” and to pledge to support Patrick. “We gave it everything we had; it just didn’t work out for us,” Reilly said.
Gabrieli followed shortly afterward. “I intend to work hard for Deval,” he said.
The DoubleSpeak tour will be up in Massachusetts mid-next week and we expect to have a great interview with Deval.
Deval Patrick, one of the Democrats running for the nomination in the Massachusetts Gubernatorial election was endorsed this weekend by the Boston Globe.
In choosing A governor to run the state, voters look for executive experience, wise issue positions, and the intangible quality of leadership. It is a rare thing when a candidate has all three. We believe Massachusetts Democrats and independent voters have such a person in Deval Patrick. The Globe strongly endorses his candidacy in the gubernatorial primary Sept. 19.
Patrick, 50, has not held elective office, but he has served in significant appointed office, as chief of the civil rights division in the US Justice Department under President Clinton. There, he managed an office of several hundred lawyers fighting complex issues across diverse constituencies from bankers to police officers to community organizers. After that he was a lawyer for Coca-Cola and Texaco and a member of several corporate boards. He has experience in the plushest office suites and the meanest urban streets. He has the range, the maturity, and the skill to lead Massachusetts through precarious times.
