Teddy’s Dream
Here’s an excerpt from the letter Teddy Kennedy wrote to President Obama in May 2009, delivered after Kennedy’s death in August:
When I thought of all the years, all the battles, and all the memories of my long public life, I felt confident in these closing days that while I will not be there when it happens, you will be the President who at long last signs into law the health care reform that is the great unfinished business of our society. For me, this cause stretched across decades; it has been disappointed, but never finally defeated. It was the cause of my life. And in the past year, the prospect of victory sustained me-and the work of achieving it summoned my energy and determination.
There will be struggles – there always have been – and they are already underway again. But as we moved forward in these months, I learned that you will not yield to calls to retreat – that you will stay with the cause until it is won. I saw your conviction that the time is now and witnessed your unwavering commitment and understanding that health care is a decisive issue for our future prosperity. But you have also reminded all of us that it concerns more than material things; that what we face is above all a moral issue; that at stake are not just the details of policy, but fundamental principles of social justice and the character of our country.
And so because of your vision and resolve, I came to believe that soon, very soon, affordable health coverage will be available to all, in an America where the state of a family’s health will never again depend on the amount of a family’s wealth. And while I will not see the victory, I was able to look forward and know that we will – yes, we will – fulfill the promise of health care in America as a right and not a privilege.
Need a hanky? Yeah, me too. The character of our country is about to get a lot better. Here’s looking at you, Teddy boy.
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TK was such an interesting guy. I think in some ways he was the actual version of the story supporters of George W tried to sell… the guy who was kind of fuck-up but came around to do great things. Of course W did not live up to that narrative by any stretch (unless you just count getting elected president, but I don’t think you can then just omit that he ran the country into the ground from the narrative… it’s relevant!), and it oversimplifies TK’s own life as well, as even during the most insane years of his personal life he was actually doing great work in the Senate. (“work hard, play hard” i guess) But there’s something kind of poetic that despite being sort of the runt of the family he ended up being the one that made the most real world impact on people’s lives. A victory tomorrow would certainly even further cement his place in history, as he was the one who made Obama promise to tackle health care first in exchange for his endorsement. I think it was something Obama planned on doing anyway, but having made that promise may have further stiffened his resolve to see it through.