Thread: Ted Kennedy

Ted Kennedy certainly represents the old guard in Washington. I don't suppose he'll ever live down the Chappaquiddick situation, but he'll be long remembered as a distinguished spokesman for the left and long time crafty Washington insider.

I don't think he ever had legs (and he knew it) to ever be President, unlike his two brothers, even though he did give it a shot.

Kennedy deflected supporters who urged him to run for President in 1972 and 1976 by citing family concerns, in light of the fact of his brothers' assassinations. He finally threw his hat into the ring for the Democratic nomination in the 1980 presidential election by launching an unusual, insurgent campaign against the sitting president, Jimmy Carter, a member of his own party. Despite much early support, his bid was ultimately unsuccessful.

Carter was highly unpopular at the time of Kennedy's announcement, and Kennedy could have expected to do well against him, but the Iran hostage crisis gave President Carter a large boost in the polls that lasted for several months. The upswing in Carter's popularity knocked the wind out of Kennedy's candidacy, which was predicated on dislodging an unpopular president. In addition, the Chappaquiddick incident still dogged the senator, and his opponents often invoked the highly recognizable melody of Simon & Garfunkel's 1970 hit song "Bridge Over Troubled Water" to remind voters of the tragedy and scandal.

Ted Kennedy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia