Last night’s passing of the late Edward Kennedy may mark the end of the era of the Kennedy family in their position as a nexus of power in American politics. They were not the first family to undergo this transformation, and most assuredly will not likely be the last. Even now the Bush family marks a similar yet later and altogether different sort of political dynasty. The youngest of the three brothers Ted’s career was not marked with quite the same enigma that attached itself to the spectacular rise of his brothers that coupled itself with their tragic ends. Thrust into the Senate in a special election to fill the vacancy opened by his brother John’s presidency Ted has served in his office. Ted was what America retained from the short American Camelot that tragically showed that it may more closely an American Macbeth.

Working as an often pivotal player in the American legislative process Ted has left a mark on American public life. His private life involved spectacular scandal involving a death, a scandal that he managed to weather while retaining his office and entertaining the formality of a two month suspended sentence. The death of Mary Jo Kopechne is a historical marker by which the recent ending of politician’s careers at the hands of infidelity has the potential to raise inquiry into the changing American political life. Though it did not end Ted Kennedy’s political career it did serve to cast a shadow over it which may have contributed to his inability to successfully mount a campaign for the presidency.

In the light of Kennedy’s decline health due to brain cancer Newsweek dedicated an issue to his life and work in July which featured two pieces that I found somewhat fascinating. The first was John Meacham’s treatment of Kennedy as a historical figure while still living, though as a bit more than a month has shown critically near the end. The second was Kennedy’s own essay on healthcare as the cause of his life. This piece did not interest me so much for its content so much as for its rarity. It isn’t very common to find reflective essays published by the influential in such public or high circulation forums where they themselves work to articulate their life and try to apply meaning to it and their actions. Kennedy was still trying to articulate for and move a political position in the essay, but its position and context make it a real historical rarity. The political memoir is a popular venue for individuals to capitalize on their careers, but the magazine length article is a rarity. Apart from its greater accessibility to the time limited reader, it forces the author to prioritize in a way that can offer insight into their other writings. This is something tremendously beneficial to those searching for historical insight either casually or in a more rigorous academic context. There was a third piece in Newsweek I found interesting too, but it wasn’t until the next issue. It was the letters to the editor which offer a quick dirty survey of reader attitudes in the form of how they responded to Kennedy as well as the political issues presented.

Though I dislike most political positions from all angles, I find politic and politicians interesting. I find some notion of truth in the idea of political theater with the characters and their actions attaining a complexity that isn’t possible in literature. For a long time Kennedy has been a character in this play with his bright moments, his dark periods, and his glimpses at redemption.

Stories on his passing from [CNN] [FOX] [MSNBC]

Edit August 28th, 2009

Today CNN published a piece about how the contemporary news cycle would likely have handled the Chappaquiddick incident differently