Difference between revisions of "Edward M. Kennedy"

Revision as of 00:46, January 18, 2009

COMPLETE HEATHEN

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-[[Image:Tedkennedy.jpg|right|thumb]]
+<big><big><big><big><big>'''COMPLETE HEATHEN'''</big>
-'''Edward Moore ("Ted" or "Teddy") Kennedy''' (b. 1932) is the second longest-serving [[United States|U.S.]] [[Senator]], a [[Democrat]] from [[Massachusetts]].  His family has been a major part of the Democratic Party for almost 50 years, beginning with his older brothers President [[John F. Kennedy]] (assassinated in 1963) and [[Robert F. Kennedy]] (assassinated in 1968).  Ted Kennedy was long assumed to become the Democratic nominee for president himself, but the [[Chappaquiddick]] scandal in 1969 caused him to delay his candidacy until 1980, when he was unable to overcome the power of incumbency enjoyed by Democratic President [[Jimmy Carter]]. Kennedy is sometimes referred to as the [[Chappaquiddick|Hero of Chappaquiddick]]<ref>http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1453846/posts</ref>
-Ted Kennedy has always represented the most [[liberal]] side of the Democratic Party, from support for taxpayer-funded [[abortion]] to [[same-sex marriage]]. Senator [[Robert Byrd]] defeated him for a leadership position (Majority Whip) in the Senate in 1971 and Kennedy has never served as Majority Leader.<ref>http://www.notablebiographies.com/Jo-Ki/Kennedy-Edward.html</ref>  His  political power behind the scenes is undisputed.
-After being expelled from Harvard for cheating on exam, he served two years in the [[United States Army]] and subsequently graduated from Harvard in 1956.<ref>http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/kennedys/timeline/timeline2.html</ref>  He graduated from the University of Virginia law school in 1959.  He is the father of Congressman [[Patrick J. Kennedy]].
-==Chappaquiddick Scandal==
-On July 18, 1969, Senator Kennedy drove away from a party on the island of Martha's Vineyard with an attractive young woman named Mary Jo Kopechne.  In what he later described as an accident, Kennedy made an unusual turn and then drove his vehicle off a bridge connecting [[Chappaquiddick]] Island to Martha's Vineyard. The car landed in a pond, where Kopechne then drowned.  Kennedy did not report the incident to the police until the next morning, and his statement then was implausible to many Americans.
-This death became a national scandal and hurt Kennedy's image. He entered a plea of guilty to a charge of leaving the scene of an accident after causing injury, but did not serve any time in jail in a sentence criticized for its leniency towards a member of a prominent family.  In an additional criticized decision, no autopsy was performed on Kopechne despite the presence of illegality and unanswered questions about her death.
-==Presidential Campaign==
-Kennedy was frequently mentioned as a possible Democratic presidential candidate in 1972 and 1976. However, he chose not to run due to his controversial past and claimed to have family concerns after his two brothers were assassinated. But in 1980 he decided to challenge incumbent President [[Jimmy Carter]] for the Democratic nomination. Though Carter was unpopular, Kennedy failed in his effort to supplant him as the party's nominee.<ref>http://www.politicalbase.com/people/ted-kennedy/2888/</ref>
-==U.S. Senate==
-Kennedy has gained a reputation as a very [[liberal]] Senator, even further to the left than most Democrats. He has a [[pro-choice]] voting record.<ref>http://www.ontheissues.org/Social/Ted_Kennedy_Abortion.htm</ref> He voted against confirming [[Samuel Alito]] to the [[Supreme Court of the United States]] and was in the minority of his own party to vote against confirming [[John Roberts]] to the Court. On [[immigration]] Kennedy has been a strong supporter of amnesty for [[illegal aliens]].<ref>http://archive.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2007/1/25/131758.shtml</ref> He voted against the war in [[Iraq]]<ref>http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8I0G3JG0&show_article=1</ref> and is also one of only five Senators who say they support same-sex marriage<ref>http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2005/05/06/democrats_platform_shouldnt_back_gay_marriage_kerry_says/</ref>.
-In addition to many other bills, Kennedy played a key role in the crafting the language in the [[No Child Left Behind]] Act of 2001 (Public Law 107-110), a massive [[education]] bill signed into law by Republican President [[George W. Bush]].<ref>http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2008/02/bill-clinton-bl.html</ref>
-He is currently Chairman of the United States Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions,<ref>http://help.senate.gov/About.html</ref> where the first bill he pushed through was an increase in the minimum wage by $2.10, to $7.25.<ref>http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20070525/news_1n25minwage.html</ref>
-Kennedy and [[John McCain]] collaborated in writing much of the 2007 immigration bill, which failed by two votes for [[cloture]] despite support by President [[George W. Bush]]. <ref>http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2007/02/28/kennedy_mccain_try_again_on_immigration/</ref>
-On May 20, 2008, Kennedy was diagnosed with a brain tumor, which has since been operated upon, and which will receive chemotherapy and radiation treatments in the future.<ref>http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/05/20/kennedy.tumor/index.html</ref>
-==References==
-{{reflist}}
-==External link==
-*[http://foia.fbi.gov/foiaindex/chappaquiddick.htm FBI FOIA Investigation on Chappaquiddick]
-{{liberalism}}
-{{DEFAULTSORT: Kennedy, Ted}}
-[[Category:United States Senators]]
-[[Category:Democratic Party]]
-[[Category: Liberals]]
-[[Category: 110th United States Congress]]

Difference between revisions of "Edward M. Kennedy"

Revision as of 00:46, January 18, 2009

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