The nation has lost a true hero this week. I didn’t think I had any heroes until I heard the news last year that Senator Kennedy had brain cancer. I cried and cried. Why? Because he was a rich white guy who could have taken his marbles and gone home a long time ago. But he didn’t. He tried to make our country a more decent and humane place to live in until his dying days, and often succeeded when no one else could.
For as long as I have been working on poverty and health issues in Washington, he has been at the center of every effort I have been involved in. He has appeared at countless events to “inspire the troops”- sometimes with just twenty or thirty people in attendance. He never said no.
Perhaps because his family suffered so many tragedies, his voice always rang true when he spoke with compassion of those who are uninsured or poor. It was surprising given his own privilege. He never lost his passion despite the many obstacles and setbacks for the issues he cared about.
What strikes me as the saddest part is the loss of a man with an abiding belief in our democratic process. Kennedy was always viewed as the consummate liberal, and he never lost faith in his core beliefs. Ultimately though, he was a pragmatist, who wanted to make our legislative process work. He was able to reach across the aisle because he always spoke with respect about those he didn’t agree with, a quality sadly lacking in our public discourse right now about health care reform. Let’s hope that the spirit of Ted Kennedy infuses the debate about health care reform as we move forward this fall.