Remembering Senator Kennedy

Posted by David Wescott

Those of us who worked for Senator Kennedy are reaching out to current and former colleagues, thinking of our proudest or funniest moments with him. We were privileged to see how hard Senator Kennedy worked, how much he truly cared about important issues, and how he could be larger than life and profoundly personal at the same time. We’ve placed the Kennedy family in our thoughts and prayers, as many have.

Putting aside the personal for a moment, Senator Kennedy’s departure actually leaves the Senate more polarized, not less – despite his public reputation as an outspoken partisan. His proudest accomplishments always included a Republican co-sponsor. His colleagues on the other side of the aisle knew that despite whatever partisan rhetoric was being thrown about, there was always an available backchannel for quiet, good-faith negotiations on policy. Senators McCain and Hatch are already on record saying that Kennedy’s presence would have made a health care compromise more likely.

I’m not aware of any Senator – Republican or Democrat – that can fill this void immediately. This means the political parties will be even more entrenched on health care, pension, immigration, and labor issues. Senator Kennedy was also a valuable asset in foreign policy. Secretary Clinton’s status as a geopolitical rock star certainly mitigates this loss, but there’s no doubt this loss has been noticed already in Ireland and in many parts of the developing world.