Remembering Senator Edward M. Kennedy
Floor Speech
REMEMBERING SENATOR EDWARD M. KENNEDY -- (Senate - September 10, 2009)
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Mr. REED. Mr. President, I rise along with my colleague to pay tribute to an extraordinary American, probably the greatest Senator to serve in this body. I think time will confirm that as we go forward. I particularly want to express my deepest sympathy to Vicki and Kara and PATRICK and Ted Jr. I have had the privilege now of serving with Senator Ted Kennedy but also with Congressman PATRICK KENNEDY, and both of these gentlemen have demonstrated zeal for public service and commitment and passion to help people that has been emblematic of the Kennedy family.
I particularly am proud of PATRICK, his words at his father's funeral. His continued dedication to the people of Rhode Island is not only commendable but inspiring to me and to all of us.
Like so many of my generation, I grew up with the Kennedy family. In 1960, John Kennedy carried the banner of the Democratic Party as the Presidential candidate. He won, but, as we understood then and now, we got the whole family, not just President John Kennedy, and it was a remarkable family--his brother Robert, the Attorney General and later the U.S. Senator from New York, and then, of course, Ted Kennedy.
His contribution to the country and to the world is probably unmatchable as we go forward in every area: health care, which was his particular passion and on which President Obama spoke so movingly last evening about his commitment to moving forward in this Congress and finally achieving a dream that has alluded our country for years and years and years; his work with his son PATRICK on mental health parity, which is so important.
On education, I had the privilege of serving with him on the Education
Committee and as a Member of the House to collaborate with him on education bills, and every major education initiative in this country bears his stamp, his input, his inspiration. He worked very closely with my predecessor, Senator Claiborne Pell, for the creation of the Pell grants and for so many other initiatives in education. He not only worked with Senator Pell, they developed a very deep and abiding friendship.
One of the impressive things about Ted Kennedy is that the public persona was impressive, the private persona was equally impressive and extraordinarily endearing. He was someone who had a great sense of camaraderie and friendship and good humor.
I can recall being invited to join Senator Kennedy at the Pells' home in Newport after Senator Pell retired. Every year, unannounced, without any fanfare, Senator Kennedy would sail his boat up into Newport and insist on taking Senator Pell out for a cruise, and then they would all retire to the Pell home for a delightful supper. I was privileged to be there on a couple of occasions.
Toward the end of his life, Senator Pell had difficulty moving around, but Senator Kennedy would insist on coming every summer. The last outing, we literally had to carry Senator Pell aboard. Senator Pell at that time was not communicating as effectively as he was previously, but he didn't have to because Senator Kennedy could take both parts of the conversation--in fact, he could take multiple parts of the conversation. There was never a lost word or a dull moment. It was a great opportunity to see an extraordinary statesman but an extraordinary gentleman at the same time.
He said famously about his brothers that they lived to see the American dream become reality, and he said famously that the dream lives on. But he also, more than dreaming, tried to give substance, shape, and texture to that dream, effectively to try to ensure that opportunity was available to every American family, that they could use their talent to build their family and to secure their future and to contribute to a better America. That was why he led on health care, because without adequate health care, you cannot realize your talents, your potential, and you cannot contribute as much to this great country. He led on education because it is the great engine that pulls this Nation forward and individually gives people an opportunity to move up and to help their families move forward.
On civil rights, he was a strong advocate. In fact, I think it is fair to say that his first major speech was in favor of the 1964 Civil Rights Act because he understood that the talent of America was not restricted to any group and that to meet the challenges of this Nation and this world, we need the contribution and the participation of every American, regardless of race, regardless of gender.
He also was someone who understood that for the working men and women of this country, they needed help, they needed to share in the bounty of this country. What we have seen over the last decade has been growth, up until the crisis of last September, but that growth was not shared fairly or evenly, executives getting huge salaries and bonuses and working men and women were barely keeping up. In order to have a strong, prosperous economy, we need a strong, prosperous middle class. His work in terms of education and health care and labor--all of that had a purpose not only of helping individuals but, wisely, trying to establish an environment for economic growth that we all could share.
He also served on the defense committee with me. And he was very perceptive. He had spent many years viewing the world, and his understanding of not only the military but the forces, economic and cultural, that shape our interaction with other countries was profound in its insights. He was, very clearly, opposed to the operation in Iraq because he understood that it was a strategic deviation from the real task, which continues in Afghanistan, to root out al-Qaida, to stabilize the region, the most volatile region in the country. That is just one example of his insight into the international arena.
There is a story, and it is attributed to either his brother John or to Senator Kennedy, but I think it might be apropos for both. It might be slightly apocryphal, but either John or Ted, according to the story, was standing outside a factory and a worker came up and said: They tell me you have never worked a day in your life.
And Kennedy was taken aback.
Then shortly, the worker said: Don't worry, you haven't missed anything.
A family of great privilege, of great opportunity, in fact worked every day of their lives, and particularly Ted Kennedy, hard, relentlessly to ensure that person coming out of the factory had a chance.
Finally, what I sensed when I was at the funeral service, which was extraordinarily moving and inspirational, the outpouring of affection and regard for Senator Kennedy, not by the dignitaries who assembled but by ordinary citizens of Massachusetts and here lining the route to Arlington, bespeaks a connection and a validation by the American people of an individual who had trials and tribulations but rose above it in constant service to the country, in constant service to the people who do not have a voice, and constant service to those who need a chance to help themselves, to help their family, and to make the Nation a better place. It reminded me of words spoken about Franklin Delano Roosevelt. His cortege was moving through Washington, DC, and a man was visibly shaken and weeping.
A reporter went up to him and said: You know, you are so upset, did you know the President?
He said: No, I did not know him, but he knew me.
Ted Kennedy knew us all. He knew our strengths, he knew our weaknesses, he knew that this government could make a difference, a positive difference in the lives of people. He had shared the same difficulties and challenges we face: children stricken with cancer, the loss of his brothers and one of his sisters in an airplane crash, the human reality.
And because he knew us, he never stopped working for us.
His legacy is extraordinary. It will inspire and sustain us as we go forward. His loss, not just to his family, which is considerable, but for all of us, is balanced by how much he made us better, more attuned to the challenge of serving America and leading the world. We will miss him. But our task now is to take up his work, to continue his effort. That is the greatest tribute we can pay. Let us begin with this debate on health care.
I yield the floor.
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