We are told that Barack Obama believes too much in an America of high principle and bold endeavor, but when John Kennedy called of going to the moon, he didn't say it's too far to get there. We shouldn't even try. Our people answered his call and rose to the challenge, and today an American flag still marks the surface of the moon. Yes, we are all Americans. This is what we do. We reach the moon. We scale the heights. I know it. I've seen it. I've lived it. And we can do it again. There is a new wave of change all around us, and if we set our compass true, we will reach our destination -- not merely victory for our Party, but renewal for our nation. And this November the torch will be passed again to a new generation of Americans, so with Barack Obama and for you and for me, our country will be committed to his cause. The work begins anew. The hope rises again. And the dream lives on.
It was a long time ago- a dark, cold night in the dead of winter in early 1980, to be exact. I was a junior at Macalester College in St. Paul, MN, and Ted Kennedy was in town to speak on campus. He was running for President, seemingly at the peak of his political career, and his appearance at Macalester was just about the biggest thing to happen there since our football team ended it's 54-game losing streak. I wasn't supporting Kennedy then; I was supporting John Anderson (don't ask), but if I'd tried to get into Kennedy's speech that night, I wouldn't have been able to find a seat. Two hours before Kennedy was scheduled to speak, the line to get in was close to a mile long- this on a cold Minnesota night in the dead of winter.
As I watched Ted Kennedy speak at the Democratic National Convention last night, I couldn't help but flash back to that long-since forgotten winter night when a few hundred college students stood in line on a frigid night just to have the privilege of hearing Kennedy speak. Twenty-eight-plus years later, we're all a lot older, and Kennedy, while nothing close to the force of nature he once was, still managed to channel the passion and forcefulness that has made him one of the most important politicians of this or any other generation.
In what's clearly the twilight of his life, Kennedy could have been forgiven if he'd stayed home in Massachusetts and spoken by video feed. Who would have blamed him for not subjecting himself to the stress and wear and tear of traveling to Denver? That he made the journey speaks to his commitment and his passion, as well as his desire to live long enough to see universal health care- his life's work- become a reality.
Ted Kennedy represents the reasons why I'm a Democrat, and the only reason I didn't cry during his speech was that I was watching it in a men's locker room at a 24 Hour Fitness. Kennedy's life and his career has been about looking after those who not fortunate enough to be born a Kennedy. He could have lived a comfortable life existing on his family's accumulated wealth...and who could have blamed him, given the numerous very public tragedies that have befallen the Kennedy clan? Instead of skating through life, Ted Kennedy has made it his life's mission to make universal health care a reality. To his way of thinking, quality health care should be a right, something every American should enjoy regardless of their economic status. And he's right.
WE DESERVE BETTER. And we should all be grateful to Ted Kennedy for working to make that a reality
