Offering an entertaining analysis of the first night of the Democratic National Convention, Charlie Sykes briefly weighed in on Ted Kennedy's speech. Detouring to Caroline Kennedy's introduction of Ted, he took a shot at her rundown of his accomplishments that make him "everybody's senator." "Every single one of them was a government program that treated individuals as a dependent." "They were unreconstructed," he said, in their view of people as a "dependent" or a "client."
Charlie of course didn't share with his listeners what those programs were -- probably because they are overwhelmingly popular programs. Better just to denounce a vague "big govenment."
From Caroline Kennedy's remarks:
For 46 years, he has been so much more than just a senator for the people of Massachusetts. He's been a senator for all who believe in a dream that's never died. If you're no longer being denied a job because of your race, gender or disability, or if you've seen a rise in the minimum wage you're being paid, Teddy is your senator too.
If your children are receiving health care thanks to the Children's Health Insurance Program, if you see a nurse at a community health center or if you're benefiting from the Medicare program that he fought to create, and that just last month he returned to the Senate to save, Teddy is your senator too. If your child is getting an early boost in life through Head Start, or attending a better school or can go to college because a Pell grant has made it more affordable, Teddy is your senator too. And if you're an 18-year-old who's going to vote for the first time--and I bet it'll be for Barack Obama--Teddy is your senator too.
Comments