Lessons from the Liberal Lion

Among the greatest privileges in my life has been the chance to meet with Senator Edward M. Kennedy. My few conversations with him during my time at Harvard focused mostly on civic education, and showcased the kindness and caring which has been so eloquently eulogized during the past week. His willingness to discuss policy issues with me—an undergraduate—left me in awe of his deep desire not only to do good himself, but to serve as an example and guide for others looking to do the same. As someone who believes strongly in public service, I am inspired by Kennedy’s heroic example.

My story is not unique. Over the past days, tributes have explored not only his legislative achievements, but also the many people he helped on a personal level. We have heard stories of families with all sorts of challenges, illness to unemployment to immigration, who received help from the tireless work of Senator Kennedy. Watching the local news in Boston, I have been overwhelmed by the long parade of citizens who have come forward to tell stories of their personal experiences of our senator’s generosity.

Kennedy’s decades of legislative accomplishments were an extension of this deep sense of empathy. Individual kindness and charity, even in the great abundance Kennedy offered, can never help all those in need. This requires action on a larger scale, the types of efforts to reach millions of Americans that can only be achieved through legislation. Kennedy’s vision of government as a force for doing together the good that we cannot do alone—the essence of his liberalism—stemmed directly from his compassion for every individual. Through government, we can pursue justice in all its forms and help those who are disadvantaged. There was an inexorable link between Senator Kennedy’s personal caring and the many legislative accomplishments for which he will be forever remembered as a great liberal.

Under this framework, we can more fully understand his legislative record. Many have quoted Kennedy’s famous proclamation at the 1980 Democratic National Convention: “The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die.” But fewer have explored the decidedly liberal content of that dream. Kennedy’s speech was delivered following an unsuccessful primary challenge against a sitting president of his own party who, Kennedy argued, was failing to live up to Democratic ideals. The speech was a call to action for liberals, and its core themes of helping those in need through civil rights, universal healthcare, and a renewed “commitment of the Democratic Party to economic justice,” remained his core beliefs nearly three decades later.

In recent days, there has been much discussion of Kennedy’s bipartisan friendships and ability to work across the aisle. Yet in this celebration of bipartisanship we should not forget that Kennedy’s bipartisanship always served his liberal values and fulfilled his mission of helping those most in need. In the 1990s, he twice worked closely with Republican senators to pass major health care reforms, first with Nancy Kassenbaum to ensure the portability of health care for workers changing jobs, then with Orrin Hatch to pass the groundbreaking State Children’s Health Insurance Program.

Bipartisanship did not mean capitulating to median views or special interests, but using the power of persuasion to bring along legislators from both parties behind his core principles—in this case, expanding health coverage for those in need. This pragmatism and legislative craftsmanship, coupled with his liberal convictions, made Kennedy unique in the Senate. His decades of public service were always purpose-driven, as he advocated on behalf of those most in need of health care, education, housing, and the basic elements of human dignity. To highlight this liberalism is not to politicize his legacy, but to pay tribute to his ideals.

For young people who share Kennedy’s vision, his life can teach us that even in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges, history’s long arc indeed bends toward justice. For Democrats moving forward with an ambitious agenda for reforming healthcare, energy, and education policy (to name only a few), Kennedy’s moral voice should continue to resonate. Arguments based on the nuances of legislative language and cost-benefit analysis are indispensable to sound public policy, but should never drown out debate over the broader moral imperatives that Kennedy understood and articulated so well.

At a special convocation honoring him at Harvard last December, Kennedy looked back on his career, noting that Harvard instilled in him a love of public service. “I hope that in all the time since then,” Kennedy said, “I have lived up to the chance that Harvard gave me.” He understood that with any privilege comes an obligation to help those less privileged. Regardless of the many paths we will each pursue, we should all strive to emulate Kennedy’s sense of public duty and obligation to serve the world’s least fortunate.

In Kennedy’s own words, his purpose in politics has been “to speak for those who have no voice, to remember those who are forgotten.” As America prepares for a difficult future without his passionate voice, always advocating for the down-trodden, may the leaders of today and tomorrow always heed his call.


Jonathan S. Gould ’10 is a social studies concentrator in Eliot House.