Who said Michael Jackson’s death coverage was overdone?
Truly overwhelming is the best way to describe today’s over-the-top adoration of Ted Kennedy.
Will the overkill create a backlash, however? Almost certainly, particularly with young people who don’t feel the personal connection to the Kennedys. This one is all about selfish, aging Boomers having another one of their precious moments of reflection.
THREE DAYS of events? Ted K-branded aspirin? The killer we HAD to like? He WASN’T an ideologue? The stories become more absurd by the hour.
From here, the real battle ahead lies in fending off sleazy maneuvers meant to install a favored insider into the US Senate for the long haul. This story jumps off the page:
Citing the high cost and tiny turnout of special elections, a town clerk is proposing a controversial option that would allow Gov. Deval Patrick to appoint – with Senate approval – a successor to the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy who would serve until the next statewide election.
In a letter to Patrick, Woburn Town Clerk William C. Campbell said a proposal last month by Kennedy for a temporary successor who would be appointed by the governor and serve until a special election “is contrary to the principle of seeking the most qualified representative for our State.”
Campbell suggested allowing Patrick to appoint a successor, so long as the state Senate votes to approve. The successor, along with other candidates who covet the seat, would have to run for election during the next statewide race in 2010.
Focus on “tiny turnout”, that’s key: the Bay State’s corrupt establishment fears a low-turnout election that could favor less-connected Democrats, independents or Republicans. They’re ready to use every dirty trick in the book to hand-select Ted K’s replacement.
WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT: tune out local TV coverage, let’s deny stations the ratings they covet. Skip buying area newspapers until they’ve moved on. Let’s vote with our feet!
Today during Ch 4′s coverage, Jon Keller was so obsequious and gushing in describing the late senator that, whatever credibility Jon had remaining as a “political analyst” has been extinguished. It was as if he gets payed per appearance and he was afraid that if he didn’t behave this way, he might not be invited back.
Can’t wait ’till he’s planted.
Brian: Good Lord forbid!!! Three whole days of events. The way I look at it, that’s only 1 day more than any Tom, Dick or Harry gets. Christian deaths are typically one day to wake, and the next day for the service and burial. Yup, Teddy got one extra day. Yet another reason to bash the dasterdly, undeserving bastard.
Sorry, I am one of those “selfish” Boomers having a reflective moment. Being of a certain age, and growing up in Massachusetts, Ted and all the Kennedys have become a part of me. I am proud of it. Proud that he was my senator.
If reflecting, sharing my pride and vocalizing my sadness is selfish, then so be it.
In another example of liberal hypocrisy, TK is being lauded for never backing down from his principles (except when he did – like his massive flip-flop on abortion).
But in his “honor” (a term that has to be used loosely) those who never liked the man or his politics are supposed to back down from their criticism and pass his two favorite piece of stinking garbage “last wishes”
The socialist health care “reform” (a coup of which Karl Marx and his comrades would be proud) and the “I was against Governors appointing replacement Senators before I was for it” bill, designed for the sole purpose of locking DemocRATS in the Senate seat from MA.
To his last political act, he represented the worst in cheap politics. He was a disgrace to this state for FAR too many years.
While I sympathize with his family and wish him no harm in his eternal home, I am thankful that he can’t do this country any more damage from his seat in the Senate.
Good Grief! Enough already!
This guy was a bore, a socialist of the first order and a horrible person on top of it. The fools in Mass. that kept foisting him on the rest of us ought to be horse whipped!
He would have failed miserably at any job in the DPS (dreaded private sector) so spend 47 years at the public trough supping like the pig he truly was. Sorry, you’ll get zero sympathy from THIS American at the passing of one of the WORST human beings to ever darken our political landscape. I hope Maryjoe is kicking his ample rump all over eternity for the rest of eternity!
Have a day. Bang Gunley
the ground work has been laid out for when OJ dies…great athlete, devoted father, redeemed himself after murdering wife….
The country became a better place on Tuesday evening. I’m sorry that the Kennedy family has to suffer another loss so soon after losing Eunice. The media has outdone themselves kneeling at the teddy adoration altar. I wonder if everything in the state will now be renamed the ted kennedy this, the ted kennedy that and will we have the ted kennedy memorial hack holiday??
Off topic – anyone else hear what I heard………I turned the radio on at about 1:15 am this morning and this is what I heard, http://680news.com/ ….it came in loud and clear – RKO was nowhere in sight…..
Babs, that is harsh. Harsh. Wow.
How is this different when your hero Ronnie died?
I’ve been wondering when the Pope will arrive to Canonize Teddy. Soon I’m sure! He was no hero and let’s just go talk to those of us who were in the Service during the Vietnam Era!
AS to ‘RKO, someone else mentioned that something seems to be wrong with their transmitter. It’s even tough to pick the station up in Randolph and gets worse in Easton when I get off of 24 going home.
As to Ronnie? He was a FORMER PRESIDENT, that’s why he got his 3/4 days. Kennedy does not deserve this adulation. PERIOD!
Just look at your friends & neighbors!
I live in a 10 story building with 300 households, and at least 60% are Kennedy lapdogs.
They put a notice up in the building about the death, and placed flowers next to the flag pole which is a half mast.
The Massachusetts population are vastly brainwashed democrats, the vote on the income tax is the best proof of this.
Sitting in my favorite “greasy spoon” having breakfast this morning trying to read the Herald which is 25 pages deep, along with a full color back page, with mushy Teddy overage.
Ok the Herald, the supposed conservative paper in town, didn’t have to be mean spirited about the fat one’s passing, but they didn’t have to try to out do the bow tied bum kissers in the fawning coverage dept.
As for me, no local broadcast news til monday, reading newspapers online only, and listening to streaming audio with no interruptions for entertainment here at my station, where thank God, if they are discussing Teddy, it is in Russian ,Portuguese, or Spanish and I can’t understand a word of it
I have friends and family living in NY and NJ. The coverage down there isn’t nearly over the top as it is in MA. This is a regional thing. We in MA. just happen to be at the center of the storm. Put aside his left wing affiliation for a moment and consider the other factors. He was our Senator for almost 50 years and he was the last of the Kennedy boys of that era.
Combine that with the fact that Boston is small media on the national map and we have all the 2nd and 3rd rate/tier reporters essentially auditioning for a shot on 1 of the national cable or big market news stations. Channel 4′s coverage was really a circus. They had some blond bimbo covering the procession and at one point commenting that a 12 year old boy who watched the motorcade go by commented that “It was COOL!”. This is news? The papers, radio stations, and TV in this region are all just trying to make a quick buck or push up there ratings a bit. Brian is right but I also think he’s a little envious that he somehow isn’t a part of it.
the real Barbara: oh, you were getting the all news station from Toronto. Sometimes stations have to shut off to do some maintenance work (or maybe a fuse blew?) and that was probably the case. The other night right around that same time, WEEI was nowhere to be found–got mismash of stations–then they were suddenly back.
A few years ago about 3 am I heard a pre-recorded announcement saying WEEI was going off air for maintenance and in came a talk station…KOA…from DENVER!
Yeah, it’s certainly a good thing we didn’t get a week long ghoulfest for Raygun when he went, huh?
I think Conservatives are still having propping him up even though it’s been, what, 5 years?
Reagan was President. He won the Cold War. He reversed 4 years–really, more like 16–of negative American drift and made us proud again.
My favorite part of the Mission Hill Teddypalooza was when Teddy Jr. managed to conflate Ted’s football days at national powerhouse Harvard into being “recruited by the Green Bay Packers”. Huh?
The website for Teddy refers to a letter from the Green Bay coach, according to Free Republic. If the letter indeed was sent, I suspect old Joe had a hand in it, planning for a possible EMK run for office. Once he left Hollywood, Joe never stopped his PR machinations on behalf of his megalomania. I call BS.
Raygun’s ghoulfest was a waste of time.
I think the world would be a much better place if you all crawled back under the rocks you have been living under.
You are all a bunch of sad cases, complete with all the lingo you copied from Howie Carr, to take the time to tear down a man after his passing.
Even if you didn’t agree with the late Senator he spent his entire life working for causes he believed would make America place to live.
He could have spent his life sailing but his was in Washington year after year working for the people.
Thousands lined the streets and many ore waiting in line for hours to pay their respects. lets see how many show up at your funnerals.
Thank God for this board. I have tried to be one of the one or two voices of reason over at the bostonchannel thoughts and rememberances board and it’s a very lonely feeling.What the hell is wrong with me, as an unwilling ted K constituent for over 30 year, am i one of the few that sees the forest thru the trees? This wall to wall coverage and love fest is nauseating, the wife bought into it and commandeered the tv clicker!Let’s all just try to confine ourselves to the horrendous political legacy the guy left us, his personal life shouldn’t be our focus…….
Anti-Brian: I could not agree more. The hatred is mind boggling.
This morning I had a few friends over. The guy was helping me with installing a new keyboard on my laptop (really easy), and his wife was reading the paper. She comes out with, “F*****g Kerry Healy”. “What?” “F*****g Kerry Healy! God I hate her”. “Why?” “Cause I do, She’s a liar. And I hate Republicans” “What lie causes you to hate her so much?” “I don’t know. I don’t remember. I just know she’s a liar.” “Oh, you hate her for being a liar, yet can’t remember the lie?” Now she’s pissed because I called her out. “Yeah. That’s right. Trust me, she’s a f*****g liar.”
Now I’m not a Healy supporter, however I’m able to recognize and credit her with a few issues I feel strongly about. So I ask her, “Do you know Kerry Healy is pro-choice?” She just looked at me- no answer, “and” I continued, “she’s a big advocate for women’s issues- health, safety, economic stuff.” Again, no answer.
So our discussion stops there, and I’m back to getting my computer training. A few minutes pass and she blurts out, “So what else do you love about Kerry Healey?” My answer, “Hey, I never said I loved the woman. All I did was point out a few issues that YOU are concerned with, Healy agrees with. I am so sick of all this hate. You call yourself a proud Democrat. Does that mean you hate all Republicans? All your campaigning for Obama, and the message of hope and change you so wanted, and this is how you honor your (our) party?”
I am up to my eyeballs in all this hatred. It makes me so sad. Where is people’s respect and common decency? I have not felt this kind of hatred in people – ever. Everyone has a right to their opinion, yes, but you’ll have to excuse me for a bit. What I’ve read here lately just makes me ill.
Sounds like you need some ObamaCare™.
Cap’n Spackle
Tell him to get in line – there are 47 million waiting in front of him and they are ENTITLED to it because it is a RIGHT!
And, apparently, it is our “RIGHT” to pay for it.
Ted Kennedy’s death has more meaning & history than Michael Jackson…once again, the coverage isn’t enough…