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Sen. Edward Kennedy, who died in 2009, was an iconic figure in American politics, part of an American political dynasty that has been rocked by fame and tragedy. Compared to his brothers Robert F. Kennedy and President John F. Kennedy, Ted was considered a lightweight, who rode their coattails into the Senate in 1962 at the age of 30. Neal Gabler, author of the new biography, “Catching the Wind: Edward Kennedy and the Liberal Hour, 1932-1975,” says that following the assassinations of his brothers, Ted Kennedy became the leading voice of American liberalism, championing the war on poverty, civil rights and the antiwar movement. But his moral authority and his presidential ambitions were seriously damaged by his involvement in a fatal car accident on Chappaquiddick Island in 1969.
The Kennedy family saga marked a milestone this year: Joe Kennedy III, grandson of RFK, lost to incumbent Sen. Ed Markey in a primary, becoming the first Kennedy ever to lose a Massachusetts election. Could this spell the end of the Kennedy dynasty? Gabler says that’s possible “if the country doesn’t want to give voice to the voiceless or power to powerless.”
