Thoughts on the Kennedy speach?

[CultureKing]

I feel like for the first night this was definately the most powerful moment of the day. I know that simply from seeing him there and making a speech in such poor health moved me and it is going to be so hard to see him go when his time comes. You could see how well he spoke by looking at the crowd...


Anyways, your thoughts?

[TomC]

I liked the "sailing" metaphor.

[Kaine for Senate '18]

Really an excellent speech; exactly what I was hoping for from him.  He seemed strong throughout, and showed no real signs of his illness.  I especially like it when he said he'd be on the floor of the Senate in January.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

I feel bad for the guy because he's sick.....I don't like Teddy much but honestly, since he was sober and determined to do a good job, he did.

After hearing Nancy Pelosi talk.....which made my ears bleed.....Kennedy was refreshing. 

[Filuwaúrdjan]

The little bit that I saw on the news this morning sounded a little corny (a surprise as he's usually more a tremendous windbag than prone to that sort of thing) but maybe it was unrepresentative.

[MODU]

The speech (content) was poor, but the delivery and crowd emotion was great.  Glad to see he was feeling well enough to stand and give the speech in person.

[CPT MikeyMike]

I feel bad for the guy because he's sick.....I don't like Teddy much but honestly, since he was sober and determined to do a good job, he did.

After hearing Nancy Pelosi talk.....which made my ears bleed.....Kennedy was refreshing. 

Spot on regarding both.

I didn't see the Pelosi speech but saw the transcript and it's like the old saying "garbage in, garbage out."

I was kind of forced to watch (thanks to my wife) the Kennedy speech. He looked a little tired but he did well. I never voted for him when I lived in MA because I simply do not like, or respect him, but it was good to see him looking decent last night.

My mother's best friend has the same kind of brain tumor that Kennedy has. She functioned well, with it, for over 3 years until last fall when things turned for the worse. She's still alive but the quality of live is terrible.

[Brittain33]

The speech (content) was poor, but the delivery and crowd emotion was great.  Glad to see he was feeling well enough to stand and give the speech in person.

I saw him speak at a benefit in Boston earlier this year, before he was diagnosed, and that appears to be how he speaks. He gives a very long pep talk mixing up attack lines and some brief and punchy flights of rhetoric. Very, very different from Obama, and rarely communicating a sense of focus.

That said, he did look great under the circumstances. We should all have such strength and spirit facing the challenges he is facing. It was inspirational, politics aside.

[MODU]

I saw him speak at a benefit in Boston earlier this year, before he was diagnosed, and that appears to be how he speaks. He gives a very long pep talk mixing up attack lines and some brief and punchy flights of rhetoric. Very, very different from Obama, and rarely communicating a sense of focus.

He use to be one hell of a speaker in the old days, and that's coming from someone who was never a fan of his.  He didn't have the soft touch that his brother did, but his brother could never pull of the fire and brimstone effect the way Teddy could.

[WalterMitty]

it was a very fine speech.

im a big admirer of kennedy.

[True Democrat]

Not his best speech ever, but that is certainly expected.

[JSojourner]

I am always so conflicted about Teddy.  I don't pretend his cowardly behavior in 1969 didn't happen.  Where was George?  George was at home, sober and with his wife.  Teddy brought that on himself and it was one of the best GOP lines in history.

I just don't know how he sleeps at night after Chappaquiddick.  Somehow, he has overcome his on sin and stupidity.  There's a reason someone like Orrin Hatch, a very religious conservative, calls Teddy, "One of the finest people I know."  I gotta believe Teddy has changed.  But even so -- liberals who pretend Ted was anything but a coward and a creep after that horrible incident are in denial.

But the man believes all the right things in my way of thinking.  And in that sense, he is such a champion.  He will be gone soon...even if he beats the tumor (and we all pray he does).  So it was great seeing him so robust.

I wish him nothing but well and am glad he's on our team.

[WalterMitty]

jsoj:  the 69 incident is troubling.  but it was a long time ago.  time to move on.  it is water under the bridge, so to speak.

[JSojourner]

jsoj:  the 69 incident is troubling.  but it was a long time ago.  time to move on.  it is water under the bridge, so to speak.

LOL!

I know, Walter.  And yet signs pop up all over my town (Fort Wayne, Indiana for cryin' out loud) that say, "RIP Mary Jo Kopechne" whenever Teddy is in the news.  I am sure it's just one person.  But he owns a TON of these signs. 

It was a long time ago...but it was a human life lost when it could have been saved.  If I excuse a member of MY party for that kind of stuff, then I can hardly point fingers at Republicans who are to blame for the needless loss of human life.