The most demonized liberal in America: your thoughts?

If we're talking about total career vilification, it's clearly Ted Kennedy. He was out there for 47 years -- longer than the Presidencies of FDR, Truman, his brother JFK, LBJ, Carter, Clinton and Obama thus far combined (40 years).

Peak performance? Hard to tell. It's tough to measure the levels of hate in the days before mass media (Jefferson, Jackson, the liberal Republican Lincoln) against those of the era of instantaneous communications (radio guys blasting FDR and Truman, televised mockery of Carter, and people on 24-hour news channels and the Internet with their venomous lies about the Clintons, Gore, Kerry and Obama). But check out the kind of crap that was dredged up against each of them, and then factor in the number of people who were around then compared to now, and you'll have a better idea.

Here's the thing, though: Most of us, in the coverage of Ted's death, have seen the clip of him giving a speech in 1991, after the Palm Beach episode surrounding his nephew William Kennedy Smith (in which Ted was only a background figure at most), in which he admitted, without getting specific, that his character had fallen short. And we heard Bill Clinton admit his sins and mistakes in public.

But we never heard apologies from Nixon for Watergate, from Reagan for Iran-contra, from George W. Bush and Dick Cheney for their crimes -- including, for the last two, convictions for drunken driving, for which Ted was never charged (though son Patrick has).

And whatever really happened at Chappaquiddick, all the publicly-released evidence says that it was an accident. Contrast that with the most beloved of all the conservatives' icons, Ronald Reagan: In 1948, he testified before Congress about his fellow actors' memberships in groups that appeared to have Communist ties. He made a thought-out choice to do something that he knew would ruin people's lives. So there you go: Who would you rather have as a friend?

It is true that Ted Kennedy got a whole lot of crap.

The fact is that the word "liberal" has been so trashed in this country ever since Ronald Reagan. I believe it was George H.W. Bush who said the "ACLU Card-carrying Liberal" line in reference to Dukakis. Conservatives have spent alot of time and energy using marketing principles and scare tactics to vilify the once-respected Liberal name.

Hopefully these "tea-party" loonies will give this crap a rest and we can get around to fixing the country from the past 8 years of cronyism.

I took the time to read the letter and though I found it moving it has not changed my opinion. While I am sure that he was a champion for his goals they are not mine. And before you begin slinging platitudes at me about human rights et all, I believe that we need to get our own house in order here in America before we branch out to saving the rest of the world. And by that I don't mean taking from the rich to provide a boost for the poor but by working to provide opportunities for everyone to succeed and be a part of the American dream of life liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The biggest opportunity to succeed comes through education. Fix that and people can get good jobs and buy their own health care. Fix us first. And government give aways is not the answer. So to me the only thing Teddy was good at was spending my money and trying to get more of it.

Theres bulls, bears, and pigs. The bulls think of their being rewarding....the bears truthfully are. Liberals are the pigs. maximum caucasian republicans want difficult paintings and production (e.g. commerce) not economic approaches that are going to ruin our financial device. of direction your hated. not purely do you already know the basics, optimistically your making the superb selections in investments, you adore God and morals, etc etc. They hate you for alot of motives. Their social gathering is created from the lazy, the entitlementers, people who get bailouts, and the moraless etc. etc.

thanks for the post huck . i had know idea how much of a humanitarian he was . he did so many good deeds that werent publicized. im not from his state but i actually cried. i think he represents the type of person we should strive to be. the compassion he showed to the 911 victims the tireless work for the less fortunate . one of my favorite moments was the anecdote where he was asked why he worked for the liberal causes and the poor . he said simply i read the bible. i pity the republicans that werent moved by this . they have to live themselves.

Mr. Kennedy brought most all his problems onto himself. He murdered and got away with it. He committed treason, and got away with it. Mr. Bush offered his hand to Kennedy and gave him a choice assignment, and Kennedy stabbed him in the back, deep and wide. There is NOTHING heroic about Ted Kennedy at all. He NEVER did a thing for the "little man" but persuade the marxist media he was something other than what he was. A killer, guilty of sedition.

Whether or not someone is at odds with Kennedy politically...chances are, most of us have benefited from some of the things he's done in the Senate. Especially the elderly, handicapped people, and minorities.

You're sending us something from another Kennedy?

Kennedy was an evil man. He was an alcoholic, womanizer, and murderer. He never repented of his sins publicly and used his last name to obtain power and money.

Ted Kennedy was no saint. He was the meanest Senator on the hill and invented the term "Borking" after making salacious lies about Robert Bork.

I can't fault the right too much, I was hostile and insulting when I heard the news about the death of Jerry Falwell.

Ask Robert Bork about Ted Kennedy and vilification.