May 20, 2008 3:08 pm US/Eastern
What Ted Kennedy Means To Massachusetts
A Column By Jon Keller, WBZ Political Analyst
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
-
-
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
For millions of Americans and others around the world who grew up admiring the Kennedy brothers and what they stood for, Ted Kennedy is an iconic figure. For thousands and thousands of people who have been affected by the legislation Ted has championed during his 46-year Senate career – low-wage workers making higher minimums, seniors enjoying health benefits, students receiving student loans, minorities protected by civil rights legislation just to name a few – he is a guardian angel.
But we here in Massachusetts enjoy an extra benefit from having Ted Kennedy represent us. He is, by all accounts and by bi-partisan consensus, the most effective inside player on Capitol Hill in modern times.
What does that really mean? It means that if you have a good job at a hospital, a lab, a university, a military base, or any other place that relies on federal funding, chances are you owe that job to Kennedy's work on the Senate floor. And it means that if you ever have a problem with the feds, you have perhaps the nation's most tireless, effective advocate at your disposal.
Consider this true story, told to me by a leading local Republican, on the condition that I not name names: a few years back, a conservative Republican businessman down the South Shore ran afoul of a federal bureaucracy and its arcane interpretation of federal regulations governing that industry. Their dispute mushroomed into a fight; the bureaucracy dug in its heels. The businessman turned to his congressman for help; no luck. He called Sen. John Kerry; his call went unreturned. Desperate and facing bankruptcy, the businessman placed what he assumed would be a futile phone call to Kennedy's office.
Within an hour, a high-level staffer was on the phone soliciting details of the businessman's plight. Would he be at that same phone number later that day? Yes, our desperate citizen said. Two hours later, the phone rings. It's Ted Kennedy. He asks detailed questions about the situation for ten minutes, then asks if the businessman will be reachable at that number the next morning at 10 a.m. The businessman hangs up, pleasantly stunned and hopeful.
The next morning at 10 sharp, the businessman receives a phone call from the federal bureaucrat who's been torturing him. Surprise – upon further review, it appears they have misinterpreted the rules, and the businessman's problem is now gone. He hangs up the phone, overcome with relief, and within minutes, it rings again. It's Ted. Did you get a call from that agency? Is everything all set now? Here is a name and number in my office to call 24/7 if any further hassles arise.
Now that's a legislator. That's Sen. Ted Kennedy. And that's the kind of irreplaceable service and caring we stand to lose is – God forbid – anything should force Ted to the sidelines.
Share Your Thoughts
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Click to enlarge
Jail Evacuated After Sprinklers Flood Building 1 hr 39 mins ago
Hyannis Man Loses License For Life After OUI 1 hr 6 mins ago
Stumble It!
Reporting
