cadillac eddie
ok, this is just me taking my petty revenge for having my tv kidnapped and held for ransom yesterday by all those miter-capped apologists, but you know i can't resist.
why is it that among all those hours and hours of television we did not once overhear anyone using one of the man's more appropriately-earned nicknames? it's all "lion of the senate" this, and "the last of camelot" that... never "cadillac eddie", and the rousing bedtime tale of his grad school days, and careening through the late-night virginia neighborhoods at 90mph with his headlights off. (it's on one of the citations, i wouldn't make this stuff up).
i only hope when my eulogists stand up for me they're half as judicious with the stories they will tell...
why is it that among all those hours and hours of television we did not once overhear anyone using one of the man's more appropriately-earned nicknames? it's all "lion of the senate" this, and "the last of camelot" that... never "cadillac eddie", and the rousing bedtime tale of his grad school days, and careening through the late-night virginia neighborhoods at 90mph with his headlights off. (it's on one of the citations, i wouldn't make this stuff up).
i only hope when my eulogists stand up for me they're half as judicious with the stories they will tell...
Labels: rant
posted by kad barma at 7:14 AM
2 Comments:
Let us not blame only the miter-capped apologists. Notice that he was not seen out via the Cathedral. But, for the day it is sufficient to note his passing. Then we can, as you did, look to what the broader picture was.
I am not sure what the "lessons learned" really are. It will take a while. Right now he is just another man—ashes to ashes and dust to dust. I don't think that grave will sweeter, warmer be, for all the fancy sendoff. It is time for the particular judgement. Enough to make one shudder. But, then, I believe in the particular judgement.
Regards — Cliff
Kad,
I'm just getting back from out of town but it was an amazing contrast to see how the NY Times and Wall Street Journal covered all this. A lot of the fawning NYT coverage really downplayed Chappaquiddick as some type of "accident" similar to being hit by lightning (or even like, say, the Laura Bush auto tragedy from so many years ago). The Journal did a much fairer job of explaining what happened then, and how in today's 24/7 news and blog cycle, it wouldn't have been swept away in the same manner.
I learned there was no such charge as "vehicular homicide" years ago, so somehow all they could come up with was leaving the scene of an accident.
It's a shame that Mary Jo Kopechne gets largely forgotten by history -- no state funeral, no endless media tributes, etc. We keep hearing about the "voice for the voiceless." Who gets to hear hers?
This whole thing just makes me think more and more about how crazy it ever was that what happened that night was just sort of brushed aside. It's actually made me a lot more curious to get into the details, so I'm going to try to dig into a book on it if I can find a good one.
Also, dittos to the point about the lack of foresight on the part of the "lion" and his handlers. The result of that, as you said in the other post, is that this supposedly terrible representation gap has already been happening for some time..
And a belated happy birthday to ya!
best,
gp
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