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Editorial Kennedy for SenateSen. Ted Kennedy is a Massachusetts institution. While the senator engenders considerable opposition among his constituents, he is overwhelmingly popular because he does his job well. The Ledger believes Kennedy should be returned to the United States Senate.
Kennedy is one of the most recognizable faces in national politics but despite having presidential ambitions in the past and being a national party leader, he pays as much attention to Massachusetts as to Medicare. He has plenty to say about Iraq and about who should sit on the U.S. Supreme Court. As a matter of fact, Kennedy’s office spews out comments on a host of national issues every day. What many people don’t realize is that behind the stump speech is a man with a remarkable grasp of data and congressional history. Addressing the Cape Wind project in Nantucket Sound, which he opposes, Kennedy never mentions his and his family’s history as Cape sailors. Instead, he launches into a 30-year history of research and legislative action concerning the waters off Massachusetts. Asked about immigration, he offers a detailed plan for integrating undocumented workers by sending them to the end of the line to await citizenship while working at jobs that pay decent wages, not under the table. He advocates a tamper-proof ID card that will certify to employers that their workers are legal and penalties for companies that ignore the law. At 74, and after seven full terms in the Senate, Kennedy hasn’t slowed down much. He is knee deep in the debate over the Iraq war but still focuses on issues that have defined his political career, including health care and education. Kennedy’s Republican opponent is Kenneth Chase, a businessman who operates a foreign language school in Belmont and is concentrating heavily on the issue of immigration. He considers both Kennedy’s and President Bush’s stands on how to deal with millions of illegals too soft. Chase faults Kennedy for doing nothing over the course of four decades in Congress to lessen the country’s dependence on foreign oil, which is a key reason Chase believes American troops are dying in Iraq. Chase also would like to see more fresh faces in Washington, with a two-term limit for the Senate and four for the U.S. House. Kennedy may be facing his last campaign; in six years he will be 80. But for now, he remains sharp and committed and has our support for six more years.
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