Joe Jetson: ‘Ted Kennedy and The Chappaquiddick Tragedy- 7/18/1969’

Source:Joe Jetson– This is the CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite. Sorry, I always wanted to say that in public.

Source:The Daily Journal 

“An inebriated Senator Edward (Ted) Kennedy drove a 1967 Olds 88 into the frigid waters of Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts after leaving a party on the night of July 18, 1969. Also in the car with the married Senator Kennedy was Mary Jo Kopechne, a young, single woman, and former employee of the Kennedy’s family. While Kennedy (known to his fellow Democrats as “The Soul Of The Democratic Party”) somehow managed to escape the submerged vehicle, his passenger was not so fortunate. She was left for dead by Teddy, The “Hero of Chappaquiddick”. Kennedy fled the scene on foot and did not report the accident to police until TEN HOURS LATER. Kopechne’s dead body was discovered trapped inside the car the next morning. Somehow, Kennedy managed to avoid murder (or at least manslaughter) charges. He used the corrupt Kennedy political machine to somehow escape full responsibility for this tragedy with only minor Traffic Charges. History records that Kennedy went on to become the Spiritual Leader and an Icon of the Democratic Party. He even had the nerve to try a failed bid for President in 1980, but his this scandalous incident caught up with him, and he was forced to withdraw from the race in disgrace. But that didn’t stop him from doing his best to destroy the USA for thirty more years with failed Liberal Programs which are now finally leading to the moral and financial bankruptcy of our once great nation.”

From Joe Jetson

Despite this horrible tragedy, Ted Kennedy made a very successful and productive life for himself afterwords. Ted Kennedy, was basically still a frat boy in 1969 even at 37. He was married and already had kids, but wasn’t very serious about his marriage and liked other women. He was still dealing with the assassination of his brother Bobby and perhaps Jack as well. He simply wasn’t ready for the national spotlight and people to be looking at him as the future leader of the country. Because he was still trying to grow up, something that he didn’t really accomplish at all until the mid or late 1990s when he was already in his sixties with grandchildren. Up till then he was still trying to balance his personal life which could be chaotic and his professional life as a U.S. Senator.

If you watched the 2009 HBO documentary about Ted Kennedy which really was Senator Kennedy in his own words I really think you see how responsible and hurt he was from his own childish and immature actions that cost the life of a young woman Mary Joe Kopechne:

First of all, he’s driving this woman home instead of his wife from this party, which I believe is a big clue there. And driving her home when he’s had too much to drink. Ted, was still dealing with alcoholism in his early sixties. He drives the car into a lake and the first thing that comes to his mind is his personal survival. And the second thing his is professional survival. Not the woman who was in the car with him. That came after it looked like he might be held personally responsible for her life.

Of the three Kennedy brothers that served in Congress and had successful careers in politics, Ted Kennedy had the best and longest career. Even though he was never president. But compare his Congressional record with his brothers and most people who have ever served in Congress in either the Senate or House and Senator Kennedy is in the first class, whatever you think of his politics. And all of this despite his lack of maturity and personal responsibility.

Ted was never built to be President of the United States. By the time he was personally ready for that and to even make a strong run at that, he was in his early sixties. And Bill Clinton was already president and the Democratic Party was moving away from Senator Kennedy’s more social democratic politics. But Senator Kennedy, once he finally grew up became a great man and a great senator.

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ABC Evening News: ‘March 1972, Campaign News’

Source:ABC News– anchor Howard K. Smith.

Source:The Daily Journal

“In this rare clip, One of Nixon’s primary challengers drop out, the Republican accuse AT&T of not making the Democrats pay phone bills, African Americans have their own convention Jesse Jackson makes an apprentice, also news on Northern Ireland.”

From E-Fan

One way to sum up the 1972 Democratic presidential primaries, is to say it went to the guy who was damaged the least and not to the best candidate. Because there was really never any real danger to President Nixon losing reelection. But about how big of victory he would get and what he would do with it.

The Democratic race for president between Senator’s George McGovern, Ed Muskie, Hubert Humphrey and others, was great TV and very interesting. And a very good look inside of the Democratic Party was between its establishment Center-Left, that Senator Muskie and Senator Humphrey represented and the more social democratic New-Left that Senator McGovern represented in 1972.

The story about the Black Panthers (a New-Left socialist and communist group interested in the state of the African-American community) was interesting. They were in and outside of the Democratic Party back then and much further left of the NAACP which is more of a progressive Center-Left civil rights organization who are definitely tied to the Democratic Party as their supporters are.

The word militant is perfect for the Black Panthers, because that is what they were. And at the very least were linked and associated with known terrorists and criminals. And were accused of being part of terrorists acts in the 1970s. They were looking for a much more radical direction for the African-American community than the NAACP.

Apparently big business’s and other special interests on the Democratic Party and Republican Party was also a big issue in 1972. Of course it was which is why I still don’t know why Congress has never passed a full-disclosure law on all federal candidates and incumbents. Actually I do, because neither Democrats, or Republicans want to disclose who contributes to their campaigns. Because a lot of those contributors are controversial and Democrats and Republicans don’t want to officially be associated with groups like that. But that along with ending gerrymandering completely is the only way you weed out corruption in American politics. Because of how liberal our First Amendment is.

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ABC Evening News: ‘Ted Kennedy’s Potential Run For President in 1972’

Source:ABC News– if you are one of the 3 people who don’t recognize these cars: (ha, ha) those are d-model Citroens, which are French luxury cars.

Source:The Daily Journal

“In this clip, ABC goes over the rumors of Ted Kennedy’s possible run in 1972, It did not happen. Also discussed is the Vietnam peace treaty and action and Vietnam.”

From E-Fan

Senator Ted Kennedy was still way too controversial to run for president in 1972. He wasn’t ready to run for president and was happy in the Senate being a Senator and being one of the largest voices in Congress, (at least in the Democratic Party) gaining seniority and influence in what happens in the Senate and Congress as a whole, where he had a lot of friends in both the Senate and House.

I sort of see Ted Kennedy as his generation’s Paul Ryan, as someone who could have done more things outside of Congress, but was happy in Congress. Paul Ryan, now Chairman of the House Budget Committee, Ted Kennedy, long time Chairman and Ranking Member of the Labor Committee. Plus, he had personal issues he was still dealing with in his family, including his wife.

There was never much reason for Ted Kennedy to really ever run for president. He never actually wanted the job, again because of how successful and happy he was in Congress being such a powerful Senator who had so much to do with so much important legislation that came out of Congress.

Senator Kennedy’s 1979-80 presidential run showed that being president was not something he wanted, when he couldn’t even answered the point-blank question from CBS News’s Roger Mudd: “Why do you want to be president?’

Senator Kennedy wouldn’t have won in 72 even if he did run and win the nomination, because of how divided the Democratic Party was between their mainstream Progressives and their New-Left that George McGovern represented. Ted Kennedy, made the right decision not running in 72 and he shouldn’t have run in 1979-80 either.

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ABC Evening News: ‘1972 VP Drama’

Source:ABC News– the ABC Evening News with Howard K. Smith, in 1972.

Source:The Daily Journal 

“This is a rare color clip of the 8-28-72 Edition, of the ABC Evening News. This is about the struggles of 1972 Democratic Nominee Thomas Eagleton, who was the VP nominee until he was dropped for mental health issues.

This is the first of a series of Videos, ending with Election Night 1972 from ABC News, which I will upload sometime.”

From Efan

George McGovern did a lot to bring in new voters to the Democratic Party by reaching to African, Latin, Asian, and Jewish Americans. As well as women and suburban voters, after the civil rights movement of the 1960s with a large number of Southern Anglo-Saxon Protestant Americans heading to the GOP because of civil rights. And you could credit Senator McGovern with even saving the Democratic Party because without these new voters, all of these new people would’ve ended up Republicans, or not voting at all.

Without George McGovern we would’ve seen Republican Congress’s, not just a Republican Senate, but the GOP would’ve won back the House and Senate well before 1994. Perhaps even by 1980 with the Reagan Revolution, because the Democratic Party would’ve been left with a large hole to fill. With all of those Southern voters heading to the GOP, without other voters heading to the Democratic Party. So by bringing in all of these new voters to the Democratic Party, Senator McGovern deserves credit for saving the Democratic Party. From future losses in Congress and the White House after 1972.Democrats added to their majorities in Congress in 1974. And they won back the White House while holding both the House and Senate in 1976.

The Democratic Party paid such a heavy price for it in 1972, yes President Nixon was pretty popular, but they were a very divided party between establishment Progressives who wanted a united party to face the Republicans in the fall and the anti-war New-Left Socialists that wanted to take over the party and return it to where it was in the 1960s and build on the New Deal and Great Society. And George McGovern also deserves credit for running the most disorganize convention in the TV era.

Even if Senator Tom Eagleton didn’t have the pass mental health controversy going on, George McGovern not just loses, but loses going away. The Eagleton Affair (as it was called) was just another reminder of how disorganized the Democratic Party was in the early 1970s. And it’s until 1975 or so after the Watergate affair that the Democratic Party finally recovered at the presidential level, from what went on in the late 1960s.

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ABC Evening News: ‘George McGovern and Ed Muskie 1972 Presidential Election’

Source:ABC News– ABC News, covering George McGovern’s 1972 presidential campaign.

Source:The Daily Journal 

“George McGovern and Ed Muskie 1972 Election Wall. For more presidential election videos.”

From Election Wall

Edmund Muskie reminds me a little bit of John Kerry. Just thought I throw that in there.

The Democrats didn’t have anyone who could beat Richard Nixon in 1972. They also didn’t have a united party that could do that as well. One of the reasons why Senator George McGovern as leader of the party for that fall campaign reformed the rules for how delegates were assigned at conventions was to bring in more Americans to the party.

The party was transitioning from a Southern based party with Northeastern ties to a party that by the 1980s was heavily dependent on the Northeast and West Coast to win. As well as big cities in the Midwest. Because Senator McGovern brought in African-Americans, Latinos, Jews and Asians to the party from these big cities in the country.

George McGovern, whatever you think of his politics was a very bright man. And served South Dakota very well in Congress both in the House and later in the Senate. And I’m sure at the very least knew that even if he did win the Democratic nomination for president he had not an uphill battle against President Nixon in the fall. But more like a swimmer trying to swim upstream with one arm, one leg and one eye.

But what McGovern did in 1972 as far as changing the voting rules in the party paid off really well for Democrats in 1976 with Jimmy Carter. And perhaps helped Democrats hold onto the House of Representatives for another 22 years after 72 with all of the new voters that came to the party. But 1972 was not a year that Democrats were prepared to win back the presidency. They were in transition and way too divided.

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ABC Evening News: ‘A Few Days Before The 1972 Democratic Convention’

Source:ABC News– covering the 1972 Democratic National Convention.

Source:The Daily Journal 

“In this rare clip from 1972, George Wallace campaigns for the first time since he was shot, Ed Muskie was considered a mystery, and the National Guard is called in to stop riots.

Also talked about is the trial of the man who shot Wallace, and some Vietnam news.”

From Efan

Here’s a reason to watch ABC Now if you are a political junky.

There was simply no way that the Democratic Party was going to win the 1972 presidential election. Even if you could get past the facts that President Richard Nixon was ending the Vietnam War, that his policies to talk too and work with Russia and China were paying off and that the American economy was still relatively healthy. But the state of the Democratic Party was the main issues for Democrats in 72.

The emerging that I at least would call Socialist New-Left that backed Senator George McGovern for president who went out his way to have this fringe political faction behind him, combined with what was left of the Southern right-wing base in the party that backed Governor George Wallace, and the traditional New Deal/Great Society progressive coalition that was behind Senator Hubert Humphrey, gave the Democratic Party that was only willing to vote for their preferred candidate for President and no one else.

Democrats and Senator George McGovern were so desperate to get attention and support behind their campaign that they tried to make Watergate an issue in the summer and fall of 72. Even though most of the country hadn’t even heard of the Watergate Hotel yet, let alone the burglary there.

Landslides tend to happen at least at the presidential level when you have a fairly popular president which is what Richard Nixon was for most of 1972, with a large percentage of the country believing things are going well, facing a divided opposition party like the Democratic Party in 72. That couldn’t decide who their presidential nominee was going to be and which faction of the party would get it until they got to the convention itself. Opposition parties need to be united behind a leader in order to defeat the President of the United States. Which is not what the Democrats were in 72.

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