Denver People Examiner

Ted Kennedy - 'One of the greatest men in our history ' says his former press secretary

The last time Morrison-resident Tom Southwick saw his old boss Teddy Kennedy, it was a few years ago when they ran into each other at a Washington, D.C., reception.

“I said, ‘Senator, I’m going to test your memory,’” Southwick said. The Democratic icon flashed a trademark big smile and replied, “You used to work for me, didn’t you?”

That warmth sums up a major part of Kennedy’s appeal for Southwick, now senior vice-president with Starz Entertainment, but who as a young Harvard grad was Kennedy’s press secretary from 1977-1980. That period included Kennedy’s unsuccessful run for the presidential nomination, a relentless experience which drove the exhausted Southwick to leave his post – though on excellent terms with Kennedy.

While perceived as an Easterner, Edward Kennedy had an intense love of the Rocky Mountains, a fondness developed while working in the region for his brother, John’s, 1960 presidential campaign. Skiing in Aspen became part of his active family lifestyle.

“He has incredible energy, is extremely hard-working, and has that big smile. He jokes a lot, and that keeps people from getting too tense in stressful situations,” Southwick said. Many characterize Kennedy as a “liberal lion” a mantle he has come to wear since his election in 1962 to the seat once held by JFK. Southwick said there's much more to Kennedy than that simple snapshot: “I don’t think there’s ever been a legislator in the House or Senate who worked harder, or has a longer list of accomplishments.”

The key to his reach is the senator’s ability to find common ground. “He’s the guy who sits down and says, ‘We disagree on 99 percent of this. What’s the one percent we have in common?’” Southwick recalled. A prime example is his landmark bill he co-authored with Sen. Orrin Hatch, a conservative Republican from Utah. Together, the pair oversaw a massive overhaul of federal sentencing guidelines, a task which hadn’t been tackled for more than a century. Kennedy viewed it as a chance to ensure that the poor and minorities weren’t given unfair punishments in different parts of the country; Hatch, his ideological opposite, used it as a way to be certain that judges wouldn’t be too lenient on offenders.

“That was huge, and it has an impact today,” Southwick said. It was typical of many partnerships with other lawmakers, including the one Kennedy forged with Sen. John McCain on immigration.

Southwick also had an inside view of the most troubling part of Kennedy’s life: The incident at Chappaquiddick, Ma., in 1969 -- a year after Bobby's assassination -- when Kennedy drove off a bridge near Martha’s Vineyard and fled, leaving a female passenger to drown. As press secretary on the tenth anniversary of the tragedy, Southwick advised him to be open with the press, answering any questions. Kennedy agreed, and did so, even as he was harshly grilled. That blunder, however, will not be what should be recalled, Southwick said.

“I don’t think that will be his legacy. I don’t know if Daniel Webster had some problem, but that’s not how’s he’s remembered,” Southwick said, adding that Kennedy – recently diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor – will go down “as one of the greatest men in our history,” having shaped critical events ranging from Civil Rights to immigration.

“I sat in with him on many occasions, where there were tough decisions. And he wanted to do the right thing, what was best for the country, regardless of the political gain,” Southwick said. Because of that, he believes Kennedy will be viewed for his own contributions, easily an equal to his older brothers Jack and Bobby. “It always came down to the right thing to do. And that’s very tough.”
Topics: Sen. Edward Kennedy , JFK , Bobby Kennedy , Southwick

Will Palin steal Obama's home court advantage in Colorado?

Will Sarah Palin try to steal Barack Obama’s home court advantage when she visits Colorado on Saturday? The former high school point guard, known as "Sarah Barracuda" on the Wasilla state championship girls basketball team in 1982,... Read More
Topics: Sen. John McCain , RNC , Sarah Palin

Homelessness and the convention

The Democratic National Convention may have been a whirlwind of activities, but behind all the confetti, the spotlight did land on some long-term issues here – including homelessness.Indeed, though some pre-DNC focused on the idea that homeless... Read More
Topics: DNC , Mercy Housing

First Amendment, Golden fine after Al Jazeera convention visit

Despite the protester with the air horn trying to drown out a bar owner's comments about free speech – and someone sporting a T-shirt which said “Islam sucks” – the visit to Golden by Al Jazeera English television network seemed... Read More
Topics: DNC , Al Jazeera , Golden

Best of the Democratic National Convention through Examiners' eyes

When Barack Obama, “triumphant” according to the Rocky Mountain News, was whisked by police escort from the downtown Westin Tabor Center hotel today, he left behind a number of things -- including indelible memories of a tremendous convention.... Read More
Topics: Barack Obama , DNC

Top 5 ways the Democratic Convention benefits Denver

  Now that Barack Obama and the Democrat clan have left town, and the confetti is cleaned up and pepper spray stowed away, what remains? Was it all like the musicial Brigadoon, about a mythical Scottish town which appears once every hundred... Read More
Topics: Barack Obama , DNC

Obama's speech illuminates Denver and caps Democratic National Convention

Shortly after Barack Obama’s final words echoed up from the 50 yard line of Mile High at Invesco stadium last night -- “At this moment, in this election, we must pledge once more to march into the future. Let us keep that promise, that... Read More
Topics: Barack Obama , DNC

Top 5 signs in Denver during the Democratic Convention

  The top five signs in and around Denver during the Democratic National Convention week: 5. “Discobama 2008” on the billboard outside the Shag Lounge.  4. “More Cowbell, Less McCain” (T-shirt).  3. Barack... Read More
Topics: DNC , Wellington Webb

Will Barack Obama hoop in Denver before his Invesco speech?

  So his acceptance speech was moved from the hardcourt home of the Denver Nuggets to Mile High football stadium.  But that doesn’t mean that old No. 23 – Barry Obama’s number on Hawaii’s Punahoe High School basketball... Read More
Topics: Barack Obama , DNC , basketball

Bikes make the Democratic National Convention wheely Green

Love or hate the current Democratic National Convention in Denver, it has spawned an explosion of bicycling in Denver. The Freewheelin bike library, a combo of Humana and Boulder’s 10-year-old Bikes Belong coalition, has loosed some 1,000 cycles... Read More
Topics: DNC , bicycles