In more than 30 years as journalist, I have seldom been overly impressed by the public figures that I interviewed or covered. Senator Edward Kennedy is one of the exceptions.
In the summer of 1986 I covered the U.S. Senate race between then-Idaho Governor John Evans and incumbent Senator Steve Symms for my newspaper. I took an East Coast swing with each candidate as they went back to raise money for their respective campaign war chests.
One of the stops on Evans' swing was at the New Jersey home of Senator Bill Bradley. Bradley, a former Rhodes Scholar and NBA star with the New York Knicks, had a beautiful home, with a large, sweeping lawn, a perfect setting for a political fundraiser. There was a respectable crowd there to help with the Evans campaign. While at the Bradley fundraiser, Evans learned that Senator Ted Kennedy was hosting a fundraiser nearby and had invited Evans to attend and maybe even pick up some campaign donations. So Evans' entourage packed up and drove up the road to see Kennedy.
Kennedy's event was being held at an impressive castle-like building. Next to it was the biggest white tent I had ever seen where ample amounts of food and drink were deployed for hundreds of guests. Evans and his staff made their way into the castle looking for Kennedy. I followed close behind.
My political reporter juices flowed because I knew this detour on the Evans schedule would be a key part of my story. Ted Kennedy was considered the devil incarnate in conservative Idaho. More than a few Idaho Republicans took his name in vain as a way to stir up the state's conservative base. I wondered if Evans' political handlers had any idea how this little encounter between Evans and Kennedy would play back home once it was reported in my newspaper. Oddly, no one on the Evans staff ever mentioned it until after my story was published.
It was standing room only in the castle. At first it was difficult to see the star of the show because there were so many people. Then I spotted Kennedy on the floor below. He was surrounded by a throng of people. Evans, a large and towering man, made his way through the crowd to meet Kennedy with the skill of an offensive guard cutting through a defensive line. I followed in the governor's draft.
Today I can't remember the specifics of the Evans-Kennedy encounter or what the two men said to each other. But I'll never forget how the people were drawn to Kennedy. They pressed in on him as though he were some kind of human magnet. They wanted to get as close to him as they could. They just wanted to brush up against history.
I, too, must admit that I was impressed by the Massachusetts senator. He had that head of white hair and the puffy, lined face of boxer who had taken more than a few blows in his life. Dressed in a dark pinstripe suit, he carried too much weight, but somehow the extra pounds didn't detract from his energy or charisma. He had an infectious smile and laugh. His Boston-Irish voice boomed over the crowd. He was as impressive in person as he was delivering a give-em hell speech at a Democratic convention or on the floor of the Senate.
In my time covering public figures I can only think of a few people - Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama come to mind - who commanded the kind of star power I witnessed that day in New Jersey.
Yesterday we had to make a decision whether to carry an extra half hour of NBC Nightly News dedicated to Kennedy's death or carry our local 6 p.m. news. Was there enough interest in Kennedy's death among our viewers to merit the extra coverage? Surely people in Washington, D.C. and in New England would be interested. But what about in Oregon and S.W. Washington? I urged us to pick up the entire hour of Nightly and I'm glad we did.
In many ways, Kennedy was more than a senator from Massachusetts. Whether you agreed with Kennedy or not, he had a national following and impact that only a few senators in U.S. History could match.
Kennedy served in the Senate for 47 years, longer than only two other senators in history. His fingerprints are on virtually every major piece of social legislation over the last five decades, laws that have transformed American life. In recent years he earned the respect of senators - Republicans and Democrats alike - because of the way he reached across party lines to get things accomplished. His death marked the end of an era - he was the last of four brothers who dedicated their lives to their country. Indeed, Ted Kennedy saw three of them literally give their lives for the country they loved.
Yes, I thought carrying the extra half hour of Nightly was the right thing to do for our viewers. In this age of cable talk TV that creates more heat than light, in a world of vanishing newspapers and quick sound bites, it was good to take the time to acknowledge the passing of one of the nation's political giants.
He was the last arguement against anything great about the Kennedys. His brothers have been spinning in their graves for years.. Ted was a waste of flesh.