Short; six paragraphs
Ted Kennedy Was a Great Champion of the Political Left - WSJ.com
A common myth about politics is that centrists rule the day. The truth is that moderates typically cut their deals on ground taken by conviction politicians of the left or right who have already changed the terms of public debate. Edward "Ted" Kennedy, who died Tuesday of brain cancer at age 77, was a conviction politician who achieved more than most modern Democratic Presidents.
Like most Democrats who came of age during the mid-20th century, Kennedy believed in the power of the state as the main engine of social justice. Born of a rich and famous family, he believed in high tax rates that also burdened the not-yet-rich. We think recent decades have shown the limitations of that philosophy of government, but there's no denying that Kennedy advanced his cause by dint of his passion and relentlessness.
I posted the Washington Post editorial yesterday; here's another link to it.
Sen. Edward M. Kennedy: Champion of Noble Causes - washingtonpost.com
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