The embodiment of dynasty

Chuck Todd Chief White House correspondent and political director • Profile

WASHINGTON - Over the next few days there will be plenty of words written and spoken about the legacy of Ted Kennedy.

He is a unique political figure, accomplishing something even presidents have failed to do: He has kept his relevance over decades.

And because of that relevance, everyone has an opinion of Teddy. Everyone.

I'm not going to pretend to be close to the Kennedys. I am not.

But like any political junkie, I've consumed my share of books on all three brothers, and of course I’ve covered plenty of Kennedy stories since diving into the realm of political journalism in the early 90s.

So I begin with the title of this column, taken from Adam Clymer's biography of the senator, written in the late '90s: "From neither perspective was anyone looking at Ted Kennedy as a person. He was just the embodiment of dynasty."

This simple line captures the passion of both political sides of Teddy, from the early '70s through the early '90s. One must remember that in the '70s, Democrats still grasping for Camelot were desperately pinning their hopes on Teddy while Republicans were doing everything they could politically to turn him into a punch line post-Chappaquiddick.

And the idea of Ted Kennedy — rather than the actual man — dominated his political legacy through the early 90s. He was a product of the old ways. He rose in politics by patronage, in this case, by being the brother of the president and the son of a major political donor.

And yet he was a survivor, if not a pioneer of the now common practices of American politics.

The Kennedy family, being well practiced in the old ways of machine politics, were also responsible for making commonplace what we know today as the modern way to run for office, from making presidential primaries significant events (they weren't before 1960), to making commonplace the use of polling as a public relations vehicle.

And while they firmly believed in behind the scenes maneuvering, they also understood the power of the electorate, the power of political persuasion; you didn't have to wait your turn if you could convince the common voter that it was your turn.

Video   Matthews: Kennedy was 'quarterback on the Hill' Aug. 26: Msnbc's Chris Matthews discusses the impact of Sen. Ted Kennedy's death on Capitol Hill. Morning Joe

In fact, in hindsight this makes Kennedy's endorsement of Barack Obama over Hillary Clinton all the more understandable.

The Kennedys didn't believe in waiting their turn behind the scenes. They were taught, by their father among others, to go out and win it themselves if they thought they could. Obama was being told by plenty to wait his turn. Some Democrats probably expected Kennedy to be among those in the establishment to follow that mindset, and yet it would have been rather un-Kennedy of him to support Clinton in 2008.

The legacy
At the moment a bullet pierced the skin of Bobby in June of 1968, Teddy began his 20-year run as a the once-and-future savior of the Democratic Party.

Keep in mind, Kennedy could have had the nomination the easy way, twice – in '68 and again in '72. Plenty in the party were ready to hand it to him, last minute, to "save" the party. There was little confidence by many party elders in Humphrey in '68 and McGovern in '72. Kennedy turned down both chances — and running as the second on the ticket — in both years.

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