Posted by
Always To The Right on Sunday, August 30, 2009 2:14:13 PM
“I didn’t know about Chappaquiddick and the rape case until yesterday”
But how is it that so many women unabashedly revere Kennedy today? The
particulars of Chappaquiddick are especially gory; his behavior after
the accident approaches the amoral. Once he broke free and swam to the
surface, Kennedy said that he dove back down seven or eight times to
rescue Kopechne. Failing, he swam back to shore and checked back into
his hotel, and a short time later lodged a noise complaint with the
desk clerk. The people in the room next to his were partying and it was
interfering with his sleep. Then he asked the desk clerk for the time
Perhaps, along with the hagiographic Kennedy myth, we can bury this
outdated tradition of excusing the reprehensible treatment of women by
the same male legislators who otherwise advocate for our rights
politically. It's degrading. It's like making excuses for the husband
who beats you up but pays the bills on time. It may be 2009, but the
bulk of the talking heads who covered this funeral were older white
males, and among the few women -- eminent historian Doris Kearns
Goodwin among them -- it's still shocking to hear them, nearly to a
one, reduce Kennedy's bad behavior to rakish abandon or poor judgement.
Why shouldn't we hold our elected male officials -- especially those
who so assiduously court the female vote -- to a standard of personal
decency in their treatment of women? Why do we still assume that this
is an either/or proposition?