In the 1980 US Presidential Election exercise, the hottest rival to President Jimmy Carter in the Democratic Party was Senator Edward Kennedy. But one reason why Kennedy failed to beat Carter in the pre-election Convention was the ever-burning issue of Chappaquiddick. It could be recalled that, under the influence of alcohol, Kennedy drove his automobile into a little river on Chappaquidick Island. The gory incident in which Kennedy’s female partner, Mary Jo Kopechne died, took place on July 19, 1969, soon after Kennedy’s election to the Senate.
As you can see from today’s cartoon published in the Daily Times during Kennedy’s campaign, Americans refused to ignore that incident. Although Kennedy remained a vital force in the US Congress until his death on August 25, 2009, his moral standing remained his Achilles heel.
The question we should ask ourselves is whether the moral standing of those wooing us for their votes matter to us.
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