I know I've written a bit on how I felt about Ted's passing, and I'm sure you've read and seen many others. But I just I had one more thought I wanted to share.
The more I thought about it today, the more I realized something. He came damn close to passing a lot of other legislation, too. The Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act in 2006 (it passed with a filibuster-proof majority in 2006, but didn't pass the Republican-led House). The Matthew Shepherd Hate Crimes Act, on which he was the lead sponsor along with Gorden Smith, which has passed the House but failed to advance in the Senate (it's currently moving). The Employment Non-Discrimination Act, too, which should pass in the next year. And that's just this decade- I'm sure I'm missing others in the past, please leave others you know of in in the comments. It's like Jack Nicklaus, who came in or tied for second in seventeen different majors. It's remarkable, but it goes overlooked among all his wins.
The other thing I thought about, in part inspired by HRC President Joe Solmonese's tribute, is that he also helped to stop a lot of bad from happening. Most people think of Robert Bork, which was a huge victory. I'm also thinking of, as Joe pointed out, stopping Jesse Helms' efforts to effectively force HIV+ individuals to live like sex offenders, or from using taxpayer money to fund programs designed to stop the "spread" of homosexuality. I learned that in 1994, he took the lead on defeating a proposed amendment requiring written parental consent before unemancipated minors could receive condoms or other contraceptives through any program that receives federal funds. This helped stop the spread of HIV and other STDs among both gay and straight youth.
Because so much of EMK's legacy focuses on his gigantic legislative achievements, we forget that he led the efforts to defend program after program from Reagan's cuts, and even dragged himself down to DC last summer to vote against Medicare cuts to doctor reimbursements, something that moved so many Republicans they switched their votes enough to make the vote veto-proof. These things, I think, are important to remember, too.
If you'll permit me to share one personal thing, it's that his passing makes me feel a bit the same as I did about LeRoi Moore, a founding member and longtime woodwind player for Dave Matthews Band (I'm a huge fan). As I wrote this morning, EMK inspires political activism in me, while LeRoi inspired music in my life. After LeRoi tragically died from complications relating to an ATV accident last summer, DMB opened nearly every show for the rest of that summer's tour with their epic song, Bartender. I think because it fits so well. It touches on the themes of death, remembrance, and legacy, and it moved me a great deal last summer. I listened to it on the way home tonight after I met up with another former EMK intern to talk about him, and found myself feeling the same way. It's a dark song with an uplifting, moving part right at the middle, and then a pennywhistle solo that makes you feel like there's hope even after all the mourning. The lyrics mean a lot in the context of his passing, too.
I posted a particularly great live version below, I hope you'll take a listen. Lyrics are posted here.
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