NW Kennedy supporter mourns senator's passing
Scott Larsen has fond memories of the late US senator Ted Kennedy, including serving as a delegate for his bid to be the Democratic candidate in the 1980 presidential election.
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Updated: August 28, 2009 12:39 PM
Ever since Scott Larsen was a teen, Ted Kennedy and his brothers Jack and Robert stood for something.
“The Kennedy legacy was giving a voice to people who didn’t have lobbyists, who are disenfranchised—minorities, working class, working poor.
“They became the family people watched for decades.”
With the passing of the longtime senator of Massachusetts and one-time Democratic presidential candidate on Tuesday, the New Westminster resident sees a void in American politics.
“Of the 2,300 bills he was attached to, 300 of them were significant,” said Larsen, who recently became a Canadian citizen.
“I don’t think the average American realizes that how we live today—what we buy, how we work, do anything—his name is attached to many facets of our lives. That is the legacy he leaves.”
Larsen, who was a delegate for Kennedy when he ran against Jimmy Carter in 1980 at the Democratic convention, remembers the party being split into two camps.
“I backed Ted Kennedy because we needed more leadership in the White House. We needed more of a progressive voice,” said Larsen, who came to Canada several years ago to be with and eventually marry his same-sex partner.
Larsen got his start in politics when he was barely out of high school. He ran unsuccessfully for the Washington state house of representatives. In addition to being a Kennedy delegate, he was also a member of the electoral college.
“We learn more about people after they’re gone and I think we’re going to find out his influence through the legislation he passed.”
mmcquillan@
newwestnewsleader.com
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