With the death of Senator Edward Kennedy, America lost a vigorous supporter of clean energy and the environment. Ted Kennedy played a key role in passing numerous critical bills on behalf of environmental and clean energy causes, including measures on fuel economy, brownfields cleanup and revitalization, and home energy efficiency assistance for families of modest means.
As did scores of Americans, I turned out to pay my final respects to Senator Kennedy this past week. I was one of the thousands who lined the route from the U.S. Capitol to Arlington National Cemetery to honor the Senator as he was taken to his final resting place.
The scene on my corner of Constitution Avenue across from the Capitol was pure Norman Rockwell, taking on the feel of a small town July Fourth parade. Citizens of all ages, races and ethnicities had gathered. Everyone waited patiently for some three hours, because rain in Boston had delayed the transport of Senator Kennedy's casket to Washington.
Luke Velie of the U.S. Capitol Police was on duty in front of my corner and kindly answered questions from the crowd. "The Senator's plane hasn't left Boston yet." "They've just landed at Andrews." "The hearse will be entering the Capitol from Independence Avenue -- they'll be turning by here on the way to Arlington." Small children sat on their parents' shoulders; many in the crowd waved flags.
The hearse bearing Senator Kennedy's body was greeted with affection as it finally emerged on Constitution Avenue. The vehicle was followed by a motorcade bearing Senator Kennedy's family and closest associates. People waved and called their thanks to the late Senator, the Kennedy family and Kennedy friends. Members of the Kennedy family waved back and Massachusetts Senator John Kerry exchanged the "thumbs up" sign with observers.
I made the trip to the Capitol because Senator Kennedy was a part of my growing up. Senator Kennedy and I shared the same hometown -- Brookline, Massachusetts -- and I continued to consider him my senior hometown senator even after I settled in the Washington area.
Even more important, watching Senator Kennedy as I worked with the Massachusetts Congressional delegation as a young adult shaped my views on the contribution that could be made through politics and on conducting the people's business with acumen and respect. These lessons are perhaps even more important today.
My political lessons date back to my college years. My school had a Washington semester program, and I was fortunate to land an internship in the office of Congressman Joe Moakley of Boston.
Moakley, a close friend of the Kennedys and House Speaker Tip O'Neill, was a quintessential Boston pol with an even bigger heart. He was also a rarity in that he took me, a young college student, seriously and let me participate not only in constituent work but also in the shaping of his legislative agenda.
During the time that I worked with Moakley, I helped his constituents on numerous matters involving the federal government and was assigned to represent him on housing, development and banking legislation. Remarkably, he included me in several lunches in the Members Dining Room of the House of Representatives, introducing me to his colleagues and quizzing me later on what was said and why.
The lessons that I learned in working with Moakley and the Massachusetts Congressional delegation were those practiced over the years by Senator Kennedy and his staff.
First, government is meant to advance the interests of ordinary people and their communities. Constituent issues -- a Social Security check for an elder, a veteran's benefits, a young man's or woman's admission to a service academy -- shape lives and are matters of urgency. Second, legislative agendas grow out of the interests of ordinary Americans who very likely are not represented by Washington lobbyists. Third, all members of Congress are worthy of respect, all participate in shaping the legislative process, and bipartisan compromise is needed to move the ball forward.
While the Massachusetts delegation was largely Democratic when I worked for Moakley, our Republican members -- Senator Edward Brooke, Congressman Silvio Conte and Congresswoman Margaret Heckler -- were highly respected colleagues, collaborators and friends. The interests of all members of the delegation were taken into account when developing common positions and, on matters affecting Massachusetts, the needs of the state took precedence over the needs of individual Congressional districts.
In the brand of pragmatic politics practiced by Ted Kennedy, Joe Moakley and their colleagues, bipartisan accommodation and respect were central to the business of governing. Senator Kennedy and Moakley knew that they had to reach across the aisle to get legislation passed, and crafting a deal that could be endorsed by members of both parties was a point of pride.
The purpose of government was to do the people's work, and that work rested on friendships and compromises that crossed partisan lines. Senator Kennedy and Moakley were masters of cross-aisle friendships and dealmaking, and both were justly lauded by Republicans and Democrats upon their deaths. Among the many moving tributes to Senator Kennedy this past week were those of Orrin Hatch of Utah, John McCain of Arizona and former Senator John Warner of Virginia, all Republicans who valued him as a legislative colleague and a friend.
So what of energy and climate change legislation -- among the most critical green issues of our time? The energy sector is central to our economic and environmental health, and I'd like to believe that bipartisan compromise is possible.
Those who skew left might want to endorse investment in advances that make coal energy clean and nuclear energy safe. Meaningful enhancements to coal and nuclear will create jobs and potentially reap far-ranging dividends.
Those who skew right might want to recognize that alternative energy investments create new businesses and employment, and that regulations mandating energy conservation create green retrofit jobs that stay at home. Admittedly, an energy policy that embraces a continuum of options passes neither conservative nor liberal litmus tests, but that's the point.
As the fall 2009 session of Congress gets under way, let's go back to American politics as it has been practiced in the past -- let's try bipartisan pragmatism for a change.
of projected electricity use over the next decade."
Leanne Tobias is founder and managing principal of Malachite LLC, an advisory firm that specializes in the development, leasing, management, financing and certification of sustainable or green real estate on a global basis. Comment online, or write to Leanne about your green real estate thoughts and experiences at greenstimulus@malachitellc.com. She'll share the best of reader feedback in future posts.
Senator Edward M. Kennedy -- Courtesy of www.kennedy.senate.gov
Images of the Kennedy Cortege and Crowds -- Courtesy of Leanne Tobias