Thaindian News

NEW YORK (BNO NEWS) — New York Governor David Paterson and Lieutenant Governor Murray on Wednesday released the following statements on the passing of Senator Ted Kennedy.

GOVERNOR PATERSON
“It is with profound grief that I learned the news of Senator Edward Kennedy’s passing late last night.

Senator Kennedy took his seat in the United States Senate in 1962, and from the moment he was sworn in, he fought for the progressive principles and ideas that he held so close to his heart. Over the course of 47 years in the Senate, he was an unstoppable force for peace, civil rights, expanding access to health care, improving education, reforming our immigration system and encouraging national and community service. It is fair to say that Senator Kennedy influenced every important issue that affected our nation for the past half century, and on every issue, he stood for justice and compassion.

Senator Kennedy was the Lion of the Senate and one of the most consequential figures of the 20th century. He was intimately familiar with the Senate’s levers of power, and knew how and in what order to pull them. His mastery of the legislative process is unparalleled in our time, and he stands on par with giants like Webster and Clay. Still, first and foremost, he was a friend to regular Americans. He was a fighter for our needs. He was a true American hero.

And so today, Americans mourn the loss of our great champion, but we also rejoice in what he lived for. As Senator Kennedy said of his brother Robert, so can be said of him: ‘He gave us strength in time of trouble, wisdom in time of uncertainty and sharing in time of happiness.’

Senator Kennedy may be gone, but the impression he left on this nation and its people remains. The values he spent his life fighting for stand eternal. His dream for a better future lives. On behalf of my family and all of the people of the State of New York, I offer the Kennedy family my condolences on this great loss. I hope that they, and all of the Senator’s friends, colleagues and supporters, can take comfort from the knowledge that America is a safer, freer and more just nation thanks to Ted Kennedy.”

LT. GOVERNOR MURRAY
“This is a profound loss for our Commonwealth, our country, and people around the world who have had Senator Kennedy as their champion for peace and justice. I am deeply saddened by his passing and I extend my sympathies to his wife Vicki, his children and the entire Kennedy family. We all know of Senator Kennedy’s reputation as a statesman and a leader in the United States Senate. For me, he has been an inspirational figure for decades. I will be forever grateful that I had the privilege of getting to know him and of working with him from my earliest days as a City Councilor and then as Mayor in Worcester. Senator Kennedy may have walked with presidents and prime ministers, but he was always accessible to the people of Massachusetts and he was dedicated to improving the quality of life of individuals and families in every region of the state that he loved.”