Explaining the Right's cynicism about Ted Kennedy

Carl M. Cannon of Politics Daily on Teddy Kennedy, post-Chappaquiddick:

The idea that Edward M. Kennedy could be a viable national politician – let alone a much-admired and lionized political figure – has convinced millions of everyday citizens and succeeding generations of conservative activists that among the elites of academia, politics, and the media two standards of behavior exist: One for liberal Democrats and another for conservative Republicans.

And to put it plainly:

Not reporting a fatal traffic accident is a felony in most places. On Martha's Vineyard, if the driver is a Kennedy, it's not even a matter of official curiosity.

Liberals never saw Chappaquiddick as any sort of stain on Ted Kennedy's character. It was just an "incident," notable not for the death of an innocent young woman, but for tragically denying Ted's birthright to become President. It denied them the Camelot II they felt they deserved, and all those who raised it were uncouth at best and mouth-foaming right-wing cranks at worst.

Chappaquiddick will always be an emblem of Liberal Entitlement and the privileges of wealth and connections. Consequences are for little people. If you or I were to drive drunk and ram a car into a concrete barricade in full view of police officers, there would be consequences. But if you happen to be a Kennedy, not so much.

P.S. Such delicious snark from the ungrateful proletariat. Have a larf before it gets pulled down.