This is the guy who voted to toss out ObamaCare in its entirety in 2012. He was one of the majority in Bush v. Gore. Then again, he was also the deciding vote in the case that shoved gay marriage down the throats of all 50 states and denied them the opportunity to legislate to the contrary.
The left doesn't really love him, but in a given case he gives them a chance to prevail over the four Justices who usually follow the Constitution. Take Kennedy out of the picture and give President Trump the chance to replace him with a more reliable conservative like (we hope) Neil Gorsuch, and the left could be on the losing side of just about every case for a generation.
And now that there are whispers about the nearly 81-year-old Kennedy retiring, the left is in full panic mode, and is begging him to stick it out: