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2008-05-22 Home Front: Politix

Thinking the unthinkable: Who follows Ted Kennedy

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Posted by tu3031 2008-05-22 12:40|| || Front Page|| [11130 views ] Top

#1 Isn't Patrick the one who crashed a car -- drunkenly, but is there any other way for a Kennedy -- into the Capitol steps at 3 am and claimed that he was on his way to a House session?

Posted by Steve White">Steve White 2008-05-22 13:31|| 2008-05-22 13:31|| Front Page Top

#2 That would be him.

Posted by tu3031 2008-05-22 13:34|| 2008-05-22 13:34|| Front Page Top

#3 Kennedy's successor would be chosen by a special election

Yeah, just like the Saddam election, or the Hugo election, or the Zimbabwe election. It's all show for the machine to con the people into sticking them with who they want. Like the old religious ceremonies to give the recipient all a vale of legitimacy. Show, theater, smoke and mirrors.

Posted by Procopius2k 2008-05-22 13:42|| 2008-05-22 13:42|| Front Page Top

#4 Isn't Patrick the one who crashed a car -- drunkenly

Actually, it was driving while Ambiened.

Posted by Beavis 2008-05-22 13:47|| 2008-05-22 13:47|| Front Page Top

#5 yeah, "Patches" Kennedy

Posted by Frank G">Frank G 2008-05-22 14:01|| 2008-05-22 14:01|| Front Page Top

#6 How about running a bucket of Lard?

Posted by DarthVader">DarthVader 2008-05-22 14:03|| 2008-05-22 14:03|| Front Page Top

#7 Of course, the state legislature could always change the law back to allow the governor to appoint a successor now the governor is a Democrat as Mother Nature intended. Or they could just be open about it and allow Kennedy to name his hand picked successor.

Posted by Rambler in California">Rambler in California 2008-05-22 14:09|| 2008-05-22 14:09|| Front Page Top

#8 Some of the wiseasses I work with have suggested that Kerry run for it...

Posted by tu3031 2008-05-22 14:15|| 2008-05-22 14:15|| Front Page Top

#9 Kennedy, 76, is not up for re-election until 2012. But his medical condition has people wondering if he might resign before then or decline to run for another term.

Hell no, he will hang on to the very end, it's a Kennedy thing.

Posted by Redneck Jim">Redneck Jim 2008-05-22 15:14|| 2008-05-22 15:14|| Front Page Top

#10 Hand picking his successor, probably his wife.

Ahh. A new way to do politics, change we can believe in.

Posted by swksvolFF 2008-05-22 15:33|| 2008-05-22 15:33|| Front Page Top

#11 Did you hear Robert Byrd's senile babbling in the Senate the other day? What difference is this than letting Chappaquiddick Ted stay in the Senate?

You're right, tu3031, the vultures are circling for their piece of American Taxpayer Action.

As far as a successor for Ted's slot, we have had enough of the Kennedy experience with Ted and Joe III. The country cannot afford any more like them.

Posted by Alaska Paul 2008-05-22 15:38|| 2008-05-22 15:38|| Front Page Top

#12 Oh, he'll definitely die in the seat. But after...

NY Daily News

Ted Kennedy: I'd like wife to take seat

Ted Kennedy has made clear to confidants that when his time is up, he wants his Senate seat to stay in the family - with his wife, Vicki. Multiple sources in Massachusetts with close ties to the liberal lion say his wife of 16 years has long been his choice to continue carrying the family flame in the Senate. Kennedy won the seat in 1962; his brother John held it from 1953 to 1960. "There's no question that he'd like Vicki to continue in his seat," said one Massachusetts Democrat with ties to the Camelot clan who spoke to Kennedy recently, before his health crisis. "She's smart, and smart politically."

The 54-year-old Victoria Reggie Kennedy, a former hotshot Washington lawyer, is a Louisiana native and the daughter of a politically active judge. She was hailed for holding the family together when John F. Kennedy Jr. was killed in a plane crash in 1999.

By favoring his wife, Kennedy, 76, is bypassing his late brother Robert Kennedy's eldest son, Joe, a former congressman. Joe Kennedy has been maligned publicly for a messy divorce and close ties with Venezuelan strongman Hugo Chavez, who assists his Boston-based fuel company for the poor.

Under current Massachusetts law, his successor for the rest of his term, which ends in 2012, would be picked by special election. State rules that allowed the governor to pick a temporary replacement were changed in 2004 when John Kerry was the presidential nominee and the Democratic state legislature feared then-GOP Gov. Mitt Romney would appoint a fellow Republican if Kerry won.

Political pros, however, say a dying Kennedy's endorsement of Vicki would likely carry enormous weight with state voters.

It's not yet clear how long he will stay in the Senate while battling a usually fatal cancer.

Posted by tu3031 2008-05-22 15:40|| 2008-05-22 15:40|| Front Page Top

#13 Several important factors: first of all, Joe Kennedy's ill-gotten gains have been greatly dissipated, and are being split by about 30 members of their extended family. As a group, they may only have $20-30M left. They have been selling off assets for years because of it.

Second, while the Kennedy name was good, they were not beloved by the outside-of-the-clique Democrats, who have no problem seeing the dynasty come to an end.

Posted by Anonymoose 2008-05-22 16:15|| 2008-05-22 16:15|| Front Page Top

#14 Having lived several years in Massachusetts, including during Romney's pathetic 1996 Sentate campaign against Ted, I would say that much of the Kennedy sheen has worn off. Would be surprised if anything short of a back room deus ex machina could deliver the seat to his Misses. So, that is exactly what I expect him to try.

Posted by Iblis 2008-05-22 17:00|| 2008-05-22 17:00|| Front Page Top

#15 Nicely inlined, tu. And the vulture is a nice touch.

Posted by Seafarious 2008-05-22 17:08|| 2008-05-22 17:08|| Front Page Top

#16 The vulture's not mine. I'm not even that cold...

Posted by tu3031 2008-05-22 17:09|| 2008-05-22 17:09|| Front Page Top

#17 I kinda like the "give the seat to the wife" idea. It gives the Mass. Senate seat the flavor of a hereditary feudal barony. A somewhat drunken flavor, but who are we to judge?

Posted by SteveS 2008-05-22 18:14|| 2008-05-22 18:14|| Front Page Top

#18 In the unlikely event that Teddy decides to do the right thing and save the people of Massachusetts millions of bucks, he'll have to step down between May 28th and June 12th for the special election to occur during the fall general election.

Then again, it's just taxpayer's money. Never mind.

Posted by Biff Wellington 2008-05-22 18:22|| 2008-05-22 18:22|| Front Page Top

#19 Not meaning to be cold about it, but with the kind of cancer he's got, he won't live long enough to serve out his term, and he'll probably be mentally incompetent (in the legal sense) and unable to serve within a year or so. He should resign well before then, for his own good. If you've only got a few months, you should spend it with your family and loved ones, not tussling over supplemental appropriations.

Posted by Mike 2008-05-22 18:58|| 2008-05-22 18:58|| Front Page Top

#20 I did the vulture, and yes, I'm that cold.

Posted by Steve White">Steve White 2008-05-22 19:24|| 2008-05-22 19:24|| Front Page Top

#21 Oncologist?

Posted by Nimble Spemble 2008-05-22 20:16|| 2008-05-22 20:16|| Front Page Top

#22 #20 I did the vulture, and yes, I'm that cold.
Posted by: Steve White

with his wife-successor weaseling, he deserves it.

Posted by Frank G">Frank G 2008-05-22 20:17|| 2008-05-22 20:17|| Front Page Top

#23 he'll probably be mentally incompetent (in the legal sense) and unable to serve within a year or so

Hasn't stopped Byrd or Ginsberg for that matter. The left plays on the old 2d Amendment credo - You can have this POWER when you pry it from my cold dead hands.

Posted by Procopius2k 2008-05-22 21:24|| 2008-05-22 21:24|| Front Page Top

#24 Weld might stand a chance. But as an "R", he'd be more like Snowe.

If Deval Patrick is the Dem nominee, Romney oughta run because he'd slaughter him, and set himself up for a solid run (a'la Hillary in NY) at the presidency in a few years.

Posted by OldSpook 2008-05-22 22:11|| 2008-05-22 22:11|| Front Page Top

#25 Wasn't meant as a knock, doc. I just didn't wanna go there.
Let's see who's mentioned here:

The Family
First off, they don't have the juice around here that they used to. A lot of the hardcore worshipers have died off, and a lot of the younger generation's baggage isn't appreciated. Patrick's seen as dumber then a bag of dirt, Joe as a spoiled rich kid. I don't think Teddy Jr. has the fire for it and neither does the daughter, plus they have their own health issues, and the trying to get the mother committed business last year turned a lot of people off.
The wife? Nobody outside of the insiders knows a lot about her, but she probably does have the best shot and I'm sure that the family publicity arm (AKA the Boston Globe) will do a fine job of introducing her to the general public. Longshot from way way way out in left field? Caroline. She's very close to him and if he leaned on her with the "for the good of the family" thing who knows. And she would be very, very tough to beat.

The Dems:
Gov. Deval Patrick: A year and a half in and the House Speaker meets him on the state house steps every morning, beats him up, and takes his lunch money. Outside of helping to railroad gay marriage through, he's accomplished nothing. Even the moonbats that voted him in are amazed how out of touch and ineffective he is. He'd get smoked in an election just as payback. Praying that his buddy Barack gets elected and gets him the hell outta here. Maybe he could be his limo driver.
Martha Coakley, AG: The roof falls in on the Big Dig and kills somebody and does she go after Bechtel? No. She goes after some glue company. Minor league, which makes her a step up from her predecessor and his seeing eye dog. No chance.
Ed Markey: Grandstand Eddie. Congressional lifer. His address in "the district" is his bedroom at his mother's house in Malden. Doubt he could find it on a map. If he ran, he'd be exposed for the unctuous hack he is.
Barney Frank: I doubt he'll run. Say what you want about him, he's an extremely smart guy. And he knows that outside of his district, he's too liberal to be elected even in this state.
Steve Lynch: My congressman. Most conservative of the bunch. Southie guy. Former head of the Ironworkers union. Once arrested in his younger days for beating up an Iranian trying to burn a flag. Hasn't completely drank the Kool Aid since he's been down there. My darkhorse.
Mike Capuano: Has Tip O'Neill's old seat. Hasn't done much with it. Has the ego but don't think he's got the credentials. He should save his money.
Jim McGovern: Fidel would vote for him. So would Hugo. A nonentity trying to move up to a nobody. No chance.
Marty Meehan: Mr. Bad Timing. His lifelong dream. And he threw it all away for a hack job at UMASS-Lowell. Marty, you're where you belong. Be happy.

The Republicans
Mitt Romney: Depends on whether McCain offers him the vice presidency. If not, he could run and, believe it or not, he could win.
William Weld: Unfortunately, William Weld has gone insane.
Kerry Healey: Sorry. She couldn't even beat Deval.
Andy Card: He bears the Mark of Bush. No chance.

Posted by tu3031 2008-05-22 22:39|| 2008-05-22 22:39|| Front Page Top

#26 tu: to quote Spenser, P.I. - "you gimlet-eyed devil"

Posted by Frank G">Frank G 2008-05-22 23:16|| 2008-05-22 23:16|| Front Page Top

23:46 bigjim-ky
23:44 McZoid
23:42 bigjim-ky
23:40 bigjim-ky
23:35 bigjim-ky
23:29 bigjim-ky
23:25 bigjim-ky
23:24 swksvolFF
23:20 Harcourt Jush7795
23:19 tu3031
23:16 Frank G
23:15 DMFD
23:05 tu3031
22:59 tu3031
22:55 Harcourt Jush7795
22:54 Barbara Skolaut
22:53 Harry Reid
22:51 tu3031
22:39 tu3031
22:38 Angie Schultz
22:34 Yosemite Sam
22:22 crosspatch
22:19 Intrinsicpilot
22:11 OldSpook