all things considered , there were
is n’t a kennedy running for office in massachusetts the definition of dog - bites - man — the electoral equivalent of lindsay lohan failing a breathalyzer ?
indeed , since patrick left office last january , the nation ’s capital has been devoid of elected kennedys for the first time since 1947 ( that ’s right : 64 consecutive years ) .
while most of the political world was glued this week to the republican presidential field ’s tussle for the hearts of granite staters , a fresh democratic front was opening just down the road in massachusetts .
at this point , the family standard has been relegated to maria shriver ’s older brother , bobby , the mayor of santa monica and the only member of the kennedy clan currently in elective office .
not all the kennedy loyalists i spoke with yesterday were giddy over the news that joseph p. kennedy iii , also known as “ the kid , ” was taking his first steps toward a run for barney frank ’s congressional seat .
but the electoral winds were n’t as friendly on the cape as in other parts of the state .
and if his much - talked - about speech last january commemorating jfk ’s “ city on a hill ” address is any sign , he ’s not too shabby an orator .
as for his cv , young joe has the sterling ed cred one would expect — stanford undergrad , harvard law — along with a bleeding - heart stint in the peace corps .