The Kennedy Seat
UPDATE: It’s done. Kennedy hanger-on Paul Kirk gets the interim gig. Boston Herald. Kirk accepts with “sincere humility,” managing to sound suckuppy about being the beneficiary and instrument of utter arrogance. Back to the original post. Change all “woulds” and “ifs” to “hases” “dids” and “wills” below:
I don’t know who died and made that a Kennedy seat … oh, excuse me, is this mike on?
How embarrassing. For the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, that is, and all the good people here … the ones who don’t keep voting for this kind of craven kowtowing and cynical manipulation of political processes, that is.
All indications are that this morning Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick will appoint a made Kennedy bagman and coatholder to fill the seat recently vacated by Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, as the insistent urging of Kennedy’s widow, his sons and assorted bagmen and coatholders. It looks like former Gov. Mike Dukakis, while considered the other top candidate, is not the guy. Not only was his last term as governor historically diastrous, so was his run for president, and he doesn’t have any Kennedys behind him, so it appears Patrick has recognized him for the millstone that he is. Former Kennedy staffer Paul Kirk, on the other hand, comes with a big pile of baggage neither the Kennedys nor Patrick may have considered.
It’s his deep ties to the insurance and pharmaceutical industries, plus whoever else he’s carried water for as a lobbyist and/or a board member. Boston Herald:
The Kennedy-backed pick for interim senator - a Beltway insider who could enjoy a lifetime pass to the Senate floor - has deep ties to special interests, sitting on a board that oversees a health-insurance provider and having lobbied for the pharmaceutical industry, the Herald has learned.
“Obviously, this is a conflict of interest and raises serious concerns,” Craig Holman of the non-partisan watchdog Public Citizen, said of the potential appointment of Paul G. Kirk Jr. to Sen. Edward M. Kennedy’s seat. “It is distressing. There were many qualified people.”
…
Kirk, 71, a retired lobbyist and lawyer who lives on Cape Cod, raked in a whopping $250,942 in salary and stock options as a board member for Hartford Financial Services, the umbrella for The Hartford, which sells health coverage to retirees.
Until a successor is elected in January, Kirk would wield a critical vote in health insurance and financial industry reforms, raising concerns about potential conflicts.
“Why in the world would they choose someone who has close ties to the insurance industry?” asked Wendell Potter, a former health insurance exec-turned-whistleblower. He noted the health insurance industry has much to gain in the current reform package, especially if coverage is mandated without competition from a government insurance option, as a bill now before the Senate finance committee proposes.
“This would represent an enormous new revenue stream for the insurance industry,” Potter said, adding of Kirk, “On one hand, he certainly would be knowledgeable of insurance issues, and on the other hand . . . there are going to be questions about his objectivity.”
Kirk did not return numerous phone calls yesterday. A former partner at the politically wired Hub law firm Sullivan & Worcester, Kirk lobbied for pharmaceutical giants Hoechst Marion Roussel and Aventis in 1998 and 1999, records show.
The plum appointment would guarantee Kirk Senate floor privileges and a D.C. parking space for life - along with the ability to go back to lobbying in two years.
Holman predicted Kirk would resign from Hartford Financial if appointed, but added, “Clearly that’s going to be a temporary resignation with a wink and a nod . . . Everything he learns in the Senate he is free to profit from.”
Never mind the burning question of why Massachusetts so desperately needs another senator for the next four months that Patrick should declare it an “emergency,” so that he can bypass the 90-day period before a law usually takes effect. How about … should this one, if appointed, have to recuse himself from the very vote that his appointment is intended to ensure? I dunno, may not be a problem. That issue, the health-care debacle, has achieved “emergency” status in more ways than one. That thing could be dead on arrival at the emergency room.
The Hill is of the opinion that that “emergency” thing represents a “snag.” Notes the Republican objections. Maybe. I don’t think The Hill spends a lot of time around here, though. The Kennedy kowtowing and shameless partisan advantage abuse that passes for the democratic process around dictates that failure to please Hyannis and Washington D.C. would in fact constitute a dire crisis.
Ha ha, Memeorandum’s aggregator has a sense of humor. It links that Hill item to this Red State one, decrying Obama’s denunciation of America’s leadership in the world, the part where he said yesterday, “No world order that elevates one nation or groups of people over another will succeed.” Obama may not understand America, its ideals, and its unique role in the owrld, but neither apparently does he understand Massachusetts, where the dominate political order remains one group of people, elevated over all others.
Regarding the handicapping of Kirk and Dukakis in the interim appointment race, the mass of political wisdom could be wrong about that, and Patrick may also choose someone from deeper in left field. Could happen. That would be interesting, and unexpected. The conventional wisdom holds that as long as he has to PO anyone, just make sure none of them are Kennedys.
In any case, the voters of Massachusetts in recent elections have shown that they don’t sufficiently give a damn how heavily they are taxed to do anything about it, and that they’re expectations of their political leaders are not very high, so maybe a handpicked, made Kennedy man is exactly what they need while they are mulling which of the second-string Democrat hacks now lining up they should install for life.
The other big question is, does the RNC intend to just let the Dems walk away with the seat in January’s special election? If 2010 is supposed to be their year in Congress, how about taking advantage of Obamacare’s prospective failure, Deval Patrick’s low numbers, and widespread local disgust at the shamelessness of Massachusetts Democrats on so many fronts. Not least the cynical manipulation of the succession law twice in the last five years, both times at the late senator’s request.
How about throwing some resources behind GOP state Sen. Scott Brown and the Mass GOP. Consider what a prize the so-called Kennedy seat would be, to kick off the mid-term election year. Consider what a prize even coming close to taking the so-called Kennedy seat would be.
Posted by Jules Crittenden at 1:33 am on Thursday, September 24, 2009
7 Responses to “The Kennedy Seat”
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September 24th, 2009 at 8:43 am
Jules, the RNC in Massachusetts has been a big disappointment.
At this point, a Tea Party organization would be welcome. I have friends here who self-identify as liberals, but also advocate what would be hailed as conservative policies. I think it’s fair to say that if MA-R = liberal light, why shouldn’t voters go for the real thing? There’s severe knee-twitching when R is mentioned and that would be why.
The problem is that the financial, not social issues, would bring more conservatives together and fix this mess.
September 24th, 2009 at 9:02 am
Consider what a prize of being a contender for the so-called Kennedy seat would be (instead of taking a dive before the first round begins).
September 24th, 2009 at 10:02 am
[...] Jules Crittenden » The Kennedy Seat I don’t know who died and made that a Kennedy seat … oh, excuse me, is this mike on? [...]
September 24th, 2009 at 11:54 am
I prefer “vassal” as the proper word to describe Kirk’s relationship with the Kennedys. I think that would aptly describe the Kennedys’ self-regard and sense of entitlement.
It’s been the Kennedy seat for 56 years, time for some fresh blood.
September 24th, 2009 at 12:32 pm
[...] pharmaceutical industry, retired, senator, special interests, ted kennedy | Leave a Comment Jules Crittenden » The Kennedy Seat. It’s his deep ties to the insurance and pharmaceutical industries, plus whoever else he’s [...]
September 24th, 2009 at 5:58 pm
I think Picard would have been a better pick.
On a serious note, it seems that MA has been all but abandoned by the RNC. I’ve told people for a while now that the party needs to be rebuilt from the ground up, it does no good to try to go after statewide offices without a pool of viable Republican candidates.
Then again, saveliberty has a point about a third party. If not now, when?
September 24th, 2009 at 7:02 pm
[...] Jules Crittenden reports about the political incest in that backward state of Massachusetts. [...]