Posted on 09/05/2009 10:01:40 PM PDT by raccoonradio
Howie thread for the wk starting as usual with his Sunday Herald column
For Joe Kennedy, Senate race a well-oiled machine
By Howie Carr | Sunday, September 6, 2009 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Columnists
Photo
You’re Joe Kennedy, and there are only three ways this whole Senate thing can work out for you.
No. 1, you run and “win” a life sentence to the Senate, and a decade from now, you’ll look in the mirror and see ... Chris Dodd.
No. 2, you run and you lose, as unlikely as that now seems, and that’s the end of the Kennedy dynasty, once and for all, and it’s your fault.
No. 3, you give the race a good leaving-alone. You keep collecting that $544,792 salary from your energy companies and never have to worry about getting a call from some newspaper wiseguy about what have you done lately for Pam Kelley, the girl who wound up in a wheelchair for life thanks to your crappy driving on Nantucket in 1973.
You’re Joe Kennedy, and it’s a pretty easy decision, isn’t it, except that ... you’re a Kennedy.
What would Hugo Chavez do?
If you stay out, you can work behind the scenes for Mike Capuano, the congressman from Somerville. You want Capuano because if he’s elected, that sets off another special election next spring for his House seat, the one you and your uncle JFK both held, which means it really belongs to the Kennedys, just like Ted’s Senate seat.
An open Boston-Cambridge House seat would be made to order for Little Joe Kennedy, your 28-year-old son who graduated from Harvard Law School, which is a lot more impressive than your own Mumbles Menino-esque “life-experience” degree from UMass-Boston.
You’re Joe Kennedy, and boy are you and everybody else in the family put out about this Martha Coakley broad, disrespecting Uncle Ted by making it clear for months that she’s running, and then being the first one to pull papers last week.
Hey, Martha Coakley, don’t you know who I am? Don’t you know who we are?
And the worst thing she did was put out the word that she didn’t care if the widow Vicki ran, she’d stay in the fight. You’re Joe Kennedy, and you’d use the phrase lese majeste, if only you had a clue what it meant.
Tomorrow is Labor Day, and you know that Coakley will have the Park Plaza surrounded with her sign-holders for the big Labor Day breakfast, and boy, does that kind of corny political stunt make your eyes glaze over these days.
You’re Joe Kennedy, and another thing you could do without this fall is Steve Lynch coming at you like he lunged for those Iranians on City Hall Plaza back in 1980. How dare Lynch run - he’s publicly expressed qualms about Obamacare, and he was the only congressman who refused to sign the letter demanding a bailout for all the obsequious Kennedy rumpswabs at the Globe.
Why, he’s practically a Republican.
And Lynch’ll have all those other hotheads in his district with him, hoping to get him out of the way so they can run for his seat - Multiple Choice Joyce, Jackie Hart (D-Bunker Hill Day). And they called you a lightweight?
Same thing with all the state reps. Unless they’re in Capuano or Lynch’s districts, they’ll all be pushing for Coakley, because if she’s gone, the Legislature gets to fill that vacancy, which could mean, oh, how does Attorney General Robert DeLeo sound? Another Speaker’s fight, for the right to get indicted by your predecessor.
All this jockeying, and for what? You’re Joe Kennedy, you’ve been there, done that, and really, what would it all amount to in the end?
Having to spend the rest of your life listening to the droning platitudes of “senior” Sen. John Forbes Kerry and the rest of the other geriatrics in the Depends, , er, Democratic caucus?
You’re Joe Kennedy, and you know what your dear pal Hugo Chavez would tell you if you asked him if you should run for Uncle Teddy’s seat?
Are you loco, gringo?
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/columnists/view.bg?articleid=1195699
and when I went to check on his column I saw the splash headline on the Herald site about The Van Man leaving.
Sweet!
Aw geez! You mean there's another one?
There sure is. At one point recently on Howie’s show I heard him mentioning “Joseph Kennedy IV” and I thought, wait, isn’t Do You Know Who I Am #3? He is...but Howie was talking about the son, “little Joe”, 28 yrs of age.
breaking: you won’t have Muffy Healey to kick around...
in the Senate race
Former Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey decides against Senate race
By Associated Press
Sunday, September 6, 2009 - Added 1m ago
!
BOSTON — A former Massachusetts lieutenant governor has decided not to run for a U.S. Senate seat left vacant by the death of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy.
In a statement Sunday to The Associated Press, Republican Kerry Healey says she analyzed a potential race to succeed Kennedy but decided against it.
Healey says a campaign isn’t in the best interest of her family. The 48-year-old and her husband, Sean, have two teenage children.
Healey served as the state’s No. 2 executive from 2003 to 2007 as running mate to former Gov. Mitt Romney.
Her departure from the race opens the GOP field to Sen. Scott Brown, R-Wrentham, who is strongly considering a campaign. Former U.S. Attorney Michael Sullivan and former White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card are also said to be weighing campaigns.
http://bostonherald.com/news/politics/view.bg?articleid=1195862&pos=breaking
Thank you raccoonradio!!!
breaking: you won’t have Muffy Healey to kick around...
in the Senate race
Former Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey decides against Senate race
By Associated Press
Sunday, September 6, 2009 - Added 1m ago
BOSTON — A former Massachusetts lieutenant governor has decided not to run for a U.S. Senate seat left vacant by the death of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy.
In a statement Sunday to The Associated Press, Republican Kerry Healey says she analyzed a potential race to succeed Kennedy but decided against it.
Healey says a campaign isn’t in the best interest of her family. The 48-year-old and her husband, Sean, have two teenage children.
Healey served as the state’s No. 2 executive from 2003 to 2007 as running mate to former Gov. Mitt Romney.
Her departure from the race opens the GOP field to Sen. Scott Brown, R-Wrentham, who is strongly considering a campaign. Former U.S. Attorney Michael Sullivan and former White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card are also said to be weighing campaigns.
http://bostonherald.com/news/politics/view.bg?articleid=1195862&pos=breaking
Let’s face it, Muffy can’t win a race for anything of her own accord. Without Slick Willard’s heavy interference in the ‘02 Lt Gov primary, she’d have lost to Jim Rappaport (and she should’ve). Running this race, she’d just be throwing her money away. Even Jane Swift could win a race for the legislature, which shows how poor a candidate Healey was.
Good points as usual!
Healy would have been throwing the cash down the drain.
Wed column ping
Joe Kennedy’s jilt leaves hacks ready to fight for seat
By Howie Carr | Wednesday, September 9, 2009 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Columnists
OK, let’s reconfigure the Senate race, now that Joe Kennedy took my Sunday advice. It was like a TV game show - he had three doors to choose from, and he picked the right one to open, or should I say close.
Let’s go straight to the contenders:
AG Martha Coakley: Three in the primary, she’s the favorite. Four or more in the fight, they take the fight off the board in Vegas. Please don’t bring up how she finished fourth against Marty Walsh for state rep in Dorchester in 1997.
Rep. Mike Capuano: The big question remains - how much Kennedy support does he get, number one to pay back Martha for her disrespect in Teddy’s final days, and number two, to set up a special election next spring to fill his seat in the Eighth District, an election in which Joe K’s 28-year-old son Little Joe would be the instant front-runner.
Rep. Steve Lynch: Like Martha, wants a big field, only he wants it full of moonbats. He also needs Scott Brown (see below) not to run as a Republican, because Lynch has to lure GOP-leaning independents into the Democrat primary. For that he needs a very weak, if possible uncontested, Republican primary field. Anybody got Jack E. Robinson’s phone number?
Rep. Ed Markey: He’s musing. He’s been musing for 25 years. Wanders around aimlessly, talking about “chairmanships” and “cap-and-trade.” Is that some kinda new hat, Fast Eddie? He’s been gone so long he looks like a tourist around here. Very unlikely candidate.
Rep. John Tierney: The state already has one guy with perfect hair in the Senate, doesn’t need another. If he runs and flops, he sets himself to get taken out in the Congressional redistricting. If Tierney loses his House seat, he’ll be driving Fast Eddie’s old ice-cream truck. Extremely unlikely.
Ex-Rep. Marty “Midas” Meehan: he’s out.
Christy Mihos: Said to be “giving serious consideration” to a Senate run. So many questions. Did he clear this with Dick Morris? Do the Democrats know he has a little dog named Reagan? Could Muffy be reached for comment?
GOP state Sen. Scott Brown: First of all, he’s not running for lieutenant governor next year. Both Christy and Charlie Baker need a woman with them on the ticket. So Brown makes this kamikaze run, well-financed by the national GOP, gets his name recognition up, and then runs in 2010 for treasurer or maybe AG, if Martha is a senator and the interim AG is a hack solon.
Then there’s Gov. Deval Patrick: This fight is great news for him, even better than being sidelined with the hip replacement. Anything that keeps him off the radar screen is good news. The downside is, he needs lots of money for his campaign next year, and this special election will suck the state dry.
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/columnists/view.bg?articleid=1196240
I thought the state was long since sucked dry, especially (though not exclusively) by Romneycare. Of course, if Obama gets his way (saints preserve us!), the state can offload that whole mess . . . the whole country will be in a pretty pickle, of course, but I'm sure Deval sees that as a small price to pay . . .
Mihos for Senator instead of governor? (btw it would help if his advisor Dick Morris could pronounce his name correctly. I forget what show it was on but Dick said
“mee-hawss”
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/09/09/senate_race_taking_twists/
>>Republican Christy Mihos said last night that he is on the verge of dropping his campaign for governor to run for the US Senate, adding to a frenzied day of political activity as the field of contenders for the seat of Edward M. Kennedy came into sharper focus.
(snip)
>>Mihos, who made millions by selling a string of convenience stores, said he would announce his political plans as soon as today. If he shifts gears and runs for the Senate, the pivot would reshape the two highest-profile political campaigns in Massachusetts.
“We’re just about there,’’ said Mihos, adding that he wants to have further discussions with Republicans in Washington before making a final decision.
His switch to the Senate race would help the GOP avoid a divisive gubernatorial primary and encourage the party’s rank-and-file to rally behind former health care executive Charles D. Baker. It would also add a well-known name with millions to spend to a growing Republican field in the Senate race. Mihos, who has had a rocky relationship with the Republican Party since he ran for governor as an independent in 2006, is prepared to spend at least $10 million and could launch a campaign ad blitz as early as next week, according to an adviser.
Now the Mihos camp says he isn’t really going to try for Senate and will stick to his race for Gov.
http://www.bostonherald.com/news/politics/view/20090909mihos_reps_back_off_interest_in_senate_race/
Howie giving speech on the Cape today so Jeff Katz is in
Thu show ping. The site says that Tim Cahill will be on during the 5 pm hour; I think he was on with Jeff during the 6 pm hour last night, as was Christy Mihos.
I find that more than one Jeff Katz segment is hard to take.
Fri column ping
Andy Card should know when to hold ’em
By Howie Carr | Friday, September 11, 2009 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Columnists
Don’t do it, Andy Card.
When the news broke Wednesday morning that “Mr. Secretary” was thinking about running for Ted Kennedy’s vacant Senate seat, all over Massachusetts everyone over the age of 50 had the same reaction: “You’re kidding, right?”
Everybody under 50 just shrugged and said, “Who?”
Then all the Democrats started laughing. The Republicans started crying.
Listen, I like Andy Card. But then, I’m in a minority - not for liking him, but for even remembering him. He’s been gone from Massachusetts for a very loooooong time.
How long? Andy last won an election in 1980.
He was running for state rep, in Holbrook.
Now, after all these years, he returns . . . if he can work it out with his wife.
What’s his slogan going to be, “I held W’s coat”?
I understand, Andy’s done well these past few decades, and he did it the old-fashioned way - he was a driver for a politician who won an election. This is an ancient path to the top - from Dapper O’Neil (for Chub Peabody) all the way to Brendan Ryan, who has parlayed his 2006 driving chores for Deval Patrick into a $98,000-a-year job as “special assistant” to the current governor.
Andy was a wheelman for George H.W. Bush in New Hampshire back in 1980. He and two other young GOP solons hitched their tiny wagons to Poppy’s star. Andrew Natsios did OK, Paul Cellucci did better. As for Andy . . . he was at the Newton Marriott on Wednesday night being photographed with Sen. Scott Brown.
Poor Scott Brown - he’d been planning to announce his candidacy this morning. But he got big-footed . . . by Andy Card.
Brown left me two voice mails Wednesday night. He sounded like a kidnap victim listing the ransom demands, and not veering off the script because otherwise it would be “curtains” for him.
In the first one, before the state committee meeting, Brown described Andy Card as “potentially someone I would have no problem supporting - so whatever . . .”
A couple of hours later, he’d gotten the talking points. Experience, that’s the ticket. “If you think about it, who dealt with kings and prime ministers and queens . . .”
Andy is 62. So I suppose this is a victory lap. The only problem is, what exactly has Andy won? The last time he ran for office, in 1982, he lost the Republican primary for governor to another guy you never heard of - John Winthrop Sears, a one-term Boston city councilor.
Who’s going to get Andy’s 10,000 signatures for him? He doesn’t have an organization, neither does the state GOP. Where are they going to get the money to hire petition-gatherers?
Back in the 1980s, Boston magazine had an illustration they ran with one of my columns about the state party. The headline was “Shootout in the Lifeboat,” and the picture showed a bunch of elephants in a lifeboat in choppy seas, firing shotguns at each other.
Wouldn’t it be better to let Brown get a million or two from national GOP for a campaign to boost his statewide profile? Then next fall he could run statewide for some office he could win - like AG, or treasurer.
Do you know how many jobs the treasurer controls? Do you how many corrupt Democratic hacks a real prosecutor could indict in the target-rich environment that is Beacon Hill?
Don’t do it Andy. The lifeboat is leaking.
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/columnists/view.bg?articleid=1196736
How fitting—the passing of Uncle Hoss making way for Little Joe!
The husband disliked Andy because he was a Congo and looked down on his family because they were Methodists. My own family in Holbrook are Rats, Mothers side, and dislike me.
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