Joe Kennedy III

[babylonsister]

It is among the most basic human truths: Every one of us, some day, will be brought to our knees. By a diagnosis we didn't expect, a phone call we can't imagine, or a loss we cannot endure.
That common humanity inspires our mercy. It fortifies our compassion. It drives us to look out for the sick, the elderly, the poor, and the most vulnerable among us.
Yesterday's bill -- yesterday's devastating bill -- does the opposite.
The bill is more than premiums and tax cuts. It is a cold and calculated world view: One that scapegoats the struggling, and sees fault in suffering. One dead set on dividing us based on who we love, where we come from, the direction of our faith and the size of our fortunes.
We see it in their tax plan, their budget cuts, their immigration policy, their civil rights assaults -- and yesterday, in their cruel health care plan.
We must reject it.
We must decide, instead, to take care of each other -- because, but for the grace of God, we will all one day wake up in need of a little mercy.
This nation's character has never been defined by the power we give the already strong -- but by the strength we give the weak.
Joe Kennedy III

[monmouth4]

1. Young Mr. Kennedy definitely gets it..n/t

[3catwoman3]

2. This young man wears the...

...family noblesse oblige mantle with grace, dignity and sincerity.

[2naSalit]

4. He sure does...nt

[peggysue2]

3. Bravo!

Simple, succinct and eloquent. A Kennedy through and through, I'd say. From a family who has certainly tasted tragedy.

[a kennedy]

5. 2020!!!!!!!!

[Kentonio]

18. Please no more presidential dynasties..

[egbokalaka]

19. What Presidential Dynasty?

We never had one from the Kennedys.

Leaping into wild speculation, if Kennedy runs, a dynasty would be the least of your worries. What you should really fear is the moral authority and appeal of the Kennedy cadence and content. We can't have people's conscience stirred up, can we? This is America!

[rzemanfl]

21. Welcome to DU. n/t

[Demsrule86]

24. We would be foolish to turn down a good candidate

for president because his Uncle ran and became president a million years ago...but 2020 is too soon...or not. Obama came out of nowhere to win...this is a very charismatic talented person.

[rzemanfl]

26. De Niro, "Are you talkin' to me?" FWIW I think the country would elect anybody

over a Republican if it lasts until 2020.

[niyad]

36. welcome to du

[Bernardo de La Paz]

39. You forget Bush-Bush-Bush-Bush? Four (4) generations!

Prescott Bush, U.S. Senator from Connecticut
. G.H.W. Bush, Congressman, President 41
. . G.W. Bush, Gov. Texas, President 43
. . Jeb Bush, Gov. Florida, wanna-be Prez 45
. . . G. Prescott Bush, Texas Land Commissioner, son of Jeb Bush

[Bernardo de La Paz]

40. JPK III is fifth (5th) generation. Fifteen (15) members of Kennedy family have held political office

P. J. Kennedy: Member of the Mass. House 1884–89; member of the Mass. Senate, 1889–95.
. Joseph P. Kennedy Sr.: Chair U.S. Sec & Exch Comm., 1934–35; chair U.S. Maritime Comm., 1936–38; U.S. Amb to UK, 1938–40.
. . John F. Kennedy: Member U.S. House from Mass., 1947–53; U.S senator from Mass. 1953–60; Pres. U.S., 1961–63
. . Robert F. Kennedy: U.S. Attorney General 1961–64; U.S. Senator from New York, 1965–68.
. . . Joseph P. Kennedy II: Member U.S. House from Mass. 1987–99.
. . . . Joseph P. Kennedy III: Member U.S. House from Mass. 2013–present.

[Alice11111]

42. Good Info. He gets it. Plus, he could win. He could beat DT by speaking truth to power.

My fear is a RW nut will take him out. It is usually the right who take out the best of the left. Partly, it is the same reason they cheat their way through elections. To them, the end always justifies the means. That is one reason so many admire Putin.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

45. I LIKE intelligent progressive compassionate politicians MORE than I dislike dynastic political fams

If he has a Kennedy name, so be it. Don't expect me to cheer him because of that.

But, when he is progressive, intelligent, and "gets it" by our measures, then I will cheer.

He's making sense. A lot of sense. He really gets it. I really like his closing:

[font size = "+2"]This nation's character has never been defined by the power we give the already strong -- but by the strength we give the weak.[/font]

[Alice11111]

63. JFK said something very similar. I thought it was a

quote by JFK, when I first read it. Anyway, I agree. It's the person, not whether or not there is a dynasty.
He gives me hope.

[WinkyDink]

47. And none of the above is relevant to the term "presidential dynasties."

[Bernardo de La Paz]

48. It's a dynasty that includes a President. Technically you're correct, but lets not skip the obvious.

[bettyellen]

43. Well, people referred to a Clinton dynasty which is silly as hell but....

[murielm99]

38. Enough with the dynasty business.

Kennedy is a qualified individual. I don't care what his name is. He is a good DEMOCRAT.

[WinkyDink]

46. Does 3/4 of a term count as a dynasty? Did you deplore the Harrisons? How about the Adamses?

[pnwmom]

57. He shouldn't be held back by an accident of birth. For a young man, he has a great resume

and has been working very hard. He is strongly progressive and was in the Peace Corps.

He also is extremely popular in Massachusetts -- with much, much higher election margins than others in the state.

[Kentonio]

71. Held back by an accident of birth?

Oh come on, his name has given him advantages other politicians could only dream of.

[pnwmom]

75. That's what you are advocating with your statement about dynasties. . nt

[Kentonio]

78. I'm sure the poor dears will struggle by.

And yes I'd rather one privileged dynasty heir miss their chance at being president rather than watch the country turn into a mini-aristocracy.

[pnwmom]

81. Having a great-nephew of a President, who has accomplished a great deal on his own,

wouldn't turn this country into a mini-aristocracy.

I'm more concerned about the rise of the billionaires into Presidential politics.

[Kentonio]

82. Well we might disagree about the family thing

But I'm right there with you about the billionaires.

[mythology]

85. I wonder how many people had the same thought about Clinton?

To get into position to seriously run for president, one has to be at the very least, relatively wealthy. Even Obama wasn't exactly living paycheck to paycheck in 2008.

[Kentonio]

86. That's one of the saddest parts of this to me

What possible reason should there be democractically for an individual to need to be wealthy to run for president? It makes no sense to me.

[bobGandolf]

58. The Kennedy dynasty died when he lost the presidential primary. n/t

[phleshdef]

61. The dynasty thing is just a bunch of bullshit get over it

People are allowed to be related to each other and run for whatever office.

[Kentonio]

62. It's far deeper than that.

In a nation of over 320 million people, the same few families taking power repeatedly is a dreadful indictment of the system. That's aristocracy, not democracy.

[phleshdef]

67. Horse shit. People choose to vote for them.

That is democracy.

[Kentonio]

69. We live in a celebrity culture

And when a few families have name recognition and party backing, you're going to see the same names coming up time after time. Or do you think a Joe Kennelworthy III would be getting this kind of attention with exactly the same level of talent?

This isn't democracy, its promoting a few families at the expense of people who lack the same advantages. Somewhere out there there are incredibly talented, hard working up and coming politicians who deserve the same chance as a Kennedy does.

[phleshdef]

72. You are over exaggerating to say the least

Our last Democratic president was in office for 8 years and was not part of any big political family and he happened to be black. I really don't know what the hell you're talking about. Seems to me you're making a mountain out of a molehill.

[Kentonio]

73. It's not an exaggeration

Seriously, look at the last 60 years. A Kennedy president and 2 presidential candidates, 2 Bush presidents and a presidential candidate, a Clinton president and a presidential candidate (twice).

It doesn't matter whether they were good candidates or not, in a nation as big as America its crazy to think the same families keep being put forward for the most important elected job in the land. Obama being elected was wonderful (for many, many reasons) and proof that we don't need to keep going back to the same names every 4 years, talent can come from anywhere and there's a huge amount of it out there just waiting to be found. Democracy is not a reality TV show, we can do better.

[phleshdef]

74. You skipped over Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan...

...and all the nominees from both parties that didn't win and were not part of any of those families. Your point is not valid. Its cherry picked nonsense.

[Kentonio]

77. I'm sorry, but that doesn't make any sense.

Members of the same family running for the top job in a country of hundreds of millions should be insanely unlikely, with odds like a lottery win. Instead we've seen multiple examples in just 60 years. Saying some variation of 'well it doesn't always happen, so it doesn't count' is pretty meaningless.

[phleshdef]

79. It makes complete sense.

Members of the same family running for the top job in a country of hundreds of millions should be insanely unlikely

Now THAT makes absolutely no sense. Some families are full of doctors. Some families are full of coal miners. Some families are full of people interested public service. Its insanely LIKELY that people are inspired to run for office because other family members ran.

And I'm not just saying, it doesn't always happen. It actually rarely happens. The vast majority of the Senate, the Congress, governorships and the Presidency is not dominated and has never been dominated by the 3 families in question.

Only ONE of those families actually put 2 people in the White House. The Bush family. There has only been one Kennedy President. There has only been one Clinton President. And Hillary isn't even a Clinton by blood.

The fact is, I like Joe Kennedy III. He seems to have a bright mind, a good heart and is a gifted speaker. If he runs for President some day, I can see him getting my vote based on those merits. I don't give a damn who his family is. You'll just have to live with that because people have the freedom to run and people have the freedom to vote and your will to disenfranchise those rights due to blood relationships or marriages is never going to fly in our democracy.

[Kentonio]

80. Politics should not be a family business

You say his name doesn't mean anything to you, but if it wasn't for his name then this thread almost certainly wouldn't exist and we probably wouldn't even have heard of him.

We clearly disagree and that's fair enough, but I will never be ok with this way of selecting politicians.

[phleshdef]

83. Its part of our constitutional freedom for families to widely engage in politics.

The slippery slope your point of view would lead us down would be a terrible affront to liberty.

[Kentonio]

84. I heard the same kind of arguments used to defend citizens united.

Sometimes some things are far more of a threat to liberty than others.

[phleshdef]

88. Thats such an apples and oranges comparison.

That doesn't even begin to form a valid argument.

[treestar]

64. It has been over 50 years since JFK

This is not a "dynasty."

[Kentonio]

65. Yes it is.

I'm not sure why Bobby and Ted suddenly don't count.

[treestar]

66. They weren't president

[Kentonio]

70. No, just senators and presidential candidates.

[egduj]

68. You're behind the times.

JK 3 is a male. DU will be fully supportive of this kind of dynasty.

[democrank]

6. I love when this happens

when someone steps up, speaks, and exhibits the difference between principled eloquence and the callous regurgitation of talking points.

Joe Kennedy III is definitely worth listening to.

[sellitman]

7. I've been following him for some time.

He has a bright future.

[volstork]

8. I hope so.

Unless...

There is so much "what could've been" with the Kennedys, and we are all so much poorer for it.

[Demsrule86]

25. I can't even remember the Kennedy's except Ted towards the end...

kids today would not care.

[hamsterjill]

16. I hope so!!

He's fabulous as far as I'm concerned.

I mentioned him in another thread on DU earlier this week and was met with "no more Kennedys".

I don't like dynasties, but neither do I think a surname should automatically disqualify someone either.

Joe seems genuine and I'm betting we will be seeing a lot more of him.

[ATL Ebony]

35. I hope so, he'd definitely get my vote.

He's shown nothing less than genuine empathy and compassion for the people. What's up with "no more Kennedys" anyway. If his name was Jackson, he'd be fine? Meh

[world wide wally]

9. I like him a lot and I'd vote for him in a heartbeat

[smirkymonkey]

12. So would I. I really like him.

I think he is one of the few politicians left who still understands the concept of public service.

[zentrum]

10. It's also that even people...

...who think they are healthy will be surprised to find they have special higher rates because they have---acne, or hay fever or a broken arm.

I remember in the bad pre-ACA days, not being able to tell my doctor anything that was a true concern---because if he wrote it down, it would raise my rates.

There is no one who will escape the claw of pre-existing conditions.

It's criminal.

[Maynar]

11. Love me some

Joe Kennedy III.

Yep.

[TimmyToo]

13. Source

Anyone know when and where he said this?

[babylonsister]

14. Found on FB...here:

https://www.facebook.com/CongressmanJoeKennedyIII/photos/a.302354999886068.72564.301936109927957/1663327403788814/?type=3&theater

[Maeve]

15. he sent it out as an e-mail this week

he has the family trait of eloquence

[Rhiannon12866]

55. Here:

And welcome to DU!

https://www.democraticunderground.com/10029025340

[smirkymonkey]

59. I saw him here on television in Boston giving this speech, although I don't know where

he was giving it from exactly. He really inspired me.

[brer cat]

17. Bravo!

He gets it, and he has the eloquence to touch hearts and minds.

[jalan48]

20. He's a smart and moral young man. Thanks for sharing.

[John Lee Pettimore]

22. Big fan of Joe III

He has a million times more class and humility in a single cell of his body than our so called president and all the morons at their "victory" celebration have in total. JFK would be so proud of the statement in the op.

What is this no more dynasty stuff? I would gladly have many years of Kennedy's instead of 1 second of the clown show we have now.

[Wawannabe]

23. I'm a big fan...

Of Copperhead Road - John Lee Pettimore. Super cool screen name IMO.


And I'll read up on Kennedy. That so called dynasty was before my time but I liked Ted.

[John Lee Pettimore]

37. May not be many Steve Earle fans on here.

First half of Copperhead Road album was pretty good. The song Snake Oil was about Reagan and what a con man he was. Most of it fits our current P.T. Barnum idiot in chief. Johnny Come lately is another favorite on that album.

I am old and I really do not remember a Kennedy dynasty. Yes, three brothers were in high positions, but I question the dynasty label. Maybe I am old and forgetful. I do remember where I was when JFK was murdered. When I see and hear Joe III I always have a bit of a sad feeling about JFK and what could have been. We were robbed but Lee Harvey.

[lunasun]

41. Well Ain't your president been good to you?

Well I can open up the sky
People never fear
If you ain't impressed yet, just tell me what you wanna hear

He is still performing and has a new recording coming out

[John Lee Pettimore]

50. Just tell me what you wanna hear.

The recipe for success used by Rush L, Sean H, cheeto and several other rw prick

BTW. That is just such a great song. I used to laugh my ass off when he referred to St. Ronnie and his war victories.

[panader0]

49. Big Steve Earl fan here. Our band plays Guitar Town, Think It Over and

My Old Friend the Blues.

[Wawannabe]

51. We should reconvene....

In the lounge or music room. Got lots iof praise for Earl! Btw...I also heard he is "still playing and listened on Youtube. Been a while back tho.
I REALLY jam on Copper Head Road tho!

[John Lee Pettimore]

52. Joe Kennedy III and Steve Earle.

We keep bumping which is a good thing. The more people who read the original post, the better. Extra bonus if some check out Steve and Copperhead road.

I have used this screen name before. I confess I tried Sam Stone first. (shorter to type) Since you are in a band you should know who Sam Stone is without Google.

[Wawannabe]

53. Concur with the bumpin

For visibility. Was glad to see it reach two milestones!
I did start an Earl Thread in the music room with a "short ditty" however.

Later

[itsrobert]

27. And then there is Caroline's son

JFK grandson looking like he is going to run for something soon.

[pnwmom]

56. He just graduated from college in 2015. Give him a little time. n/t

[SMC22307]

28. "...we will all one day wake up in need of a little mercy."

I get choked up every time I read that. What a stark contrast between he and greedy, mean-spirited, spiteful Republicans.

[Wawannabe]

29. Smc...

Repugs especially need to remember Micah 6:8.
...Act justly
Love mercy
Walk humbly with your God.

I detest those who wear religion on their sleeve and never ACT accordingly.

[SMC22307]

31. The Democratic Party needs to *force* Republicans to remember.

Rs are out for blood, all while clutching a Bible and wrapped in the flag. The Democratic Party as a whole hasn't grasped that. But with Drumpf in the White House, no control of any federal branches, and full control of only SIX states, they *seem* to finally be getting it.

[MuseRider]

30. Spoken like a true Kennedy!

Outstanding. It almost made me cry because THIS is the truth. I do not know where all those other people got their anger and cruelty towards others, I just simply cannot understand it. Our politicians? Well we all know where that comes from.

So happy to read this.

Run? Not run? I really don't care as long as he is out there speaking like this. Well said.

[SMC22307]

32. From politicians, right-wing media, and some religious leaders...

it's a never-ending onslaught of anger and cruelty.

[MuseRider]

33. I will never understand it.

Not from any of them. I just posted this on my FB page. I have very religious relatives who love Trump only because of the abortion issue they think he will take care of, good Christian that he is (LOL really). I have a group of people I stay in contact with over one single topic, pets. They are mostly very conservative. We have agreed to keep our feeds separate enough that we usually do not see or do not click the political things. Several of them I know quite well as good people but damned if I can figure out how they are this way. How can you separate your caring for a friend or a relative with being good but letting someone you do not know or do not like for very strange reasons such as skin color die and not shed one ounce of caring.

Did not mean to carry on, everyone here agrees on this. I do know there will be a couple of responses that will not be good. Some of them just cannot help it.

[SMC22307]

34. Nor I! A Republican Latin American coworker admits he drank the Bush Kool-aid...

over the Iraq War (voting for Dubya twice), but he's still sucked in by the *War on Terror." This guy detests Obamacare and voted for Trump because he believed he (the billionaire playboy) would "fix" high premiums and deductibles. This guy is about 50, overweight, diabetic, and has sleep apnea and high blood pressure, and is furious over last week's House vote. I kept asking him, "what did you expect?!" He truly believes the "moderate" Senate will save him. I'm warning him about Republicans coming for SS and Medicare and all he comes back with is that those programs are "sacred." WAKE UP!

I truly don't understand how their brain works.

[smirkymonkey]

60. It just amazes me how thick the denial is in some of these people.

It won't hit them until they are rendered desperate and helpless from these policies.

[WinkyDink]

44. I'm ready to work on his national campaign.

[mikehiggins]

54. It must be like Tokyo residents hearing Godzilla is on the way...

Somewhere to the north something is stirring; something big and huge and immense.

The Kennedy clan seems to be stirring in the depths of New England.

Let the GOPkes bewars!

[DonCoquixote]

76. may I live long enough

to elect this kid president when he becomes the mature man reflected in these words.

[suffragette]

87. Heartfelt and powerful. Made me think of this song.

"Mercy Now"

https://m.