First, I sincerely hope Governor Tim Walz steps up as a loud anti-Trumpian voice. We need him and it would further raise his profile. Right now Democrats have far too many soft or silent voices, and few that speak to rural America.
As for Markey’s age and long service as a senator (approaching half a century), he’s in far better shape tha…
First, I sincerely hope Governor Tim Walz steps up as a loud anti-Trumpian voice. We need him and it would further raise his profile. Right now Democrats have far too many soft or silent voices, and few that speak to rural America.
As for Markey’s age and long service as a senator (approaching half a century), he’s in far better shape than the longer-serving Chuck Grassley – especially from the neck up and in terms of integrity.
Big mistake that Joe Kennedy the 3rd chose to challenge Markey, a fighter and one of our best senators. (And very wrong of Pelosi to endorse Kennedy against the incumbent Markey.) I hope someone dissuades Auchincloss, although I wouldn’t mind seeing him lose to Markey and for Kennedy to regain his House seat!
Deeply involved in the Project SAM nonsense. He could have run against Charlie Baker but instead decided to primary a senator and ran an empty nepotism based campaign against Markey. Happy to see him retired and irrelevant we don't need to go to the nepotism well to get politicians under 70 in office.
Baker was probably too popular to be defeated. Kennedy could have gone for governor in 2022 when it was open, but Healey probably had too much of a head start.
Avedee, Kennedy made a mistake running against Markey, no doubt about that. I share your animosity about that. However, that does not make Kennedy politically irrelevant for all time, nor that his political career is dead and buried.
We can and should do better than an anti-marjiuana crusader nepo baby who challenged one of the most progressive senators in the country on a platform of elect me i'm a Kennedy.
I'm not as opposed to JPK3 as Avedee, but at the same time: what does he bring us? He's not ideologically special. While I wouldn't call him weak in any categories of policy expertise or communication, he also possesses no special strength in those categories. While he would be younger than most congressmembers, he's not uniquely young as a potential statewide candidate in MA. Pressley is 50 vs his 44. Auchincloss is 36. Trahan is 51. Moulton is 46. (Although I'd certainly prefer him over Moulton...)
The only thing special about him is his last name. Which in a tough election (e.g. if he had challenged Baker) would have value. There are no expected difficult elections in the state in the near future for him to put that to use. It also would have no real value for a presidential ticket, as democrats in particular are shying away from anything that they can call dynasties. Plus, his uncle is doing his best job to run the family name into the mud.
Kennedy as a potential senator doesn't give us anything special.
Pressley is by far the person we should want to replace Markey or Warren, whoever leaves first. And I'm on board for both of them making their current term their last, considering their ages.
"Plus, his uncle is doing his best job to run the family name into the mud."
That would seem to be an argument in favour of a Kennedy run, to restore some more lustre to the family name and legacy.
But even in Massachusetts, a Kennedy restoration only goes so far. Younger voters might not be hostile to the prospect, but they don't automatically gravitate to it and building a campaign mostly around nostalgia often doesn't work out well.
One of the problems is the MA congressional delegation has a lot of weak-sauce "moderates" in it. Auchincloss is one of them, but there are worse, like Neal or Lynch or DINO Moulton (my rep, unfortunately). The only people in the delegation who could hold Markey's jock are Clark and Pressley. Clark is in the house leadership as the minority whip, and I don't think she'd give that up to be junior senator. And I don't think Pressley would beat Markey.
Clark has positioned herself well to be Jeffries' successor. She'll have a real shot at being speaker sometime in a decade or so unless Jeffries sticks around for as long as Pelosi did. If so she'd also likely be the second woman to be speaker. Like you I expect her to stick to the house and not run for senate.
Healey has her eyes set elsewhere right now, but I could see her running in 2030 if the seat is open. Pressley and Clark are the only ones I'd prefer over her in that scenario. She's not amazing but she's easily preferable to Auchincloss or Moulton.
I don't know of anything especially egregious in his voting record.
The issue with Moulton is his statements and other actions. He tries to position himself in the "democrats suck" lane. He's in a house seat that he could probably hold down for another 40 years with little risk if he wished — he doesn't need that bullshit to keep enough voters on his side. All he's doing is hurting the party. He also made a pointless attempt to depose Pelosi.
The basic summary I'd make is that Moulton is not a team player and that when we absolutely 100% need someone to be there, we cannot count on him. He will probably be there, but not reliably enough. Especially not reliably enough for a potential senator from one of the bluest states in the country.
Moulton is in it for himself and I have no confidence that we can truly count on him for anything important, especially if he's made it to statewide office. If he's a senator and does something awful when reelection is >2 years away, the electorate will have moved on by election day.
Either way, Moulton represents a D+11 district. We wouldn't exactly be in danger of losing it if say for the sake of the argument another Democratic challenger more liberal than him primaries him out of office.
All true. Also, Moulton was one of the loudest voices in favor of a ballot question a few years back that would have increased charter schools in MA. As a public school teacher, that pissed me off (it mercifully failed).
He also tried to derail Pelosi from becoming speaker in 2018...from the right! His whole thing was Pelosi was too liberal. If you think Nancy "Definition of Centrist" Pelosi is too liberal, just put the R after your name and be done with it.
First, I sincerely hope Governor Tim Walz steps up as a loud anti-Trumpian voice. We need him and it would further raise his profile. Right now Democrats have far too many soft or silent voices, and few that speak to rural America.
As for Markey’s age and long service as a senator (approaching half a century), he’s in far better shape than the longer-serving Chuck Grassley – especially from the neck up and in terms of integrity.
Big mistake that Joe Kennedy the 3rd chose to challenge Markey, a fighter and one of our best senators. (And very wrong of Pelosi to endorse Kennedy against the incumbent Markey.) I hope someone dissuades Auchincloss, although I wouldn’t mind seeing him lose to Markey and for Kennedy to regain his House seat!
I was going to say . . enough time has passed that Kennedy should make a move for something; he's still a talented pol.
I'm happy to leave his political career dead and buried.
Any reason you don't like him?
Deeply involved in the Project SAM nonsense. He could have run against Charlie Baker but instead decided to primary a senator and ran an empty nepotism based campaign against Markey. Happy to see him retired and irrelevant we don't need to go to the nepotism well to get politicians under 70 in office.
Baker was probably too popular to be defeated. Kennedy could have gone for governor in 2022 when it was open, but Healey probably had too much of a head start.
Avedee, Kennedy made a mistake running against Markey, no doubt about that. I share your animosity about that. However, that does not make Kennedy politically irrelevant for all time, nor that his political career is dead and buried.
We can and should do better than an anti-marjiuana crusader nepo baby who challenged one of the most progressive senators in the country on a platform of elect me i'm a Kennedy.
I'm not as opposed to JPK3 as Avedee, but at the same time: what does he bring us? He's not ideologically special. While I wouldn't call him weak in any categories of policy expertise or communication, he also possesses no special strength in those categories. While he would be younger than most congressmembers, he's not uniquely young as a potential statewide candidate in MA. Pressley is 50 vs his 44. Auchincloss is 36. Trahan is 51. Moulton is 46. (Although I'd certainly prefer him over Moulton...)
The only thing special about him is his last name. Which in a tough election (e.g. if he had challenged Baker) would have value. There are no expected difficult elections in the state in the near future for him to put that to use. It also would have no real value for a presidential ticket, as democrats in particular are shying away from anything that they can call dynasties. Plus, his uncle is doing his best job to run the family name into the mud.
Kennedy as a potential senator doesn't give us anything special.
Pressley is by far the person we should want to replace Markey or Warren, whoever leaves first. And I'm on board for both of them making their current term their last, considering their ages.
"Plus, his uncle is doing his best job to run the family name into the mud."
That would seem to be an argument in favour of a Kennedy run, to restore some more lustre to the family name and legacy.
But even in Massachusetts, a Kennedy restoration only goes so far. Younger voters might not be hostile to the prospect, but they don't automatically gravitate to it and building a campaign mostly around nostalgia often doesn't work out well.
Who woulda thunk that RFK Jr could make Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana (unrelated) look like the more reasonable Kennedy?
Speaking only for myself, I have no interest in *any* Kennedy running for *any* office. I consider their "mystique" fundamentally un-American.
I’m sure they’re a bunch of candidates who would be better than Auschinscloss
One of the problems is the MA congressional delegation has a lot of weak-sauce "moderates" in it. Auchincloss is one of them, but there are worse, like Neal or Lynch or DINO Moulton (my rep, unfortunately). The only people in the delegation who could hold Markey's jock are Clark and Pressley. Clark is in the house leadership as the minority whip, and I don't think she'd give that up to be junior senator. And I don't think Pressley would beat Markey.
Clark has positioned herself well to be Jeffries' successor. She'll have a real shot at being speaker sometime in a decade or so unless Jeffries sticks around for as long as Pelosi did. If so she'd also likely be the second woman to be speaker. Like you I expect her to stick to the house and not run for senate.
Healey has her eyes set elsewhere right now, but I could see her running in 2030 if the seat is open. Pressley and Clark are the only ones I'd prefer over her in that scenario. She's not amazing but she's easily preferable to Auchincloss or Moulton.
I'm not that familiar with his voting record. What besides his transgender comment makes Moulton a DINO?
I don't know of anything especially egregious in his voting record.
The issue with Moulton is his statements and other actions. He tries to position himself in the "democrats suck" lane. He's in a house seat that he could probably hold down for another 40 years with little risk if he wished — he doesn't need that bullshit to keep enough voters on his side. All he's doing is hurting the party. He also made a pointless attempt to depose Pelosi.
The basic summary I'd make is that Moulton is not a team player and that when we absolutely 100% need someone to be there, we cannot count on him. He will probably be there, but not reliably enough. Especially not reliably enough for a potential senator from one of the bluest states in the country.
Moulton is in it for himself and I have no confidence that we can truly count on him for anything important, especially if he's made it to statewide office. If he's a senator and does something awful when reelection is >2 years away, the electorate will have moved on by election day.
Either way, Moulton represents a D+11 district. We wouldn't exactly be in danger of losing it if say for the sake of the argument another Democratic challenger more liberal than him primaries him out of office.
All true. Also, Moulton was one of the loudest voices in favor of a ballot question a few years back that would have increased charter schools in MA. As a public school teacher, that pissed me off (it mercifully failed).
He also tried to derail Pelosi from becoming speaker in 2018...from the right! His whole thing was Pelosi was too liberal. If you think Nancy "Definition of Centrist" Pelosi is too liberal, just put the R after your name and be done with it.