MSNBC Frets Over No More Kennedys in Congress: Who Will 'Fill the Void' at This 'End of an Era?'
While the rest of America might not be mourning the departure of the troubled Patrick Kennedy from Congress, MSNBC on Tuesday lamented "the end of an era" that saw at least one member of the Kennedy family serving in Washington for 63 years. The network featured three segments on the topic in the span of an hour.
Jansing and Co. Guest anchor Richard Lui wondered, "...Will we see a family that will be able to take up the mantle here?" Talking to Democratic strategist Karen Finney, he repeated talking points from the Rhode Island Congressman who, in 2006, crashed his car while driving under the influence of prescription drugs at 2:45am: "...Patrick Kennedy was saying, you know, a public service versus public office. It's about public service."
Referring to his other guest, Michelle Bernard of the Independent Woman's Forum, Lui added, "So, when we take a look at that, Michelle, what more might we see going forward in terms of a family that might, again, fill in this void that we're now seeing?"
A follow-up segment by Contessa Brewer in the 12pm hour featured the graphic, "An End of an Era." Brewer recited, "When the new Congress is sworn in next week it will mark the end of an era for one of America's most powerful and storied political families. For the first time in 63 years there will be no Kennedys serving in elected office in Washington."
The usually conservative Bernard offered an odd analysis of the Kennedy legacy. She asserted of the President: "And so I think what we have to ask ourselves today is by handing that mantle over to Obama and looking at the type of President that President Obama is, one has to ask the question, can the type of liberal that the Kennedy family historically been actually be elected in Democratic politics in this era?"
Bernard continued, questioning Obama's liberalism: "And I think the answer is probably no. President Obama has turned out to be a lot more of a centrist and probably to the right of Senator Kennedy than many members of the Kennedy family."
A third segment ran in the 11am hour and featured historian Alan Lichtman. He highlighted the Kennedy family's "clarion call for liberalism."
A transcript of the segment, which aired at 11:24am EST on December 28, follows:
RICHARD LUI: Karen and Michelle are back with us right now. Let's start with you, Karen, here. Will we see a company [sic], excuse me, will we see a family that will be able to take up the mantle here?
KAREN FINNEY (Democratic strategist): You know, at this point it doesn't appear so. You know, the Kennedy legacy is such a unique part of American history. The other thing, just to listen to Alan that we're losing with this generation is that real sense that, you know, it is a call to service. If you listen to the way, particularly the GOP, has attacked, you know, public sector employees, that's how we talk about people who go into government work instead of this idea that it is being called a service, being called to serve one's country just as one might serve in the military that this is another way to serve. And I think part of what we lose in this transition is this idea that that's a part of what being part of government is about. And I think we've, you know, lost some of that and I don't see another family on the horizon that has that same kind of heartfelt commitment to this country.
LUI: And you make a good point there, Karen, as you take a look at this because Patrick Kennedy was saying, you know, a public service versus public office. It's about public service. So, when we take a look at that, Michelle, what more might we see going forward in terms of a family that might, again, fill in this void that we're now seeing?
MICHELLE BERNARD (Independent Women's Forum): Well, Richard, you know, I think if you take the pulse of most of the nation I don't think that the American public is looking for what we saw with the Kennedys and, frankly, even with the Bushes. If you really take a look at where the American public is, I don't think that they're looking for that any more. I think what the more interesting question is, frankly, what is the future of the Democratic Party? If you go back to the 2008 election, you know, Senator Kennedy was the lion of the Democratic Party and he had a big decision to make. Was he going to endorse Barack Obama or was he going to endorse then-Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton. And by endorsing Obama, I think he handed the mantle over of the Democratic Party and of the Kennedy legacy to the President. And so I think what we have to ask ourselves today is by handing that mantle over to Obama and looking at the type of President that President Obama is, one has to ask the question, can the type of liberal that the Kennedy family historically been actually be elected in Democratic politics in this era? And I think the answer is probably no. President Obama has turned out to be a lot more of a centrist and probably to the right of Senator Kennedy than many members of the Kennedy family.
LUI: Karen, Michelle, thank you for that. Many marking the moving on of Patrick Kennedy in different ways. Thank you, both, for your perspective on that.
— Scott Whitlock is a news analyst for the Media Research Center. Click here to follow him on Twitter.
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Comments
Obama to the right of Dead Ted?
Submitted by Blonde on Tue, 12/28/2010 - 4:29pm.
And she said this with a straight face?
ROTFL.
These liberals are delusional.
Handy Reference Guide to Obama's Gaffes and Goofs ~ Currently Numbering 200 (and Counting)
Scotch Makers
Submitted by Jerry Mack on Tue, 12/28/2010 - 8:11pm.
I thought that the Scotch distillers would reallyyyyyyyyy miss Ted. But after reading this article they have found several new consumers of equal drinking skill.
No More Kennedys?
Submitted by justbob223 on Tue, 12/28/2010 - 4:29pm.
Thank God.
Three segments in one hour?
Submitted by KyWriter on Tue, 12/28/2010 - 4:38pm.
Was Mary Jo Kopechne interviewed in any of them?
May that void never be filled
Submitted by eaglewingz08 on Tue, 12/28/2010 - 4:40pm.
May that void never be filled again.
Oh, it's a public service?
Submitted by ant on Tue, 12/28/2010 - 4:40pm.
Oh, it's a public service? Well, hell, for 180,000. bucks a year, not to mention benefits, 0 travel expenses, kickbacks, and all the privileges taxpayer money can buy. Gladly sign me up for public service! Please! Oh,please!
I guess I've been wrong all these years because I thought the idea of " royal family dynasty's creating public policy" was in direct contrast to the idea of American governance. Lib's are stupid sheep.
Don Kennedy
Submitted by DontFeedTheTrolls on Tue, 12/28/2010 - 4:44pm.
I always refer to the Kennedys as the 'Kennedy Crime Family'. Liberals just love that. They get all emotional.
While I am suprised at some
Submitted by bassndude on Tue, 12/28/2010 - 4:46pm.
While I am suprised at some of her comments, it is reasonable to consider that Obama may be to the right of the dead Kennedy. Of course, all things considered, Karl Marx was to the right of Teddy K. on some issues....
Save a SeAL, club a liberal/troll!!
Well, with the smuggling
Submitted by johnsonl on Tue, 12/28/2010 - 4:48pm.
Well, with the smuggling profits from Patriarch Joe safely invested, power could be bought and bartered for. An ambassadorship, perhaps?
POOR JOHN,JOHN!
Submitted by circusstorm on Tue, 12/28/2010 - 4:50pm.
If he only didn't hate his wife he would still be alive today!!!
The mourning of the end
Submitted by MidAmerica on Tue, 12/28/2010 - 4:50pm.
The mourning of the end of the 'Kennedy' era is a perfect example of the media bubble that these people live in. Real people could care less.
The problem these Godless and rudderless people have is that THEY need a Holy Family to be their guide, to be their prophet, to show them the way. It's a basic human need to want to believe in something and for decades now the Kennedy family has been their Golden Calf.
The next Kennedy-esque dynasty family?
Submitted by Galvanic on Tue, 12/28/2010 - 4:52pm.
How about the Corleones?
How shall we fill the void?
Submitted by Morganfrost on Tue, 12/28/2010 - 4:53pm.
After all, it's not easy to find a wealthy, philandering alcoholic with a sense of entitlement.
Who will "fill in the void"?
Submitted by PrairieSky on Tue, 12/28/2010 - 4:59pm.
Maybe someone who doesn't coast along on their family's name...Someone who has actually earned their position and office with hard work, character, honesty and integrity, which are things that most of the Kennedys have sorely lacked.
This wailing and blathering on about how our government will struggle on without a Kennedy in it, is beyond absurd...This country and this government did just fine before the corrupt Kennedy clan came along, and will do just fine now (probably better) without them.
"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction...It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them (our children) to do the same." ~President Ronald Reagan
The dark ages in Congress. . .
Submitted by rick.bren on Tue, 12/28/2010 - 5:33pm.
are finally over!!!
The Obama's are the new
Submitted by Barack_must_go..... on Tue, 12/28/2010 - 5:49pm.
The Obama's are the new Kennedy dynasty in Washington, only now Camelot has been replaced by Cameltoe.
Barack_Must_Go.....
Thanks for ruining my computer!
Submitted by daddysyk on Tue, 12/28/2010 - 6:56pm.
I just spit all over the keyboard. Camel toe references are underrated.
Good Riddance!
Submitted by DaMama on Tue, 12/28/2010 - 6:06pm.
Good riddance to the Kennedy family. They were corrupt from the get-go. Joseph P. was a Nazi sympathizer who got nailed to the wall by Roosevelt, thus ending his quest for the White House. So he had to live his lust for power through his sons.
And everyone knows the legacy of the Kennedy men - womanizing, alcoholism, murder, sexual abuse, drug abuse, lust for power at any cost. The women weren't much better. They just sat by and did nothing while their men went a-whoring.
Good riddance.
Surely?
Submitted by Newsbubba on Tue, 12/28/2010 - 6:18pm.
"what more might we see going forward in terms of a family that might, again, fill in this void that we're now seeing?"
Surely there is another drunken, philandering, slob who doesn't mind killing who can replace the Kennedy clan's "finest" in Congress!
Maybe that's why Obambi is trying to speed the rehabilitation of Michael Vick. He can be "the first black Kennedy!"
not to speak ill of the dead
Submitted by Agnostic on Tue, 12/28/2010 - 6:23pm.
but perhaps now so many of the dead in Chicago and through out New England can finally be at rest knowing they won't have to continue voting. Unless, of course, Rahm needs them.
Hard to fill those shoes
Submitted by CobraMan on Tue, 12/28/2010 - 6:32pm.
"Will we see a company [sic], excuse me, will we see a family that will be able to take up the mantle here?"
Well, since Stalin didn't have any children, I would have to say NO.
The Citizens of each State shall be entitled to all Privileges and Immunities of Citizens in the several States. The US Constitution
Unless you're a fetus. The US Supreme Court
Or Anwar al-Awlaki.
Maybe Patrick will make a
Submitted by MightyMouth on Tue, 12/28/2010 - 6:35pm.
Maybe Patrick will make a comeback and actually kill someone while driving drunk. That ought to please the left. Any other poor dumb bastard would just get a prison sentence!
I suspect his news headline days are not over
Submitted by Galvanic on Wed, 12/29/2010 - 11:42am.
Given his temperament and history of substance addiction, it's probably not the last we hear from the lad.
Congress' alcohol level has
Submitted by danbo on Tue, 12/28/2010 - 7:14pm.
Congress' alcohol level has gone down.
"You lie!" Rep. Joe Wilson R-(SC)
Why Do We Need A Dynasty or a Quasi-Royal Family?
Submitted by Tenebrous on Tue, 12/28/2010 - 7:36pm.
With this sentiment and their sentiment of having Obama be a dictator, we can see the true colors of the American liberal: the same colors as the tories from the Revolutionary days. The liberals still want to be ruled over, pampered, fed thrice a day, and controlled; everything they say screams these truths. And that is well and good, because liberals are good for nothing else but talking, and even their words mean nothing that matters.
Visions and Principles blog
The very concept of an American 'royalty' is distasteful
Submitted by Galvanic on Wed, 12/29/2010 - 11:50am.
While wealthy families like the Kennedys, the Rockefellers, and the Bushs love to dabble in politics, I believe their very existence (in a political sense) damages our national diaologue. The Kennedys are arguably the most enigmatic of these families, their myth enhanced by tragedy and MSM celebrity-making and worship.
They certainly have a right to run for office, and if people want to vote for them, so be it.
But IMHO, the smaller they appear in our national rearview mirror, the better.Liberal elites*
Submitted by cajun2 on Tue, 12/28/2010 - 8:13pm.
They will cannonize and lionize anyone so they can self identify with their version of another annointed elitist group. Heaven forbid the MSM would ever identify with us "peasants". Peasant being defined as ordinary hard working patriotic Americans.
"Will we see a company [sic],
Submitted by Chris Norman on Tue, 12/28/2010 - 11:42pm.
"Will we see a company [sic], excuse me, will we see a family that will be able to take up the mantle here?" Oh, like the Tudors giving way to the Windsors? This "America's Royal Family" bs makes me want to hurl.Gosh, the next generation of Kennedys just might have to...
Submitted by Dave. on Wed, 12/29/2010 - 12:23am.
...go out and get (gasp!) for-real, no-sh*t J O B S.
You know, the kind where they may actually be required to produce something of real value.
Oh, what a cryin' shame that will be!
-Dave
Vote for the American in November
Don't forget the Registered Sex Offender connection...
Submitted by gopcongress on Wed, 12/29/2010 - 2:30am.
...and I'm not talking about the RINO-nator, though there was talk of some "fun times with teens" when he was a bodybuilder in Venice.
I'm talking about Jackie-O's brother, James Auchincloss, arrested for child sexual abuse. In Washington, child pornography is correctly called "encouraging child abuse," and he had a few on his computer over, and was arrested for a probation violation related to that charge.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-20026704-504083.html
(NOTE: The statist media calls him a "half-brother," but if Auchincloss had been related to, say, Bush, their would be no "half-" qualifier anywhere near "Bush," and they would do their damnedest to remove the "in-law" as much as possible.)
I'm not talking about the various younger Kennedys' rapacioius adventures of yesteryear, and everyone knows Ted's proclivities, though not illegal (except for a certain little vehicicular mishap). This family is seriously in need of being dethroned. Camelot is over.
"The news and truth are not the same thing." -Walter Lippmann (1889-1974) FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER
"Who Will Fill The Void?"
Submitted by ljacone on Wed, 12/29/2010 - 9:00am.
Maybe, just maybe, someone with actual, real qualifications. Oh and maybe someone sober.
"American royalty?" Give me a freaking break. We fought a war in this country to get rid of monarchs!
"This country never had no King, this country never had no Queen, and the only person the JYD ever bowed down to was the Good Lord Above." -- WWE Hall-of-Famer The Junk Yard Dog
Jack Kennedy was a liberal?
Submitted by jdripper on Wed, 12/29/2010 - 11:42am.
Kennedy had some liberal positions, but he was no liberal. He ran for President on "missile gap" that was non-existent. He odered tax cuts. His brother with his blessing took on the labor unions. He increased defense spending. His strident anti-communism.
His stance on civil rights is what makes people call him a liberal. If you look at those, however, they were almost identical to that of Eisenhower. He might not have liked it but the courts had already ruled and if Congress did not change their position then it was going to be stuffed down their throats.
Jack
Fill the void
Submitted by hbnolikeee on Wed, 12/29/2010 - 11:51am.
That sure is where the Kennedy boys excel. Ask Monroe (oh she's dead) and ask Mary Jo (oh she's dead too).
Hallelujah!
Submitted by mnemosyne23 on Wed, 12/29/2010 - 11:57am.
The Kennedy's have LEFT the building! And may they stay gone forever and ever, amen.
We don't need so-called American "royalty." We kicked King George III to the curb centuries ago. Let the Kennedys find REAL jobs, and if they can't, let them stand in line for soup like all the poor souls they've put out of work with their indiscriminately vile policies.
----
"Live free or die: Death is not the worst of evils."
~General John Stark, 1809
If the Kennedy Crime Family
Submitted by WarEagle66 on Wed, 12/29/2010 - 11:59am.
If the Kennedy Crime Family agrees to take all of their money out of EVERY TRUST FUND and pay a wealth tax....then, and only then, will I give a damn about that evil family.
Or even think of listening to anyone talk about higher taxes!
Until then....don't let the door hit you on the butt!
If JFK were alive, would he be a Democrat?
Submitted by Russian55 on Wed, 12/29/2010 - 2:05pm.
“By calling attention to ‘a well regulated militia,’ the ‘security’ of the nation, and the right of each citizen ‘to keep and bear arms,’ our founding fathers recognized the essentially civilian nature of our economy. Although it is extremely unlikely that the fears of governmental tyranny which gave rise to the Second Amendment will ever be a major danger to our nation, the Amendment still remains an important declaration of our basic civilian-military relationships, in which every citizen must be ready to participate in the defense of his country. For that reason I believe the Second Amendment will always be important.”
– President John F. Kennedy
Does this sound at all like a statement by Nancy Pelosi, John Kerry, Barak Obama, etc?
No, this is a statement reminding people that the 2nd Amendment was intended so the PEOPLE would own guns and, as JFK said: "Although it is extremely unlikely that the fears of governmental tyranny which gave rise to the Second Amendment will ever be a major danger to our nation" he left open the possibility.
Today, such words would be considered to be uttered by some ultraconservative who would be tagged as a potential "domestic terrorist."
---
Those who beat their swords into plowshares will end up plowing for those who kept their swords in the first place!
how about we set up a bag of crap on kennedys old desk?
Submitted by igor1136 on Wed, 12/29/2010 - 4:17pm.
we can call it one of massoftwoshits piles and they can have a permanant congressbag o crap. you wont have a kennedy to let off the hook for crimes anymore. how will we ever get by? [sar]
→ You repeat yourself
Submitted by Cool Arrow on Wed, 12/29/2010 - 4:31pm.
Would that be a Brown bag of crap? First name, Scott?
Scott Brown is filling "The Kennedy Seat" nicely
Submitted by needle on Thu, 12/30/2010 - 6:47pm.
In case you have not been following Scott Brown's voting record it includes voting for the financial reform bill, DADT repeal, START Treaty, Elena Kagan.
Not much different from Kennedy.
Too bad for him he that he is destroying his base. Of course, the Dems will vote him out in 2012.
- Looking forward to the self-annihilation of the Manipulated Stories Machine.
Deleted
Submitted by Cool Arrow on Wed, 12/29/2010 - 4:31pm.
Reposted
Only one ever worth a damn
Submitted by mostlymoderate on Wed, 12/29/2010 - 8:17pm.
Only one ever worth a damn was John F. Kennedy but that is probably because we have the "drilled into our heads" since kindergarten and there is no removing the propaganda. I will say that Ted Kennedy was the worst thing to happen to this country because he changed immigration policy to start bringing in 3rd Worlders for no reason other to guarantee prosperity for the Democratic Party (which prefers a welfare state).
JFK
Submitted by Cyborg 0427 on Thu, 12/30/2010 - 8:14am.
JFK was the last real president we had in this country. He turned on the union thugs who helped him get elected, turned on the Federal Reserve, and rethought his opinion on civil rights and was about to pull troops out of Viet Nam. His last speech was about secret societies and he paid for all all of that with his life. Anyone remember the silver certificates he printed? Remember Executive Order 11110 which returned the governments power to issue currency? Did anyone know that the order has never been repealed? His brother almost broke the Teamsters. No these two were anything but liberals but the last line to that story was that they were both shot and in Roberts case by, yep a muslim. Go think on that for a while.
And Jack by a
Submitted by Boudin on Thu, 12/30/2010 - 8:25pm.
Commie,