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New politician Joseph Kennedy III is no chip off the old block say insiders

Latest Kennedy doesn’t drink and is totally focused on his new political career

KERRY O'SHEA,

IrishCentral Staff Writer

Published Monday, March 19, 2012, 7:36 AM

Updated Monday, March 19, 2012, 11:52 AM

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Joseph P Kennedy III meet this constituents

Photo by Google Images

The first of a dozen or so Kennedy cousins to get into politics, Kennedy has a lot riding on his shoulders. “If he is successful, he could renew the luster of a somewhat tarnished family name. If he is not, he will fuel critics’ contentions that the family has exhausted its political potency,” writes Jacobs.

As Kennedy puts it, “I’m extremely proud of my family’s record of public service to Massachusetts and the nation. But it’s my name on the ballot. I will stand on my own, and I only ask the voters of the 4th district to listen to what I have to say and to make a choice.’’

Following his graduation from Stanford, Joe Kennedy joined the Peace Corps, a uniquely American program founded by his great-uncle President John F Kennedy. Joe Kennedy, a fluent Spanish speaker, served for two years in the Dominican Republic.

“You’re asking them to make a huge investment in their future, back-breaking work,’’ says Kennedy, who led local groups in the Dominican Republic to become more tourist-friendly in hopes of becoming a more attractive destination. “And, I’m saying, yeah but trust me, you’ll get something in the future.’’ Perhaps that moment can serve as an inkling as to what kind of leader he could potentially become in Congress and beyond.

After graduating from Harvard Law School in 2009, Kennedy signed on as an assistant prosecutor in the Cape & Islands district attorney’s office. “Each of these cases as a problem to solve, and not a person to prosecute,” said Kennedy on his attitudes towards working there. “Your job is not to just hide behind recommending a maximum sentence on every case and say, hey, I’m tough on crime. It’s to solve that problem. You’ve got a brain in there. Use it.’’

Only time will tell now how the public will react to another Kennedy in the political arena.

“Look, some people may have a romance with the Kennedys and will be hopeful for Joe,’’ said Paul G. Kirk, former chairman of the Democratic National Committee, who filled Ted Kennedy’s Senate seat after his death. “Some will be dismissive and say the page of history has turned. But most people are realistic and they want to take the measure of this kid.’’

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IrelandNorth | Apr 05, 2012, 08:30 AM EDT

I see the good old Irish red hair is shining through. Definately Irish by genetics. And Celtic-Irish too. Gee! The political divide is almost as bad in the US between blue-collar Democrats and white collar Republicans as it is here in Ireland, between Irish/Catholic/Nationalist/Republican and British/Protestant/Unionist/Loyalist. America - partioned? Never!

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seanomelb | Mar 20, 2012, 07:12 PM EDT

Good Lord!!! DR. Sheila you sound like Hitler and his geneticists.

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DrSheilahere | Mar 20, 2012, 01:09 PM EDT

Personally, no more Kennedy's. He not only has the alcohol gene but also the others. End the dynasty.

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McNamara31 | Mar 20, 2012, 10:56 AM EDT

Many an Irish family has been destroyed by alcohol. This Kennedy is smart because he has learned from the damage done to his uncles and cousins. It’s now known in science that the predisposition for drug and alcohol abuse is genetic just like sweets to a diabetic. Scientific reports came out of China after their famine (1959-1961)that tracked children born to mothers who were starving during their pregnancy and found these children went on to have higher addiction rates and some forms of mental illness. It’s sad that no one ever took “the time” to study the effects of the Irish Famine on the generations born thereafter and possibly better treatments in the cases of family addictions could have been found. In a way even the Irish bought into the English stereotypes that as a people we were drunkards when research could have shown a genetic component caused by the famine.

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pilib04 | Mar 19, 2012, 07:27 PM EDT

Nicomax, you call what happended during Dubya's reign, "close to sinking the entire country?" I don't think Dubya was "close", I think he managed to do it. Thankfully, President Obama is turning the country around.

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Murph46 | Mar 19, 2012, 06:48 PM EDT

Haters-revisionist term for historian!!!!!!!

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seanomelb | Mar 19, 2012, 06:07 PM EDT

The rhetoric from the Kennedy haters is so puerile and mean spirited is laughable. Give the man a chance to prove his worth and get over your feeble bitterness.

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alisaann | Mar 19, 2012, 03:58 PM EDT

the kennedys are NOT thugs....and he seems to have CLEAN background....the kennedys have ALWAYS cared about the people....i hope he WINS....we need him in washington,dc. alisa

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pattbaa | Mar 19, 2012, 03:49 PM EDT

Greenwich Connecticut-- We have a "saying" in the States-- "He was born on third base". This applies to someone , who because of wealth or priviledge , was spared the ordeal of first "getting to first base" by swinging a bat against a pitch traveleing at 100 miles-per-hour. To compare J Kennedy III to another Irish-American politician , Richard Daley , is similiar to comparing Rembrant to a graffitti "artist".---Daley was born in the blue-collar "Bridgeport" section of Chicago , son of an Irish-American tradesman. His started working when a boy , delivering newspapers. His meteroric career began when we was elected precint captain at age 21 and from this lowly start was elected Mayor of Chicago six times --" From 1953 until he died in 1976 , Daley was the un-challenged leader of Cook County politics which directed and controlled every municiple service for the residents of Chicago and Cook County" --"He knew every nut and bolt of the 'machine' knew the workings of each and every Ward Distric, knew every precint captain."--- In the 1960 Presidential Election , John Kennedy's margin of victory in the State of Illinois was a meager 9,000 votes. If Kennedy lost Illinois , he lost the election. He margin of victory in Daley's Cook County was 465,000. Safe to say that if there were not a Richard Daley who " delivered" Illinois in 1960 , there would not be a present-day Kennedy campaigning for an office.

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FastEddy | Mar 19, 2012, 01:49 PM EDT

Just another pretty face with too much money to spend ...

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Nicomax | Mar 19, 2012, 01:34 PM EDT

As expected, we always get the Kennedy hate comments whenever another member of the family steps into the spotlight. Would it then be just OK for some of us to groan if and when Jeb Bush decides to run again since his Papa was a stiff, and his brother a dolt who came close to sinking the entire country?

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hermitTalker | Mar 19, 2012, 01:09 PM EDT

Good start for his not drinking even one glass. We hope he also follows his g/g/g Grandmother and stays close to the Roman Catholic Christian faith and its biblically rooted moral value system. Congress or State Governments do not need another "catholic" favouring abortion and same gender unions being defined as "marriage" and does not allow the poor to pay the bills of the GreedyGamblers and really champions the vulnerable.

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CitizenWhy | Mar 19, 2012, 12:25 PM EDT

Sound values without the Kennedy baggage. I've seen may grandkids of Irish immigrant big drinkers become non-drinkers or very light drinkers. But the right wing thugs will be out in force to spread their evil way of thinking.

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J.D.McCaffrey | Mar 19, 2012, 10:24 AM EDT

The kid shows promise. I just hope he's pro-labor and as compassionate a Liberal as his uncle Teddy.

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