Martin Longman is the web editor of the Washington Monthly.
He is also the founder of Booman Tribune and Progress Pond. Before joining the Monthly, Martin was a county coordinator for ACORN/Project Vote and a political consultant. He has a degree in philosophy from Western Michigan University.
Seniority is a problem when you’re ruled by a geriatric party that is unnecessarily conservative and can’t read the moment of urgency. They all need to be cleared out.
However, I’ll be voting for Markey. Kennedy is worse than Markey on the issues, he’s done nothing to stand out in the House, and worst of all he’s been a leading drug warrior when we needed leaders against the war on drugs. He’s an old man in a young body with a legacy last name. And yet, his name alone might be enough. I hope not.
‘The war on certain people who use drugs’ is what they always mean when they say ‘war on drugs’. It’s like when someone says ‘it’s not about the money’, you know it’s about the money.
Veteran #mapoli journalist David Bernstein has observed that running against Markey may be Kennedy’s only chance (for a while) to run as the candidate of generational change. if Warren’s seat opens up, he’d likely have to run against the like of AG Maura Healey, or Rep. Ayanna Pressley, or any of several other experienced “young” (i.e., under 50) candidates. I’d love for someone to do a deep dive into the generational change races of the 1970s as a way of offering some perspective on what’s happening now that those who entered politics in the 1970s are on the other end… Read more »
I generally agree with you in the Kennedy / Markey case, but I think the Pressley / Capuano case, Pressley > Capuano. This is because modern politics is not just about legislative tactics and machinations, where seniority is important. Modern politics is extremely media heavy, and while some older progressives (e.g., Sanders) are very savvy in this new world, the vast majority are not. I’d never heard of or seen Capuano on the teevees, certainly not the Twitters or the intertubes. Pressley is all over it, and that alone, in a case where policy positions are a wash, is a… Read more »
There is only one reason to support Kennedy, as Markey is superior to him in every other respect. That reason is the filibuster. Markey wants to preserve it and go back to a 60 senator approval threshold for judges if Dems retake the Senate. Kennedy wants to trash the filibuster (which is dead anyway because of Gorsuch). We will need the filibuster to stay dead to expand the house and pack the courts. That one issue might lead me to vote Kennedy if I lived in Mass, even though I am NOT a fan and don’t trust (even reformed) drug… Read more »
I agree with you in this *particular* case, not being a big fan of Joe Kennedy.
But, I think a vibrant party should endure primaries every once in a while. We’re seeing what an inherently (small c) conservative party gets you, and a little more responsiveness is needed in this day and age.
Seniority is a problem when you’re ruled by a geriatric party that is unnecessarily conservative and can’t read the moment of urgency. They all need to be cleared out.
However, I’ll be voting for Markey. Kennedy is worse than Markey on the issues, he’s done nothing to stand out in the House, and worst of all he’s been a leading drug warrior when we needed leaders against the war on drugs. He’s an old man in a young body with a legacy last name. And yet, his name alone might be enough. I hope not.
‘The war on certain people who use drugs’ is what they always mean when they say ‘war on drugs’. It’s like when someone says ‘it’s not about the money’, you know it’s about the money.
.
Veteran #mapoli journalist David Bernstein has observed that running against Markey may be Kennedy’s only chance (for a while) to run as the candidate of generational change. if Warren’s seat opens up, he’d likely have to run against the like of AG Maura Healey, or Rep. Ayanna Pressley, or any of several other experienced “young” (i.e., under 50) candidates. I’d love for someone to do a deep dive into the generational change races of the 1970s as a way of offering some perspective on what’s happening now that those who entered politics in the 1970s are on the other end… Read more »
I generally agree with you in the Kennedy / Markey case, but I think the Pressley / Capuano case, Pressley > Capuano. This is because modern politics is not just about legislative tactics and machinations, where seniority is important. Modern politics is extremely media heavy, and while some older progressives (e.g., Sanders) are very savvy in this new world, the vast majority are not. I’d never heard of or seen Capuano on the teevees, certainly not the Twitters or the intertubes. Pressley is all over it, and that alone, in a case where policy positions are a wash, is a… Read more »
There is only one reason to support Kennedy, as Markey is superior to him in every other respect. That reason is the filibuster. Markey wants to preserve it and go back to a 60 senator approval threshold for judges if Dems retake the Senate. Kennedy wants to trash the filibuster (which is dead anyway because of Gorsuch). We will need the filibuster to stay dead to expand the house and pack the courts. That one issue might lead me to vote Kennedy if I lived in Mass, even though I am NOT a fan and don’t trust (even reformed) drug… Read more »
I agree with you in this *particular* case, not being a big fan of Joe Kennedy.
But, I think a vibrant party should endure primaries every once in a while. We’re seeing what an inherently (small c) conservative party gets you, and a little more responsiveness is needed in this day and age.