Ed Markey

Toughest Democratic Race To Take Sides: Ed Markey Vs. Joe Kennedy III In Massachusetts

Ronald 1 Comment

The toughest Democratic race for Congress is coming to a conclusion on Tuesday, September 1, when Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts faces Congressman Joe Kennedy III for the nomination for the US Senate.

Both are clearly progressives, but Markey is seen as more Left than Kennedy.

Markey has been endorsed by Congresswoman Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, former Vice President Al Gore, former Democratic Presidential nominee (1988) Michael Dukakis, documentary creator Ken Burns, Gloria Steinem, Jane Fonda, Carole King, Tom Steyer, many environmental groups, and the Boston Globe Editorial Board, as well as most Massachusetts mayors and many Democrats in the state legislature. and half the Congressional delegation.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has endorsed Kennedy, and the Kennedy Family is, of course, behind Kennedy, and also many Congressmen, including the late John Lewis and Joaquin Castro, but he has alienated many who think he should have waited until Markey retired, or Warren ended up in a potential Joe Biden cabinet.

The seat is guaranteed to whoever wins the primary on Tuesday, as Republicans have not won state wide except with the first African American Senator since Reconstruction (Edward Brooke) decades ago, and Scott Brown, who succeeded Ted Kennedy and then was defeated by Elizabeth Warren.

Markey has served since 1976, 44 years in Congress, starting when he was 30 years old, with 37 in the US House of Representatives, and then he took over John Kerry’s Senate seat when Kerry became Secretary of State under Barack Obama in 2013. In so doing, Markey set a record as the longest serving Congressman, who then ended up in the US Senate at age 67.

Markey is just about the most liberal Democratic Senator, while Kennedy in eight years in the House, and now nearing 40, is also liberal, but it could be argued not as much, whatever that means!

So two men, who started off at 30 and 32 in Congress, now face each other, as the old guy with the long record, and the young guy, who is a Kennedy, but seems likely to lose the primary, based on recent polls, which show Markey 12 points ahead of Kennedy!

This might mean the end of all Kennedys in Massachusetts always winning, and it could be that Joe Kennedy III might not get another chance to go to the Senate, and might not be able to run again for the House of Representatives.

This is quite a gamble by a Kennedy, and it seems likely to be a lost cause!

The inclination of this blogger and author is that if I lived in Massachusetts, I would vote for Markey, but not be happy about rejecting a talented Joe Kennedy III!

This race should not have happened, as Joe III should have waited for either Markey or Warren to leave the Senate, without this pitched battle now coming to its end on Tuesday!

Two Likely US Senators In 2021: Joe Kennedy III (Massachusetts) And Liz Cheney (Wyoming)

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With 34 seats up for election to the Senate in 2020, two seats are sure to remain in the hands of the same party, but with different officeholders than at present.

In Massachusetts, it is clear that Congressman Joe Kennedy III, grandson of Robert F. Kennedy, will challenge incumbent Democrat Ed Markey, who served more than 36 years in the House of Representatives, and will have served nearly eight years in the Senate.

Markey is a sterling progressive with a great record, and it is regretful that Kennedy, who will be 40 at the time of the election in 2020, is challenging Markey, who will be past 74 by election time.

It is really an example of a younger generation saying it is time for the Baby Boomer generation to step aside, but it is also the power of the Kennedy family and name coming into play.

It would be best to avoid bad blood if Markey decided to retire, but he started his national political career at age 30 in 1976, and is not likely to oblige young Kennedy.

So, sadly, a good man will be defeated in the primary, and if, somehow, he does triumph over young Kennedy, it will be a massive upset, hard to imagine.

Kennedy will be an outstanding Senator, no debate on the part of this blogger, and will likely be a potential Presidential contender in 2028, assuming a Democrat wins the White House in 2020. If not, Kennedy will certainly be in the mix for 2024.

Meanwhile, Liz Cheney, the older daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, who has been a Congresswoman from Wyoming since 2017, and is now third ranking Republican in the House as Chair of the House Republican Conference, is set to run for the open Senate seat of Senator Mike Enzi, who is retiring after 24 years in the Senate. Cheney had tried unsuccessfully to push Enzi aside in 2014, but she gave up the fight when public opinion polls showed Enzi would easily defeat her in a primary race.

Cheney is just like her father, tough as nails, and very ambitious, and she will win the Senate seat hands over, and assuredly, will seek the Presidency in 2024 and or 2028, as a serious Republican woman challenger for the White House.

We could see a future Presidential race between Joe Kennedy III and Liz Cheney, a fascinating race between two family inheritors—Robert F. Kennedy and the whole Kennedy family, versus Dick Cheney, his wife Lynne Cheney, and the Cheney family.

The Future Of The Democratic Party: Younger Liberals In The US Senate

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When one sees that Maryland Senator Barbara Mikulski, California Senator Barbara Boxer, and Nevada Senator Harry Reid are retiring in 2016, and know that other older Senate Democrats have limited time left in the Senate, it makes it clear that it is time to examine who among the “younger” generation of liberal Senate Democrats may be perceived as the future of the Democrats beyond Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, and even Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders.

Even if Hillary Clinton becomes President, where is the hope for liberal Democrats in the future, as there are very few Democratic governors. The “youth” movement in the Democratic Party is therefore in the hands of the following younger liberal Senate Democrats:

Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy (41)
Hawaii Senator Brian Schatz (42)
New Jersey Senator Cory Booker (45)
New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (48)
Colorado Senator Michael Bennet (50)
Delaware Senator Christopher Coons (51)
Wisconsin Senator Tammy Baldwin (53)
Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar (54)
Michigan Senator Gary Peters (56)
Virginia Senator Tim Kaine (57)
Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley (58)
Rhode Island Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (59)

These are the present Democratic hopes for the future, to make an impact on the level of Mikulski, Boxer, Reid, along with Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy, California Senator Diane Feinstein, Florida Senator Bill Nelson, Maryland Senator Ben Cardin, Illinois Senator Dick Durbin, Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal, Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey, New Mexico Senator Tom Udall, Oregon Senator Ron Wyden, Rhode Island Senator Jack Reed, Michigan Senator Debbie Stabenow, Washington Senator Patty Murray, New York Senator Chuck Schumer, Minnesota Senator Al Franken, and Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown, as well as Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders.

Of course, more liberal Senate Democrats yet unknown could be elected in 2016, including Kamala Harris in California and Patrick Murphy in Florida, and hopefully, the Democrats will take back control of the United States Senate, and some new Democratic governors might be elected, assuming a coattail effect of the candidacy of the Democratic nominee in the Electoral College, still highly likely!

The Democratic Party Winners In The 2014 Midterm Elections!

Ronald 1 Comment

While the Democrats lost more seats in the House of Representatives, and lost 8-9 seats in the US Senate and majority control as a result, there WERE Democratic triumphs worthy of mention!

Jeanne Shaheen won a second term in the Senate, defeating Scott Brown in the New Hampshire Senate race.

Al Franken won a second term in the Senate in Minnesota.

Jeff Merkley won a second term in the Senate in Oregon.

Dick Durbin won a fourth term in the Senate in Illinois.

Chris Coons won a second term in the Senate in Delaware.

Ed Markey won a first full term in the Senate in Massachusetts, after having a special election victory in 2013 to replace Secretary of State John Kerry.

Cory Booker won a full Senate term in New Jersey.

Tom Udall won a second Senate term in New Mexico.

Jack Reed won a fourth Senate term in Rhode Island.

Mark Warner won a second Senate term in Virginia after a very close race with Ed Gillespie.

Brian Schatz won the remainder of a full term in the Senate from Hawaii.

Gary Peters was a new Senator elected in Michigan, to replace retiring Senator Carl Levin.

In the Governorship elections, Andrew Cuomo in New York and Jerry Brown in California won major victories, and also, Democrats kept or gained control of Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont–a total of ten victories. Their biggest win, however, was Tom Wolf, defeating Tom Corbett, making Pennsylvania, the sixth largest state, run by Democrats again!

It is not that Democrats have a total great number of victories, but it is worth mentioning that they are far from giving up on regaining the Senate in 2016, and many Governorships are likely to go to the Democrats as part of a “wave”, helped along by the strong likelihood of a Democratic Presidential nominee winning in 2016, and by a substantial majority in the Electoral College!

Quandary Over Progressives Opposing Military Action Against ISIL (ISIS)

Ronald 11 Comments

The Senate vote last week authorizing aid to the Syrian rebels fighting ISIL (ISIS) was a strange vote, bipartisan, which is rare, but 22 Senators of both parties voting NO!

This included such progressive Democrats as Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, Sherrod Brown of Ohio, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Patrick Leahy of Vermont, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Ed Markey of Massachusetts, and Chris Murphy of Connecticut.  It also included Independent Bernie Sanders of Vermont.

On the other hand, it included Republicans such as Ted Cruz of Texas, Mike Lee of Utah, and Rand Paul of Kentucky, all Tea Party types.

The first list of seven Progressive Democrats and one Independent is highly respected by this author and blogger, and it makes him pause in his own support of the concept of starting a war against Islamic terrorism, what he sees as the beginning of World War III!

Of course, other Progressive Democrats DID support the majority vote, and it makes one wonder who is right, and who will be judged as correct by history, and it could affect the Presidential Election of 2016 and beyond, as, for instance, Hillary Clinton backing the Iraq War can be, and has been used, against her, and could be a problem in 2016!

These are difficult times, and we face a crisis of massive proportions, and trying to figure out what is best for the nation puts one in torment daily!

Ed Markey Wins John Kerry’s Senate Seat: First Step Toward Retention Of Democratic Senate In 2014!

Ronald 4 Comments

The Democratic Party has taken the first step toward hoped for retention of the majority of the US Senate in 2014, with the solid victory tonight of Congressman Ed Markey to John Kerry’s Senate seat in Massachusetts!

Markey, a 36 year veteran of the House of Representatives, enters the Senate with more years in the lower house of Congress than any in American history, and at an older age than most for a first term, being age 66!

Markey has been an outstanding liberal, and will add distinction to the US Senate, alongside fellow Senator Elizabeth Warren, making Massachusetts again one of the best states in representation, as it was with Ted Kennedy and John Kerry!

Congratulations to the new Senator Ed Markey!

John Kerry’s Senate Seat: Democrats Cannot Afford To Lose Seat, As Occurred With Ted Kennedy’s Senate Seat In 2010!

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When Senator Ted Kennedy died in 2009, it was assumed that the Democrats would hold his seat in the special election set up in early 2010, but instead Martha Coakley lost to Scott Brown, who held the seat for three years, until Elizabeth Warren defeated him in the next regular election in 2012.

Now we are faced with the same circumstance, as the special election for John Kerry’s Senate seat will be held in two weeks, and Democratic Congressman Ed Markey is competing against Republican Gabriel Gomez, and indications are that the race is close!

Markey has been an outstanding Congressman for an amazing number of years, 36, ever since 1976. If he wins, with his outstanding liberal record on issues, he would be an exceptional replacement for John Kerry, just as Elizabeth Warren is for Ted Kennedy. He likely is the longest serving Congressman to attempt a change to the US Senate, and one of the older freshman Senators in history, if he wins, at age 66!

We cannot afford to have a Republican take away a seat that the Democrats have always been able to count on, particularly with tight races coming up in the midterm elections of 2014! Markey deserves all support he can gather, financially, and with volunteer work, to hold on to a seat that represents the most Democratic state in the nation in recent years!

Massachusetts Congressman Ed Markey The Best Choice To Replace John Kerry In The US Senate!

Ronald 1 Comment

Democratic Congressman Ed Markey of Massachusetts has announced his candidacy for the US Senate seat that will open up when John Kerry is confirmed as Secretary of State by the time of the inauguration of Barack Obama for his second term as President.

Markey has a distinguished record as one of the longest lasting members of the House of Representatives, having first been elected 36 years ago in 1976.

In a normal situation, Markey might have been able to run for the Senate years ago, but his misfortune was to come from Massachusetts, with two sterling Senators, Ted Kennedy, who served 47 years, the fourth longest service in Senate history, and John Kerry, who has served 28 years, and was the 2004 Democratic Presidential nominee against George W. Bush.

Markey has been a leader on climate change legislation, and now is speaking up vigorously for gun control legislation, and has always served his constituents with devotion, and has a reputation as a hard working liberal, who deserves this opportunity at age 66 to become a Senator. He could certainly serve a theoretical 14 years, two years of the Kerry term, and two more elections, and would then be retiring at the age 80, with the assurance that he would be a star figure in the Senate in the tradition of Kennedy and Kerry.

It is not that Massachusetts does not have other outstanding Congressmen, and others, who could fill the position, but Markey truly deserves the chance to be the nominee this coming summer, with a very good chance to defeat former Republican Senator Scott Brown, who would likely be his opponent. All good fortune to Ed Markey as he pursues the Senate seat!

The Succession To John Kerry’s Senate Seat Becomes More Interesting!

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With Massachusetts Senator John Kerry about to be announced as Barack Obama’s new Secretary of State for his second term in office, attention is being paid more than ever to who will replace him.

Governor Deval Patrick will make a temporary appointment, but by late June or early July, there will be an election to finish out the term to the end of 2014.

Senator Scott Brown, soon to leave the Senate after losing to Elizabeth Warren, will certainly be the Republican nominee, but this time, unlike January 2010, when he won the Senate seat after the death of Ted Kennedy, it will be much more difficult for him to win in the very heavy “Blue” state of Massachusetts.

The rumors are flying that the widow of Ted Kennedy, Vickie Kennedy, who turned down the chance to run nearly three years ago, might now be interested. And also, Joseph Kennedy III, son of former Congressman Joseph Kennedy II, and now newly elected to Barney Frank’s House seat in Boston, could be a contender, even though only 32, but then Ted Kennedy was only 30 when he took the Senate seat in 1962. Any Kennedy running would be tough to beat.

But there are others also considered possible candidates, including Barney Frank himself, although retiring from the House of Representatives; Congressman Ed Markey, who has served in the House for 36 years; Congressman Michael Capuano; former Congressman Marty Meehan; and even Governor Deval Patrick himself!

One thing is certain: The replacement battle for John Kerry’s Senate seat will be fascinating and combative for sure, including a possible Democratic primary for the seat!