Having lived many years in Massachusetts, I’ve taken special interest in Tuesday’s election to replace the recently-deceased Edward Kennedy. I even listened to a debate of the three candidates.

What I heard from the two major hopefuls was not surprising. Martha Coakley is an uninspiring run-of-the mill liberal; and her equally dull opponent, Scott Brown, is your standard-issue neocon. What was surprising — or, should I say, who was surprising — was the third candidate, libertarian Joe Kennedy (no relation to the late patriarch), who’s running as an independent.

Those of us who follow libertarian candidates have come to expect a certain eccentricity, to put it nicely. Many are completely insane. Some perhaps shouldn’t even be allowed on the street, much less in public office. And this is coming from a committed libertarian.

But Joe Kennedy impressed me. He demonstrated intelligence, common sense, and strong knowledge of the issues. And not once did I hear him mention the Trilateral Commission or the NAFTA Superhighway.

Of course, he has no chance. Or not much of one. Perhaps some will think he’s related to the Kennedys. Maybe some seniors will even think they’re voting for the late rum runner. After all, I’ve heard anecdotal evidence that some George W. Bush voters thought they were voting for his father, and that a few Michigan primary voters actually thought they were voting for Mitt Romney’s dad, the former governor of the state. There’s even that old story about Jack Kennedy’s first congressional election, where his father supposedly put someone on the ballot who had a similar name as the frontrunner.

But barring a miracle of this sort, Joe will lose. So, whom to support? A Democratic stooge with a long record of prosecutorial abuse — a woman who’s beholden to the lobbyists even before she takes office? Or a Republican stooge, who thinks the wars we’re waging are just jolly and would like to see more of them?

Here’s hoping for a tie.

Tweet  Print This Post

Tags: politics & government // 1 Comment »