In R.I. City, Longstanding Confidence is Shaken (Shameless Pro-Patrick Kennedy Puff Piece by MSM)

Boston Globe ^ | 05/06/2006 | Michael Levenson and Andrea Estes

[KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle]

PAWTUCKET, R.I. -- Among the patrons at the News Café, an airy bar downtown, the debate erupted almost as soon as Representative Patrick J. Kennedy finished making his emotional appearance on a television above the liquor bottles and colored lights.

Kennedy, the six-term congressman who represents this old factory city, said he would enter a rehabilitation clinic for his addiction to pain medication, a day after crashing his car into a barrier outside the Capitol in Washington, D.C.

Bobby LaBonte was not impressed.

''He lost my vote, I'll tell you that," said the 58-year-old former Marine, who called himself a longtime Kennedy supporter. ''He's copping out. He's trying to make it look like he's the good guy. He should get arrested like everyone else."

Not so, said Gina Culbertson, 46, the owner of the bar.

''He's human; he made a mistake," she said, taking on another, patron, Ron Hall, who pooh-poohed Kennedy's announcement. ''If you can admit it, that's a good thing. That's the first step to moving on and recovering."

[Mr Ramsbotham]

''He's human; he made a mistake," she said, taking on another, patron, Ron Hall, who pooh-poohed Kennedy's announcement. ''If you can admit it, that's a good thing. That's the first step to moving on and recovering."

I'm going to use that line for my next IRS audit.

[Paloma_55]

In case there is any doubt, we do have a two class system in this country....

If your name is Kennedy, the cops drive you home when you drunk drive.

I am starting to think that the cops might have driven Teddy home after he drove off a bridge so he could sleep it off. They figured they could get the girl the next day when it was ligh.

[bkepley]

''He lost my vote, I'll tell you that," said the 58-year-old former Marine, who called himself a longtime Kennedy supporter. ''He's copping out. He's trying to make it look like he's the good guy. He should get arrested like everyone else."

Is this as close as it gets to intelligent life in R.I.? He's only now noticing what an idiot he keeps voting for?

[McGavin999]

And this is why the east coast is losing people.

[petkus]

Kennedy is above the law!

Where would we, the mere mortals, be if we pulled a stunt like this?

Cardinal O'Malley gave his absolution!

[george76]

Police say that they were prevented from giving Kennedy a sobriety test

[Rte66]

" ... That's the first step to moving on and recovering." ...

But but but, it's his umpteenth first step!

[Paloma_55]

Honesht offisher.... I only took a slllllleeeepping peeeellll....

Cop: "Bullshit, you look ripped and I smell alcohol on your breath.. what is your name!?!?"

Paatricck Keennneedy offisher..

Cop: "Kennedy? Would you like a ride home your highness?"

[romanesq]

And that's really all we need to know. The higher ups came in and stopped the regular police from doing their job.

Now the jerk will run away for a while and hide out until things quite down.
Nice job Swimmer. (The Swimmer is directing the program.)

[Dick Bachert]

Yeah -- that process started with Mary Jo.

And as far as the "Excuussssse meeee" goes, like father, like son.

And if THESE guys are in-bred, brain dead imbiciles, what can one say about the idiots who keep ELECTING them? I suspect they're the descendents of the royalists who thought the revolution was a really bad idea.

[sergeantdave]

Liberalism is the only occupation where you can retire your brain and not miss it.

[george76]

If the Congressman were a Republican, there would have been ten felon charges filed.

Kennedy will go to Mayo for a long weekend.

Mayo is not a serious re-hab clinic.

If Kennedy was serious, he would go to a real clinic for a month or two.

[oh8eleven]

'He's very much for the people," he said, ''and when he's here, he's out and about."
Meaning - when he's not in rehab, a bar, CVS, getting a ride home, etc.

[Ukiapah Heep]

Is Quahog in Kennedy's district? Gigged giggedy giggedy.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Mayo Clinic is not known for alcohol or drug rehab. One of my former employees had a drinking problem and he checked into Miller-Dwan Rehabilitation Clinic in Duluth for 30 days of drying out and head work. He hasn't touched a drop since then.

[johnny7]

Every state in New England is stuck-on-stupid-democrat... RI is nothing but a 'growth' in the crotch of MA... the 'Grover Dill' to the MA 'Farkus'.

[sierrahome]

The Kennedys could spend more time in Betty Ford than Gerald Ford.

[ishabibble]

Oh yeah! Patches is always hanging out in Pawtucket, home of all those old people who are all on the dole. It is the crummiest place you can imagine, except for the great Ben Mondor and the PawSox. Pawtucket is full of tenements full of union workers. Their parents live in the high rises. Why didn't they go somewhere else like Warwick or East Greenwich to talk to people? Nope, they went to Union Central.

Patches lives in Portmouth. That's a very ritzy place, and very conservative. Patches was driving like that in the middle of a school day, when all the kids were on the buses.
Nobody is looking into that angle of the story, either.

[pjsbro]

Just blocks away, at Cute Cuts Hair Salon on Exchange Street, Kennedy's travails struck a chord with Mike Smith, 35, a stylist who was washing a customer's hair. He was not faulting Kennedy.

''As long as he does what he's supposed to do, that doesn't change my opinion of him."

I'm vacationing in New England this summer and will make a special trip to Pawtucket to see if this guy is for real.