Posted on 02/12/2010 8:06:52 AM PST by raccoonradio
U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy decided to abandon public office to focus on his personal life and family after watching his father die surrounded by loved ones, the 16-year congressman said in a wide-ranging magazine interview.
Kennedy, who announced his decision not to seek re-election in a two-minute video clip, told Rhode Island Monthly he decided to let go of his House seat at Christmas after spending the fall reflecting on the death of U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy.
Its pretty simple in this respect: I went through something that caused me a great deal of soul searching and self-reflection, Kennedy said. Right now, a personal life is of greater value. Emotional connections that are real and loving and personal just trump everything else.
Kennedy appears on the cover of the magazines March edition. The storys author, Mark Arsenault, this morning told WPRO-AM host John DiPietro he believes Kennedy wants to have a family.
That certainly goes into his thinking. He stood around his fathers death bed and there were a lot of people there, Arsenault said. Hes 42 years old and never been married and I think at some point he would like to have a family.
In the interview, Kennedy said he became closer to his brother, Ted Jr., and sister, Kara, during his fathers dying days. He also said he could not imagine dying alone.
I cant imagine if I had a year to live and I didnt have kids. All the legislative accomplishments in the world wouldnt matter, Kennedy said.
Kennedy also described the time he spent with his father after his brain cancer diagnosis in May 2008.
Ill never forget what he said to me (in late summer, 2008.) He said, Can you stay at the house with me and just clear your schedule, Kennedy said. We had a couple of weeks. Ill never forget it for the rest of my life. His just asking me to be there was the greatest gift he ever gave me in his life.
Kennedy told the magazine he is not sure whats next for him, but he wants to model the next chapter of his life after his late aunt, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, who founded the Special Olympics. Shriver died shortly before her younger brother, Ted, last August.
Service is in my future. I know it as fact that service is an essential part to maintaining your sobriety, he said.
Kennedy added: Theres a hole in the soul that we all try to fill, sometimes with the wrong things, like booze or drugs. Society would tell us to fill it with consumerism. But its only really filled through love and service, by serving a high purpose. By doing Gods will.
I hope they all give the political arena the finger and go live a nice, fulfilled life somewhere without the microscope. They deserve a life. Everybody pulling at them -- wanting something -- trying to get that boost from the association. It's disgusting.
LOL! The fact is that his chance of getting elected is about as good as John-John’s ability to fly under IFR.
From Wiki:
Controversies, campaign and personal
Kennedy has acknowledged being treated for cocaine use during his teenage years, and admitted that he abused drugs and alcohol while he was a student at Providence College.[6] He sought treatment for an OxyContin addiction in 2006.[7]
During Easter weekend in 1991, Kennedy and his father were in Palm Beach, Florida, along with Patrick’s cousin, William Kennedy Smith. At Au Bar, the 23-year-old Patrick met a 27-year-old Testas Restaurant waitress, Michelle Cassone, and Smith met another woman, Patricia Bowman. Both women returned with the Kennedys to the family’s beachfront retreat, where a series of events took place that resulted in Smith being charged with raping Bowman. The prosecution alleged that the three Kennedys collaborated to cover up this alleged crime. In a widely covered trial, Smith was acquitted.[8]
In 2000, Kennedy was accused of pushing a female security guard at Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, California. City prosecutors ultimately decided not to bring criminal charges against him and he paid an undisclosed civil settlement to the alleged victim almost two years later.[9][verification needed]
Also in 2000, Atlantic Navigation Company of Mystic, Connecticut, claimed that a boat they rented to Kennedy was found abandoned off Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, with US$28,000 worth of damage.[10][verification needed]
That same year, the U.S. Coast Guard was dispatched to Kennedy’s yacht after he and his date became embroiled in an argument on his yacht off Martha’s Vineyard.[11][dead link]
In 2003, Kennedy was criticized for saying “I have never worked a fucking day in my life”, which his staff later claimed was a satirical reference to repeated charges of never having worked.[12]
In 2007, the Kennedy camp stated that they would retain $6,600 in donations from convicted Democratic fundraiser Norman Hsu. Kennedy is one of the few Democrats not to return or donate these contributions. This is a controversial action because of the allegation that Hsu had been using his personal funds to unfairly influence Washington.[13]
In February 2007[2], Kennedy was asked to refrain from receiving Holy Communion by his Bishop, Thomas Tobin. Kennedy said the bishop had explained the penalty by telling him that I am not a good practicing Catholic because of the positions that Ive taken as a public official, particularly on abortion.
[edit]Capitol Hill impaired-driving accident
On May 4, 2006, Kennedy crashed his 1997 Ford Mustang convertible into a barricade on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., at 2:45 a.m. A Capitol Police official said the congressman had appeared intoxicated when he crashed his car, but Kennedy claimed that he was merely disoriented from prescription medications Ambien and Phenergan.[dead link][14]. Anonymous sources are alleged to have seen Kennedy drinking at the nearby Hawk & Dove bar prior to the accident.[15][16] Kennedy also stated to officers that he was “late for a vote”. However, the last vote of the night had occurred almost six hours earlier. The standard field sobriety test was not administered, and Kennedy was driven home by an officer.
On May 5, 2006, Kennedy admitted that he had an addiction to prescription medication and announced he would be re-admitting himself to a drug-rehabilitation facility at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota where he has sought treatment for prior addictions.[17] He has stated that he has no recollection of the car crash. On May 8, 2006, Kennedy got a show of support when he was endorsed by the Rhode Island Democratic Party.[18] On June 5, 2006, Kennedy was released from drug rehabilitation.[19]
Kennedy’s written narrative of the motor vehicle accident in April 2006.
After being asked if he expected any special treatment from authorities, Kennedy expressed that he hoped they would treat him as if he “were an African American in Anacostia”.[20] On June 13, 2006, Kennedy made a deal with prosecutors and pleaded guilty to a charge of driving under the influence of prescription drugs.[21] He was sentenced to one-year probation and a fine of $350. Two of the three charges (reckless driving and failure to exhibit a driving permit) were dismissed. He was also ordered to attend a rehabilitation program that includes weekly urine tests, twice-weekly meetings with a probation officer, near-daily Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and a weekly meeting of recovering addicts.[22]
On Friday, June 12, 2009, Kennedy once again announced that he has “checked into a medical facility for treatment”. In a statement to the press, Kennedy said that his recovery is a “lifelong process” and that he will do whatever it takes to preserve his health. “I have decided to temporarily step away from my normal routine to ensure that I am being as vigilant as possible in my recovery,” Kennedy said. He did not disclose where he was being treated.
Kennedy, who has wrestled with alcoholism, bipolar disorder, an addiction to prescription drugs and bouts of binge drinking, has often spoken publicly about his recovery and the importance of removing any stigma associated with mental illnesses. He has been a leading voice in Congress on mental-health issues.
“I hope that in some small way my decision to be proactive and public in my efforts to remain healthy can help remove the stigma that has served as a barrier for many Americans reluctant to get the help they needed,” he said.[23]
___________________________________________________
This may be one of the longest “controversies” sections of a biography on Wiki. I’m not sure I copied all of it, either.
Father’s death lead to decision not to run....
Entirely possible - After Ted died, there is no one remaining in the family with enough power and influence to cover-up Patches’ drinking, drugs and mental illness.
With his father’s death he:
1) Inherited a ton of money so why work.
2) Doesn’t have the old man to cover for him in Congress anymore.
Your post parallels my sister and my conversation this morning.
IMO Patrick could never please his father....Never the perfect political son...Maybe since there are no more family heads putting pressure on family members (Even VIcky said no to running) Patches will finally find peace and sobriety. At least he went to rehab which is more than you can say for his father.
One of his interest is Autism. Is there a reason?
I’ll say it did. Daddy is no longer around to fix those little problems Patches seems to keep finding himself in. Plus, he seems to have recently come into a great deal of daddy’s money. No real reason to work any more.
Entitlement attitude.
I smell BS here. By chance are his polls in the dumpster?
I trace their woes to the old man, Joe Sr. Not a nice guy at all. Rose should have whacked him with the nearest frying pan, but I guess in those days, there weren’t many options for women who left their husbands. The thing is that all of the Kennedy women continued to put up with bad behavior of their husbands. Perhaps it was because they were Catholic, but it might have been that they wouldn’t know what to do without all that money. They became addicted to the power and prestige.
Guess money doesn’t buy happiness after all.
Indeed!
Parody: Patches by Clarence Carter (it’s on youtube):
My father was a drunk old man
I could see him with the Chivas in his hand
He put a blonde in the pond
Didn’t think he did anything wrong
Didn’t spend any time in jail, got re-elected without fail
Oh life’s not easy for a Kennedy
The pills and the booze and the broads, you see
(well, not sure about the broads in Patches’ case)
One night daddy took me to his dyin’ bed, poured himself a Chivas and in tears he said
He said Patches I’m dependin’ on you son
to pull the family through. My son it’s all left up to you
Orig http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2qWcSjM-gA
Patches nickname c)Howie Carr
song parody c) me
God bless them, heal them and use them to His purpose. There isn’t a mean bone in my body or a hard thought against anyone. More beautiful children, you couldn’t have wished for, but the sin was in that house and, as always, the kids got the brunt of it. Now, be done with it. It’s over.
Doesn’t he get to keep all the campaign contributions that were collected but not spent up to this point?
So he’s dropping out because he knows if he spends the millions on an election where he is sure to fail, he’s a loser and broke!
After the D.C. incident, it was found out that he had the car crash in R.I. about a month before (see police report, above)
The only Kennedy worth admiring was Eunice Shriver. Although she was a liberal like the rest of the clan, she had good morals and instincts about helping people; and she personally developed the Special Olympics for the disabled and mentally challenged (aren’t I PC today?) children.
In fact, Eunice and her husband Sargent Shriver never had any scandals reported about their marriage, unlike every other Kennedy marriage including the in-laws. That may be why their children are the most stable members of the entire group of cousins.
He means there is no power left for him to draw on.
LOL. The Kennedy PR flacks type up a press release on why Patches isn’t running and The Boston Pravda dutifully prints it.
Needs more time for drinking and drugging, occasional rehab thrown in so he can start over again.
"God Bless you, AND DON'T LET THE DOOR HIT YOU IN THE ASS YOU JERK! ! !
Patches has graciously (and for a mere $650 Thou per annum (although in this case, per anum would be more appropriate)agreed to serve as President and Papal Liaison. I of course, shall hold the posiyion of PayPal Liaison. So send in those contributions.
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