Camelot's clout is still strong, said Joan Vennochi in The Boston Globe. Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick has just appointed "loyal Kennedy foot soldier" Paul G. Kirk Jr. as the late Sen. Ted Kennedy's interim successor. Picking Kirk meant rejecting Michael Dukakis, "who served three terms as governor of Massachusetts and won his party's presidential nomination," to give the seat to the man Kennedy's widow, Victoria Reggie Kennedy, and sons wanted.
Enough with the entitlement, said Margery Eagan in the Boston Herald. Changing the state's rule on filling open congressional seats—so Kennedy's spot wouldn't be vacant during the health-care debate—was already a "shameless maneuver," but it was "over the line" for Victoria Reggie Kennedy to push a "family loyalist" for the job. "This is not a Kennedy seat anymore"—the family had no business discouraging Patrick from picking Michael Dukakis, whom many liberals and independents think is "one of the last honest and true public servants left."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
What would it be like in jail for Trump if he's convicted?Today's Big Question The Secret Service has begun grappling with how to protect a former president behind bars
-
How much can you save shopping secondhand?The Explainer Many Americans are buying pre-owned items to counteract the effects of inflation
-
Downtown St. Louis is in a real estate 'doom loop'Under the Radar The city is ripe with abandoned buildings and vacant lots, with its real estate market in dire straits
