Follow the Leader

CAMBRIDGE, where the O'neills speak only to the Kennedys and the Kennedys speak only to God.

What's a Jewish boy from Watertown to do amidst all these Irish Catholics? That's the question State Sen. George Bachrach (D-Watertown) has been asking ever since Joseph P. Kennedy II entered the Eighth Congressional District race last fall. You can also bet that the rest of the candidates in the district are wondering the same thing, only with a slightly different ethnic twist, such as: What's a grandson of Franklin D. Roosevelt '04 to do when competing against another political icon's kid?

Liberals dislike Kennedy because he refuses to follow a traditional Kennedy liberal agenda. Longtime politicians in the area despise him because he jumped into the Eighth race without paying his dues. A lot of people want him defeated, unfortunately all of these individuals are still in the race.

Realistically, however, Bachrach is the only candidate who has a chance to beat out Kennedy for the Democratic nomination in the primary this September. According to most polls the liberal state senator is the second strongest candidate and among the most effective fundraisers. But the campaign themes Bachrach has chosen for his race against the son of Robert F. Kennedy will simply guarantee a victory for the Kennedy symbolism he denounces.

It's fair to say that to almost all Americans the name Kennedy represents all the Democratic Party should be--innovation, progress and vigah. To many, Joseph Kennedy, the first in the newest generation of America's royal family to run for public office, is the hope of the Eighth Congressional District to recapture its past glory. President John F. Kennedy once held the seat and for more than three decades Thomas P. "Tip" O'Neill, Jr., Speaker of the House, has represented the district. Joe Kennedy doesn't need any fancy commercials to create a persona; he was born with it.

Bachrach, on the other hand needs to do some creating. And his campaign has attempted to portray this powerful Massachusetts politician as the outsider, who will fight all the bigwigs in Washington for "YOUR" rights. The Bachrach message is, here's a scruffy, street-smart kid, who's not going to be put off by anybody even if the name is Kennedy.

For example, a recent radio commercial has George Bachrach bursting into a radio station and insisting, despite a disc jockey's protests, on telling people his message. A television commercial pictures little old George standing next to and talking tough to this big fat general. All these attempts to reach the public bring little credibility to Bachrach's complaint that the Kennedy campaign is simply a name and no substance.

That's a shame, because the Kennedy campaign is simply that--a name. Before Joe decided to run, his younger cousin and son of Sen Edward M. Kennedy, Ted Jr., tested the political waters of the Eighth. Both Joe and Ted polled very well in the district, but Joe, head of the do-good Citizens' Energy Corporation, had a little more credibility. Now the Kennedy campaign is doing very little except relying on Life and People Magazine profiles as well as printing up buttons that say "I was there" [on the day Joe announced].

But this is not to say that Joe Kennedy himself is without substance. He is on the conservative side of Massachusetts Democrats. The Eighth race could have been a fight over the direction in which the Democratic party should now turn. Instead, Bachrach has chosen to make it a fight between a scrappy underdog and a powerful persona.

Early in the race the rhetoric of the candidates centered on the word "bellweather." This race would be a contest between the conservative and liberal wings of the Democratic party. Now with Kennedy as the only conservative (all the rest dropped out after his entrance) Bachrach should force that issue and make the discussion one of direction and leadership. The Kennedy message for the party is flawed--it doesn't need to go to the center--and somebody should point that out.

Instead Bachrach has given into the power of the Kennedy name and accepted his role as underdog. Bachrach seems to want to fight from the bottom, which makes him a maverick, the last thing the Democratic party needs right now.

The Kennedy name is instantly equated with power. As one prominent Democratic consultant put it, a Kennedy running in the Eighth needs only one commercial. Freshman congressman number one calls up important person for his district. Reply--"I'll call you back." Number two and number three get the same response. Then we hear, "Congressman Kennedy on the line." To which important person responds, "Oh, I'll speak to him."

Unfortunately, Bachrach has given in to the tremendous power of the Kennedy mystique by willingly accepting the underdog and outsider role. Such a move is a mistake. The Eighth District represents power and influence. Its voters are not going to support Bachrach in his outsider role. They want and deserve a leader.