Congressman Joseph Kennedy III read a letter to his children Ellie and James today from the floor of the Congress.
Joe Kennedy reads a letter to two Newton kids (his own)
by Village 14 | Dec 18, 2019 | Joe Kennedy, Newton | 28 comments
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It does not seem fruitful here to argue the substance or lack thereof behind the impeachment on which Congressman Kennedy speaks, and the substance or lack thereof behind the Russia investigation (later replaced by the Ukraine investigation).
With regard to the Russia counterintelligence investigation, we’ll have more definitive answers after the forthcoming criminal indictments of Comey, McCabe, Brennan and/or Clapper, and most likely others. (Don’t think charges will ever reach a dossier funding Clinton or investigation authorizing Obama.)
And, we’ll have a better judgment on the impeachment after the November POTUS (some say Trump will be reelected due in part to the impeachment) and Congressional (some say the GOP will retake the House due in part to the impeachment) elections.
Until then, both sides on these issues are watching two different realities.
I tried to find someone willing to bet me a nickle that Jim Epstein would be the first person to comment on this thread. No takers.
Greg, but note I didn’t bite on arguing substance.
What I note, @Jim, is that you didn’t give any credit for a heartfelt statement, even if you disagree with its merits. That, in my view, is more indicative of the state of discourse in the country. If we can’t express appreciation that people of good will can have different views of this situation, and if we can’t offer respect for their judgements as to the proper course of action, we slowly take our country down a path to further extremism. When the center no longer holds, the civic foundation for the country falters.
Paul,
As I said, it does not seem fruitful to use this thread to make substantive argument since both sides are watching two different realities. But since you raise heartfelt, which according to dictionary definition means sincere, I cannot attribute that adjective to Congressman Kennedy who, in making this statement, while he is more than passionately and effectively advocating as an attorney which he is, I feel he is simply too intelligent to say that statement is heartfelt.
So smart people can’t be heartfelt? And which one are you Jim?
Oh, wow. Just wow.
I hate Trump with a burning passion, but this is so cheesy from Joe Kennedy. His kids are 1 and 3 years old! Just because they are Kennedys doesn’t mean they immediately started caring about politics the second their heads popped out of the womb. They’re busy spilling applesauce on their bibs and pooping their pants–not listening to daddy make desperate headline grabs as he prepares for his unnecessary senate run.
If he really wanted to speak to his kids, he would have started the speech with “Goo goo ga ga…”
Paul & Greg,
All I’m saying is that Congressman Kennedy is too smart actually to believe what he’s saying both in terms of the facts and the legal basis for impeachment — as do many of the Democrat Members of the House of Representatives. They are simply representing their side as lawyers do presenting a case, with the ability to present either side.
The word “heartfelt” means that one earnestly, honestly and sincerely believes the truth of what they are saying.
So while Rep. Kennedy is certainly being passionate in presenting his side, he is not being heartfelt.
Paul, what’s so “WOW, JUST WOW” with that???
(BTW, note the singular subject word “one” coupled with the pronoun “they” in my second paragraph. That is now grammatically correct under the latest Merriam Webster Dictionary — “they” is a gender neutral singular pronoun.)
I won’t dignify Jim’s comment with a response.
I will say that I was extremely proud today to be represented in Congress by Joe Kennedy
Bluefoot,
You are certainly not alone in your “burning passionate hatred” of Trump (preventing reason and perception of reality).
It’s a manifestation of TDS*
(*Trump Derangement Syndrome)
Greg,
Perfect answer for head of the local Chamber of Commerce (you wouldn’t be doing your job if you said anything less).
Just wondering, as head of the Chamber do you hate Trump as much as Bluefoot conveys or are you just dissatisfied with Trump’s economic accomplishments, including sustained lowest, record, unemployment in modern American history and soaring financial statistics, markets and real personal incomes — all despite the 3+ year impeachment effort in search of a ‘basis’?
And are you preparing yourself for Trump’s reelection, GOP takeover of the House, and indictments of a number of FBI and National Security principals in the now discredited counterintelligence surveillance against the Trump campaign and later Administration?
If you “won’t dignify this comment with a response,” I’ll understand that as well.
@Jim Epstein
I respect your opinion, but am not ashamed to hate the president with a burning passion. You will too when you read the history books 50 years from now. Unless of course, you are still watching Fox News then.
Blue,
“Burning passion” — sure sounds like TDS to me.
I too am proud to have Joe Kennedy 111 as my representative in Congress. Say whatever you will Jim, – and you have – knowing Joe like I do as well as his family as far back as his grandfather and great uncle, I know his sentiment is heartfelt and that he is intelligent as well as sincere.
His letter to his young children is his way to speak to children everywhere to let them know that when they are older and read about this day in history books, they need to understand that voting to impeach a president is nothing to celebrate and that he struggled with making his decision.
Jim, can you ever just let something be without sullying it with your degradation of the person speaking and his motives – which you cannot possibly know?
Every democratic representative to congress that I know thinks this vote was a dark day for our country forced upon them by the constitution – not one of them wanted this to happen. They would rather find ways to bring the citizens of this country together than create more division.
Jim, you are like a little, annoying gnat I’m not quite able to swat buzzing around V14 spreading unfounded divisive comments wherever you go – creating conflict where none already exists.
Now you have progressed to name calling saying that anyone who disagrees with you or your beloved head of state has TDS when in reality it’s you, our president and anyone who blindly supports him that suffers from Trump Derangement Syndrome. It seems to be an incurable disease but I’m hoping a cure is just around the corner.
Marti,
I feel that I did not degrade Congressman Kennedy. If anything, quite the opposite. All I was saying was that the adjective “heartfelt” applies when the person making the statement has underlying belief in the truth of what he is saying, rather than in a case such as this where Congressman Kennedy is very “effectively” and “passionately” (rather than “heartfelt”) just presenting a position (let’s say the “party line”).
If you again listen to the charges Kennedy makes vis a vis POTUS Trump and impeachment, any truthful and truly knowledgeable person of the Constitution and any truthful and truly knowledgeable person of relevant events since the summer of 2016, would be aware that what Congressman Kennedy is saying is not nor could it be remotely correct in terms of both the facts and application of the law.
Hence, if there is any “blind support” which you raise going on here, it is yours in terms of Congressman Kennedy. Moreover, TDS is afflicting a wide swath of Americans and, with all due respect, I feel it has afflicted your judgment as well.
Jim, you are speaking ill of Kennedy by saying he isn’t sincere in his position – in other words he is lying about how he feels and is just following the party line. I’m telling you he believes what he says in the video just as I suppose, but don’t actually know, you believe what you say.
You never offer anything to back up your accusations but you continue to state your speculations as facts. Shoo fly shoo.
Postscript:
The House of Representatives will NEVER EVER send the ‘impeachment’ to the Senate.
From @Jim,
“So while Rep. Kennedy is certainly being passionate in presenting his side, he is not being heartfelt.”
Paul, what’s so “WOW, JUST WOW” with that???”
Answer: For you to presume that your disagreeing with someone about policy, the law, etc precludes that person from being sincere. If your purpose is to be divisive and argumentative, you are succeeding. If your purpose is to be persuasive on the issues of the day, this kind of approach is less likely to be successful.
Paul,
Words have meaning. Congressman Kennedy said POTUS Trump “broke our laws.”
While there can be disagreement over policy, there is no disagreement over whether there were laws which were broken. There weren’t and aren’t any. I believe Congressman Kennedy knows that. (And of course, none are cited in the impeachment.)
Marti,
In many ways I respect and admire Congressman Kennedy and his ability. And for that reason I believe, as I just responded to Paul that there were no laws which were broken by President Trump in connection with the impeachment, that Rep. Kennedy, as a Harvard Law Graduate and former Assistant District Attorney, knows that.
And I’m not even blaming Rep. Kennedy for making the statement in question. I’ll grant him such liberties in presenting what is, yes, the party line on impeachment. But again, all I’m saying is that the statement, which can be passionate, cannot, by definition, be heartfelt as Paul suggests.
The only alternative is that Rep. Kennedy is ignorant of the law as it may relate here, but I’m not willing to go there, especially because I must assume the Congressman more than familiarized himself on these matters before speaking before the full House.
Jim,
Let me propose a hypothetical scenario: Oprah won the 2016 election. She exhibits the same demeanor, attitude, actions, words, tendencies, twitter posts, impulsive, and tantrum-like behavior that Trump exhibits. How would the rightwing brothers and sisters receive her?
Jason,
For the purposes of your question, do the “demeanor, attitude, actions, words, tendencies, twitter posts, impulsive, and tantrum-like behavior” which you cite include “Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors” as stated in the U.S. Constitution?
A soon as I saw “Joe Kennedy” in the title, I knew it was inevitable that this would turn into a Trump/no Trump food fight.
Back to Newton everybody
Jason et al.,
Per Jerry’s comment, back to Joe Kennedy’s statement about the impeachment of Trump everybody — the original subject of this thread.
Jim,
The Constitution is ostensibly subjective. Would your mentor agree?
Jason,
I don’t agree. The Constitution has objective meaning subject to reasonable interpretation.
(BTW, what mentor?)