“Is Joe Kennedy III a progressive?” is a question I get a lot-- including from some of his colleagues in Congress. He seems to have chosen progressivenessish as his identity, at least for now. As with anything, including the color tie he puts on what he has for dinner, everything is weighed in terms of a likely run-- at some point-- for president. He’s only 37 and hasn’t accomplished much, so he has time. He’s smart enough-- unlike, say Kamala Harris-- to know that too. Several Beltway insiders have told me he's running for president in 2020. Elizabeth Warren, who is also considering running for president, was one of his professors at Harvard Law-- Kennedy and his wife met in her class-- and Warren campaigned for him when he ran for Congress. He probably assumes Warren is going to be on the 2020 ticket-- many people have been buzzing that she and Bernie are running together-- and what he really wants now is her Senate seat. A lot of people don’t like legacy candidates. He has to prove something first, namely that he’s more than just RFK’s grandson and great-nephew (if there’s such a thing) of JFK. It’s easier to accomplish something in the Senate than in the House, especially if you want to do it in less than a decade or two.This was the e-mail he sent out for her this week:
I had only one goal on my first day of law school: to escape unscathed. But roughly three seconds into my very first class, I got called on. “Mr. Kennedy. What is the definition of assumpsit?” My stomach sank. “I don’t know,” I said meekly to my professor. “Mr. Kennedy,” she said, “You realize assumpsit is the first word of your reading?” It went on from there, and I didn’t do any better. I never showed up unprepared for Professor Elizabeth Warren’s contract law class ever again. Elizabeth was the toughest teacher on campus, but the wait list for her class was a mile long. Professor Warren pushed us hard, because she believed in us. She brought out our very best. She also believed in the law. Not as an abstraction, but as a real force with deeply human consequences. For Elizabeth, law was the difference between foreclosure and a roof over your head. The space between bankruptcy and second chances. The promise this country makes that no matter your struggles, your circumstances, or your mistakes-- you will be treated fairly. You will be given a shot to regroup, rebuild and rise. Elizabeth believed in that fiercely American story because she lived it. It's what brought her to the halls of Washington to take on the country’s most entrenched financial interests-- and when she became a United State Senator, Elizabeth showed us how the law can be used to fight for an economy that doesn’t leave anyone behind. Thanks to the hard work and grassroots support of countless people like you, we got a middle class champion back in the Massachusetts Senate seat in 2012. But powerful special interests have made it clear: they’ll spend unthinkable sums of money trying to silence Elizabeth in 2018. We’re less than a year away from Election Day, and the attacks in Massachusetts have already started. We need to do all we can to keep Elizabeth Warren in the Senate. I stand with Elizabeth-- will you chip in and show you’re with her too? Massachusetts families-- and families across the country-- need a champion now more than ever. We're fighting for a health care system that every American can afford. For tax policy that prioritizes workers, not just wealthy CEOs. For a justice system that protects all of us. For a government that respects each of us. If we're going to do that and do it right, we need Elizabeth-- one of the toughest voices we have in Washington. There's no question: Donald Trump and the Republican Party are worried. Why wouldn't they be? Elizabeth has built her career defending the working families Trump casts aside. It's no wonder the GOP is already pouring money into Massachusetts in an effort to take her down.But Elizabeth has never backed away from a fight and she won’t start now-- and that’s why it is so important for us to stand with her today.