Excuse me, Sen. Warren, was that a presidential stump speech, or a dedication to your late friend Ted Kennedy yesterday?
I know it’s tempting to test out some campaign material while standing behind a presidential podium, but Warren’s address at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate seemed in poor taste.
Instead of focusing on some of Kennedy’s best work down in Washington that aligns with her values, she spent most of her speech talking about middle class families getting hammered by credit card debt and bankruptcy.
Warren loosely tied it to a meeting she had with the late senator. She even managed to slip in that after their meeting, Sen. Kennedy said, “Professor, you have my vote.” Really?
Senator, do you plan on traveling the country, if you announce a run for president, and telling voters that Kennedy would have voted for you?
We know he famously snubbed her potential competitor Hillary Clinton and opted for fresh-faced Barack Obama. So maybe voters would buy it.
The story of her first encounter with Kennedy leaves one thinking she told HIM about the problems facing middle-class families. Apparently, Kennedy carried her torch to lift up the middle class during his last decade in the U.S. Senate.
I wonder what Ted’s wife, Vicki Kennedy, was thinking. She has spent the last six years of her life raising money for this institute in her husband’s honor, and the new liberal darling is trying to steal the spotlight.
Warren said, “We are here to dedicate the Kennedy Institute. A place designed with the loftiest goals possible … to inspire.” According to Warren, she inspired Kennedy. The Liberal Lion needed her. That’s the story she’s spinning.
If she does decide to run, expect her campaign or a Super PAC to use part of this speech in advertisements — just to show her behind the podium with the presidential seal.
Political observers claim Warren has Kennedy’s liberal lineage, but apparently not his social skills. Kennedy would have spent the majority of his speech actually talking about the dead senator every major pol, including President Obama, flew into town for. Kennedy simply knew better!
Jaclyn Cashman co-hosts “Morning Meeting” from 9 a.m. to noon on Boston Herald Radio. Follow her on Twitter at @Jaclyn Cashman.
Copyright © 2024 Jaclyn Cashman.
