Political Hotsheet
By

Stephanie Condon /

CBS News/ September 4, 2012, 10:24 PM

Kennedy family keeps up its influence at the DNC

Joe Kennedy

Joe Kennedy III, candidate for the House of Representatives from Massachusetts, addresses the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., on Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2012.

/ AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

(CBS News) CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Democrats are gathered here this week for their first national convention without Edward Kennedy since 1956 and the first without any Kennedy since 1944. The dynastic family, however, has no plans of being forgotten.

Joseph P. Kennedy III, the son of former six-term congressman Joseph P. Kennedy II and grandson of Robert F. Kennedy, spoke at the convention on its opening night Tuesday and introduced a seven-minute video honoring the late Sen. Edward Kennedy, who died in 2009.

"Make no mistake, he is here with us this evening," the young Kennedy said of the senator. "I see him in the passion of our delegates, the character of our candidates and the causes that unite us."

The tribute video covered the highlights of Ted Kennedy's career, from his election to the Senate in 1962 and his support of the Voting Rights Act, to his authorship of immigration reform and to his support for President Obama. It also took a dig at Mr. Obama's GOP rival, Mitt Romney, with footage from Kennedy's 1994 Massachusetts Senate race against Romney. The video featured a clip of the debate in which Kennedy delivered his famous zinger against the Republican, "I am pro-choice, my opponent is multiple choice."

The video also illustrated how Mr. Obama has carried on the liberal legacy that Kennedy entrusted to him by passing on the fight for national health care reform. Kennedy is shown at the 2008 Democratic convention saying, "I know what America can achieve. I've seen it, I've lived it, and with Barack Obama, we can do it again."

20 Photos

Ted Kennedy

Democratic Convention 2012: complete coverage

Joseph P. Kennedy III is aiming to put a Kennedy back in Congress, running for the Massachusetts House seat that is opening up with Rep. Barney Frank's retirement.

About two-dozen other Kennedy family members, meanwhile, are also attending the convention this week, the Boston Globe reports. President John F. Kennedy's daughter Caroline Kennedy is slated to speak at the convention Thursday night, and there are a number of other events linked to the family this week.

© 2012 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
10 Comments Add a Comment
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stupa5 says:
The GOP (living large in the dark) are scurrying like **** roaches when the light is turned on!
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stupa5 says:
Obama 2012
deport Romney to the Caymans!
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TaxpayerLeaning2Anarchy says:
Ghastly. Simply ghastly.

Yet the people of MA kept them around. hum.

When the final toll rings on america and its trillions of debt, I"d have to say, please hurry. I can't take the sex changes on taxpayer dime for murderers, kennedy's - did I mention murderers...bootleggers..

I'm up for a zombie apocalypse before I want to hear the name kennedy again. What is wrong with people?
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twmat311 replies:
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Senator Kennedy and Governor Romney. Nuff said there.
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TheIrascibleOne says:
>> "Kennedy family keeps up its influence at the DNC"

If Teddy was still around the headline would read "under the influence".
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NJK123 says:
"The tribute video covered the highlights of Ted Kennedy's career", like the part where he left a woman to drown in his car's trunk to preserve his political career? (cite: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chappaquiddick_incident ) Yeah, teddy was a good one all right.
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twmat311 replies:
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I read it - no mention of "trunk" anywhere per your description. Accuracy seems to be a problem everywhere these days.
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tsigili says:
Time for the Kennedy dynasty to end. Enough of one family making the rules for everyone else in the country.
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askagain replies:
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That is unlikely. The trust funds set up for the Kennedy heirs will probably last a thousand years. One can only speculate on how much income Kennedy investments generate that isn't even taxable. There is no limit to how much can be invested in tax free municipal bonds as an example.
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David52coop says:
This family needs to go away, period. They are not doing the democratic party any favors. This family is riddled with substance abuse, mental illness and immoral conduct. When will the democratic party realize that the Kennedy's are more of a hindrance than a help?
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