Keller @ Large: Ed Markey celebrates 47 years in Congress, but how long is too long?
BOSTON - This week, Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey passes the late Ted Kennedy for the most days ever served in Congress by a member from the state.
But some say 47 years is too long. Is Markey a case in point?
"The bosses may tell me where to sit. No one tells me where to stand," a 30-year-old Markey said in a 1976 TV ad that helped propel him to the US House. Thirty-seven years later, John Kerry's resignation cleared Markey's path to the Senate. And surpassing Kennedy's longevity makes Markey the second longest-serving member in Congress.
"He just is really good at what he does, and I don't think he's lost anything," says Geoff Beckwith, an intern on Markey's first House campaign who now heads the Massachusetts Municipal Association. He believes Markey's experience is a huge plus for Massachusetts. "He knows the levers, and he can pull them to at least get the machine of the federal government to bend closer to what we need."
But state GOP Chairperson Amy Carnevale says a run like Markey's is a roadblock for badly-needed new blood.
"When we see federal elected officials serving in office for 47 years, that begs the question of do we need term limits?" she says. "We certainly need something to encourage the turnover of members to get fresh ideas."
But three years ago, when primary voters had a chance to retire Markey in favor of young Joe Kennedy III, they sent the incumbent back by a wide margin. After all these years, it seems they know where they want Ed Markey to sit.
There are no term limits on members of Congress, and it sure seems like the voters don't want any. The re-election rate for House members last year was 95% and 100% for Senators. Between the built-in advantages of incumbency and the periodic gerrymandering of district maps that tends to favor incumbents, challengers start off behind the eight ball.
And there's a decent chance that at age 77, Markey will one day gain the title of longest-serving member - the current longevity king, Republican Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa, turns 90 next month.
