Patches Does the Right Thing

After Rep. Jim Langevin took a pass at the Democratic nomination in Rhode Island, Democrats tried to get Rep. Patrick Kennedy to reconsider. Today, Kennedy dashed those hopes. Saying that he could do more good for Rhode Island on the House Appropriations Committee, Kennedy dropped out for the second time. My disdain for the Kennedys is trumped only by my disdain for New York's junior Senator and Bud Selig, but I have to give Kennedy credit here. He's passing up a rare opportunity to move up in Rhode Island politics for family reasons, but to save face for his mother, he did not use them as his excuse. Even though he's a lefty, Patrick Kennedy is demonstrating family values in his personal life. It doesn't excuse his policy positions, but I applaud him for putting family ahead of career.

Kennedy's exit means that Democrats are sure to have no better than a second tier candidate. Chafee would have been vulnerable to either of the state's Congerssmen, but he's the sure favorite in a general election now. If he lasts that long.

Cranston Mayor Steve Laffey has recently been boasting the rise in Republican registration. A pro-life moderate reformer, Laffey cleaned up the City of Cranston and saved it from near bankruptcy. While he's made a number of enemies along the way, he has saved the city financial disaster by actually fighting the waste, fraud, and abuse that have become cliche in populist circles. Laffey is thought to have ambitions for higher office, but it remains to be seen what direction his career will actually take.

Rhode Island is a cradle of liberalism and is therefore tough for any non-traitorous Republican. Entry into the race by either Rep. Kennedy or Rep. Langevin might have scared Laffey off, as he would have entered the general election an underdog if he were able to knock off Chafee in the Primary. Now, Laffey has a relatively clear path to the Senate. Chafee is a consistent problem for Republicans, who live in constant, um, 'fear'(?), that Chafee will switch parties. Should he make it through what would, to be sure, be a tough primary, he would probably face the weakest Democrat that the Democrats will nominate in the state for the next few decades. Opportunities like this don't come around often, and conservative anger over Chafee siding with Democrats on the constitutional option would provide added incentive for in and out of state conservatives to oust Chafee in favor of a more conservative Republican whom we could be confident would not switch parties.

Conservatives can reasonably disagree on support for Santorum, but it is difficult to imagine that most conservatives would not jump at the opportunity to dump the missing Linc for a viable, right-of-center alternative.