Bridging the Gap: Paul Kirk is a Worthy Interim Senator
By Mark Warren
The voids in America’s Senate and spirit left by Senator Edward Kennedy’s death are much larger than a single seat or vote. But because of the efforts of Massachusetts legislators, the seat, at least, will be filled for the next few months by former Democratic Party Chair Paul G. Kirk, Jr. Following a legislative change that authorized Governor Deval Patrick to name an interim senator, Paul Kirk was appointed late last month as a Senator from Massachusetts. Kirk, sworn in on September 25, will ensure Democratic control of that vital seat until Massachusetts elects a new senator in January. Governor Patrick had promised that any interim Senator will not run for the seat in the January 19 special election.
In the weeks before his death, Senator Kennedy was instrumental in pushing to change state law in order to allow for the appointment of a temporary successor. The controversial new law ensures Massachusetts’ representation in the Senate during the months between Kennedy’s death and the special election. More importantly, Kirk’s appointment allows the Senate Democrats to maintain control of the sixty votes needed for the filibuster-proof majority which may play a key role in the overhaul of the healthcare system.
Paul Kirk is a logical choice to fill the Liberal Lion’s seat, especially in light of the appointee’s impressive history of working for and with the Kennedy family. He worked on Senator Robert F. Kennedy’s 1968 presidential campaign, for Ted Kennedy from 1969-77 as an aide, and as the national political director of Ted Kennedy’s 1980 presidential campaign. He has also served as the chairman of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation since 1992. Indeed, there are few individuals who can claim closer ties to the Kennedys than he. Kirk’s appointment is especially germane because of his potential to play a role in determining the future of health care in this country, a matter of great concern to Ted Kennedy, who first advocated universal health coverage in 1969.
After graduating from Harvard Law School in 1964, Kirk worked as an assistant district attorney in Middlesex County, Massachusetts. In 1966, he helped direct the gubernatorial campaign of John F. Kennedy’s former assistant Kenneth O’Donnell. Kirk moved to Washington in 1968 to work for Robert F. Kennedy. After Robert Kennedy’s assassination tragically ended the campaign, Kirk considered quitting politics. He instead went to work on Senator Ted Kennedy’s staff, where he remained for eight years as chief legislative and political strategist.
In 1977, Kirk left Kennedy’s staff to practice law, but came back in 1980 to help run Kennedy’s ill-timed and unsuccessful presidential run. Kirk played a strategic role in organizing the underdog effort against incumbent President Carter in the fight for the Democratic nomination. The ticket faced discouraging primary results early on, but fought back with surprisingly strong showings in key states, putting the campaign back in the running. Kennedy battled Carter all the way to the Democratic Convention, where Kirk’s negotiation helped determine the party platform, and where he used every trick in his book to try to finagle enough delegates to keep Kennedy’s chances alive. Kirk’s efforts fell short, and Kennedy bowed out of the race.
In 1985, Kirk beat out former North Carolina Governor and soon-to-be North Carolina Senator Terry Sanford, as well as a frustrated, mud-slinging Nancy Pelosi (who accused Kirk of being unqualified and too closely tied to Ted Kennedy) for the chairmanship of the Democratic Party. Since Kennedy was weighing another run at the presidency at the time, Kirk needed to assert his objectivity. To prove his neutrality, Kirk sponsored a resolution barring the chairman from taking any action that would benefit a Democratic presidential candidate in 1988. Moreover, Kirk had a history of condemning biased party chairs: in 1980, Kirk unsuccessfully sought the ouster of then-chair John C. White for denouncing Ted Kennedy’s campaign early in the race.
Taking the reins of the Democratic Party in the middle of the Reagan era, Kirk called the ineffective party “more of a burden than an asset” for its constituents. However, he oversaw impressive Democratic gains in the 1986 elections, as the Democrats took control of the Senate and gained back five House seats (after losing sixteen in 1984). Despite Kirk’s best efforts to keep the party strong, 1988 saw another weak performance from the Democrats as the election of George H.W. Bush ushered in another four years of Republican control of the White House.
Since leaving the chairmanship of the Democratic Party in 1989, Kirk has been co-chair of the Commission on Presidential Debates and has remained close with the Kennedy family, chairing the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation. Massachusetts football fans appreciate Kirk for his role in keeping the New England Patriots in Foxboro, when they threatened to move to Connecticut in 1999.
When running for party chair in 1985, Kirk’s bugaboo was the accusation that he was too closely tied to Ted Kennedy to act as an impartial chairman: “Paul Kirk’s credentials are 15 years with Teddy Kennedy,” charged Pelosi in 1985. In a twist of fate, today, this affiliation (as well as his expected partisanship) is an asset.
While he may not be notable for his energy or excitement (said one associate of him in 1985, “Behind that quiet exterior is a quiet interior”), Paul Kirk should provide a sure Democratic vote in the Senate as he serves in Ted Kennedy’s seat, continuing his longtime friend and ally’s legacy.