Joseph P. Kennedy is currently the congressman of Massachusetts' 4th district. He has dedicated the majority of his career to public service with a commitment to social justice and economic opportunity for all. According to his website, he brings a diverse perspective to congress because of his experiences working in the Peace Corps where he designed and implemented an economic development In the House of Representatives, he has brought these issues to the senate. As he runs for congress a second time, he is forced to make a more compelling campaign than ever before.
In the adverstiement, which runs for about a minute, the words job creation, infrastructure, education, small business, and social security appeared on the screen. Relative of the esteemed late John F. Kennedy, he approaches his campaign with a socially liberal yet fiascally conservative approach, emphasizing his support of things like marriage equality while simultaneously claiming that billionaires should have to pay the same tax rates as the average middle class family. What I find most interesting about his campaign is the parallels between him and J.F.K. in that the way he markets his issues makes it so that they could be appealing to a conservative, moderate, or liberal voter, and everything in between. This is similar to the way in which John F. Kennedy is idolized and placed on a pedestal by people from across the political spectrum for his patriotic idealism and American values.
Another important aspect of this campaign which is discussed in the ad is Joe Kennedy's alleged altruism, stating how he joined the peace corps after graduating from Stanford because he "believes in public service." What is not stated, however, is that simply performing volunteer work does not necessarily equate to a humanitarian mindset in the courtroom. Now, I should clarify that I am in no position to speculate on Joe Kennedy's ulterior motives for aid work. However as a political scientist, I do find it interesting how service trips by privileged college graduates can often be used as hooks in campaigns to prove that the candidate genuinely cares for the greater good of society.
Kennedy, Joe. "About Joe." joekennedyforcongress.com. Joe Kennedy for Congress, n.d. Web. 19 Oct. 2014
Link to ad-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nr33ak6OIxs
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