Patrick Kennedy, Talk Radio, Rhode Island, Car Crashes, Capitol

BATTERY RECHARGE

From Rep. Kennedy's Latest Flap, Talk's New Goldmine




*** Update below: liberals begin to complain of anti-Kennedy media coverage! ***


For talk radio hosts seeking fresh fodder, it was just what the doctor ordered: yet another flap involving Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI), son of the notorious Teddy (D-Chappa- quiddick).

Call it talk's instant battery recharge. How could anyone resist this one?

Late Thursday, news spread like wildfire that Rep. Kennedy had been involved in his second car accident in just the past two weeks, this time at 3am, near the Capitol.

Boston Herald update: hostess says she saw Kennedy drinking before accident. That contradicts his own statements. Also: Herald tags Kennedy photo "Patches", a nickname used by critics.

And: at Friday's online edition, New York Times buries the story completely.

Unlike his father's infamous 1969 wreck, there were no fatalities this time. Thankfully, no young ladies were left behind at the scene.

One striking similarity, however: in all three crashes, based on available details, favoritism allegations seem to have substantial merit.

(Andrew Miga- AP) Rep. Patrick Kennedy crashed his car near the Capitol early Thursday, and a police official said he appeared intoxicated. Kennedy said he had had no alcohol before the accident.

Kennedy, D-R.I., addressed the issue after a spate of news reports.

"I was involved in a traffic accident last night at First and C Street SE near the U.S. Capitol," Kennedy said in a written statement released by his office. "I consumed no alcohol prior to the incident. I will fully cooperate with the Capitol Police in whatever investigation they choose to undertake."

Kennedy appeared to be intoxicated when he crashed his car into a barrier on Capitol Hill early Thursday morning, said Louis P. Cannon, president of the Washington chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police.

Cannon, who was not there, said the officers involved in the accident were instructed by an official "above the rank of patrolman" to take Kennedy home.

No sobriety tests were conducted at the scene.

A letter written by a Capitol Police officer to Acting Chief Christopher McGaffin said Kennedy appeared to be staggering when he left the vehicle after the crash about 3 a.m. The letter was first reported by Roll Call, a Capitol Hill newspaper.

Kennedy said he was late for a vote, officer Greg Baird said in the letter to McGaffin. Baird is acting chairman of the Capitol Hill chapter of the FOP police union. The last vote of the night had occurred almost six hours earlier.

Late in the evening, Kennedy claimed prescription medications were to blame:

Later, however, he issued a longer statement saying the attending physician for Congress had prescribed Phenergan on Tuesday to treat Kennedy's gastroenteritis.

Kennedy said he returned to his Capitol Hill home on Wednesday evening after a final series of votes in Congress and took "prescribed" amounts of Phenergan and Ambien, another prescribed drug that he occasionally takes to fall asleep.

"Some time around 2:45 a.m., I drove the few blocks to the Capitol Complex believing I needed to vote," his second statement said. "Apparently, I was disoriented from the medication."

Just two weeks ago, Kennedy apparently had trouble turning left to enter a CVS/Pharmacy near his Portsmouth, RI residence. Though it's hard to see why, the other driver (who was proceeding straight on a state highway) was considered to be at fault. See the police report here.

Easily America's most corrupt state, Rogue's Island is a great place to enjoy the perks of political power. Would any major local politician in a bit of a spot expect to receive special treatment, much less a Kennedy?

You bet, as that's how it's done in the Ocean State.


From Wikipedia, a quick rundown of Kennedy's major recent flaps:

Cocaine Treatment

Kennedy has also acknowledged being treated for cocaine use during his teenage years.

LAX Incident

In 2000, Kennedy was accused of pushing a security guard at LAX. City prosecutors ultimately decided not to bring criminal charges against him and he paid an undisclosed civil settlement to the alleged victim almost two years later. His critics have called this incident a "triple hate crime", as the security guard was an elderly black woman.

Mistreatment of Property

In 2000, Atlantic Navigation Company of Mystic, CT, claimed that a boat they rented to Kennedy was found abandoned off Martha's Vineyard and required $28,000 to repair.

Public Argument

In 2000, the Coast Guard was dispatched to Kennedy's yacht after he and his date became embroiled in an argument on his yacht off Martha's Vineyard.

Lackadaisical

In 2003, drew fire from his critics when he declared that "I have never worked a [bleeping] (F------) day in my life."

Hammer Hit

In April 2006, during an economic development meeting in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, Kennedy was struck in the mouth with a wayward hammer's head. He was taken to Memorial Hospital in Pawtucket, where he received six stiches in his bottom lip.

April 2006 car crash

On April 15, 2006, at 10:05 a.m., Patrick J. Kennedy was driving a Ford registered to the "Friends of Pat Kennedy Inc" on Turnpike Avenue. As Patrick attempted to turn left into the CVS parking lot, he was "broadsided" by a Nissan driven by Thomas Guthlein. Guthlein was attributed fault by the Portsmouth Rhode Island police who investigated the accident.

Second 2006 car crash

On May 4, 2006, at approximately 2:45 a.m., Patrick Kennedy was operating a motor vehicle with its lights turned off in the darkness. He collided with a parked Capitol police cruiser before smashing into a security barricade at First and C streets Southeast at 3 a.m. The officer approached the driver who staggered out of his vehicle and stated that he was late for a vote even though Congress had adjourned three hours earlier. Capitol Police patrol officers did not perform field sobriety tests at the scene. Officers were ordered away by the Watch Commander and later drove Kennedy home. Currently the Capitol Police are investigating the accident.

With a track record like this, New England- based talkers and others were in- position for an instant field day.

While Providence-based talk should have reaped the biggest rewards, it has recently deteriorated. Two stations which once kept local lawmakers on their toes, WHJJ-AM and WPRO-AM, have each gone either liberal (which means defending or ignoring Democrat-dominated corruption) or milquetoast (let's instead talk about American Idol).

As of 8pm Thursday, for example, WPRO had failed to even mention the latest Kennedy incident on its website.

Salvaging Rhode Island's media reputation: The Providence Journal, with some immediate coverage.


Instead, it was Boston's Howie Carr, a longtime Kennedy critic, who immediately seized upon the breaking news. Able to supply Michelle Malkin and others with a copy of the Portsmouth Police report, Carr, of WRKO-AM, spent much of the rest of his afternoon drive program pounding on the Rhode Island representative.

At cross-town rival WTKK-FM, host Michael Graham also began discussing the incident just after 5pm. According to him, "it's the only topic that's managed to push illegal immigration off the table. Just barely."

In addition, anchoring AP print coverage of the incident (and providing exclusives) was Andrew Miga, formerly of the Boston Herald's Capitol Hill bureau.


For talk radio, the issues are clear:


Is it yet another case of special treatment for members of the Kennedy clan? Will the mainstream media investigative this allegation further, or will it be again left to blogs?

Drudge is already suggesting a cover-up in the case. Given Patrick's mangled handwriting in the CVS wreck incident report, was he really sober, as has been his claim?


Will Kennedy turn himself into a victim of a hostile press, or "right-wing" cabal? Should he choose to admit to wrongdoing, will the public instead become sympathetic to his condition? Blaming the meds could backfire.


Will Teddy attempt to intervene on behalf of his son? Has he already used his political power to do so?


The big question: given his history of jerky antics, why do Rhode Island voters continue sending Rep. Kennedy to Washington? Like his father, does Patrick have a free lifetime pass due to family name and partisan affiliation?


Because this story has all the right ingredients for a major controversy, don't expect talk radio or the blogosphere to soon let go of it.


UPDATE: At the FOX-bashing News Hounds site, the Kennedy coverage griping begins. Is FOX really enjoying news of Patrick's car crashes? Take a look:

FOX News is so obsessed with crimes by Democrats and African-Americans (and so oblivious to crimes by Republicans) that you could almost see the glee on the faces of FOX News execs when they heard the news last night (5/4/06) that Rep. Patrick Kennedy had been involved in a car accident and, as Sean Hannity reported, “when Kennedy stepped out of the car, he was said to be staggering… and appeared to be intoxicated.”

For 18 minutes, the Hannity & Colmes panel combed over every detail of the case, dropping a few slurs against Ted Kennedy as they went along. Republican strategist Rich Galen surely got some FOX bonus points for tying it into the Cynthia McKinney incident.

FOX’s favorite Democratic “strategist” Bob Beckel was on hand and, as usual, quickly gave all the reasons Democrats should agree with Republicans on this issue. In this case, Beckel said that his own experience with substance abuse made him suspect that the supposedly reformed Kennedy-the-younger had relapsed. “This is a disease, it’s serious, and this is not an issue that should be politicized,” Beckel said. But he never objected to that very politicization taking place in front of him.

“I’m very sensitive to that… I only want him to get better.” Hannity said, as “New Kennedy Scandal” appeared along the bottom of the screen. There wasn’t a close up so I couldn’t be sure but I suspect his nose grew right after he said that. “The issue here is whether or not as a lawmaker he’s being treated differently because of his position.” Oh, right.

Turning to Galen, “sensitive” Hannity said, “Maybe it’s unfair. But it reminds me of the fact that his father left a woman in a pond and went home. And didn’t tell anybody ‘Oh by the way, I just crashed off a bridge and a woman’s in the car at the bottom of a pond.’ And got away with it, for all intent and purposes, here.” The “non-politicizing” Hannity brought up Chappaquiddick later in the discussion, too.

AND: equally entertaining silliness on this subject from Daily Kos.

UPDATE: ever driven after taking Ambien? ABC News wants to know! And the AP has more details about these drugs. While Kennedy's office has "no knowledge" of any accident-related citations, he's apparently been issued three. Police report lists alcohol as contributing factor.

In a new press conference, Kennedy tries to turn himself into a martyr. Rehab comes next, Teddy is "proud" of his son. Expose The Left has video from CNN. Drudge notes how his new "can't remember anything" strategy conflicts with yesterday's statement.

CNN wants us to feel sorry for Rep. Kennedy.

More about media double standards at Hot Air. Excellent takes at NRO's Media Blog.

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Mash up: David A Lunde, photos: AP, Meds (top right): Pete at IHillary