The American Spectator : The Spectacle Blog : Chavez Friend and Communist Lover Joe Kennedy May Seek Uncle's Senate Seat

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The Spectacle Blog

Chavez Friend and Communist Lover Joe Kennedy May Seek Uncle's Senate Seat

By Matthew Vadum on 8.28.09 @ 6:28PM

Political pundits say former Rep. Joe Kennedy II (D-Massachusetts) may be in the running to be successor in the U.S. Senate to his leftist uncle Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Massachusetts) who died earlier this week.

Kennedy is a friend and ally of Hugo Chavez, who as Venezuela's head of state controls Petroleos de Venezuela SA which in turn controls the U.S.-chartered CITGO.

Just like Uncle Ted, Joe Kennedy is a communist enabler too.

At the direction of Chavez, CITGO provides low-cost fuel to Kennedy's nonprofit, Citizens Energy Corporation, which he created in 1979 to provide discounted home heating oil to low-income people in Massachusetts. The CITGO effort is part of Venezuela's campaign in the U.S. to put a smiley face on Chavez's iron-fisted rule.

In one TV ad about the fuel oil program, Kennedy praised CITGO and condemned U.S. oil companies and the U.S. government: "Some people say it's bad politics to do this. I say it's a crime against humanity not to because no one - no one - should be left out in the cold."

View all comments (26) | Leave a comment

Marc Jeric| 8.28.09 @ 6:39PM

What is Joe Kennedy's salary now? He started out with one million/year some 30 years ago as the CEO of that charitable heating oil distribution company. Another Carter's sick legacy!

Matthew Vadum| 8.28.09 @ 6:49PM

Joe Kennedy's base salary in Tax Year 2007 was $77,698 according to the group's IRS 990 Form.

See page 5 at
http://www.guidestar.org/FinDo.....58c-9O.pdf

fsdf| 5.10.10 @ 5:31AM

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Solo| 8.28.09 @ 6:50PM

The only one more fitting to fill Teddy's Senate seat would be Hugo Chavez himself.

The democrats have 59 seats in the Senate. Hell! Why not?

Max| 8.28.09 @ 8:39PM

Boy, you Cons are such a cheerful bunch.

But you're right -- helping poor people pay for heating is downright despicable.

Solo| 8.28.09 @ 9:16PM

At what price your freedom, Max?

A little oil? Perhaps a crumb of bread?

JAMES STONE,| 8.28.09 @ 11:12PM

THE AFGHANISTAN is not for USA, UK, NATO, or ISRAEL. Its only for them, ( AFGHANs ). NOT for USSR, PAKISTAN, INDIA, THE AFGHANISTAN is not for CNINA, IRAN or OTHER Countries. ( 250 countries) of THE WORLD. Its only for" BRAVE AFGHANIs." Who can fight MORE THEN 1000 years. The Time will be prue them. THE WORLD MAFIA CANT COONTROL THEM. ( CIA, FBI, MOSSAD, MI5, MI6, TALIBAN, AL-QAEDA,ISI, RAW,). These" DRUG MAFIA WAR" CANT CONTROLL AFGHANISTAN. OR NOT PAKISTAN. They are killing the" MONEY', & killing the' TIME" only. The ECONOMIC WAR CERISIS is gift for USA, UK, NATO, & ISRAEL. Its enuf for theme.Its only TOUGH of war.No, the people of Afghanistan will decide in the end. They know that like the British and the Russians before them, eventually the Americans will leave defeated by the will and pride of the people, and terrain of the country. This is a Muslim country, and it's for them to decide whether they want fundamentalist Islamic laws and means of enforcement, or whether they want a more liberal society. It's certainly not for western Christian governments to impose their ideas of society by force, We cant force them to leave Afghanistan for American, who want fug them

Patriot| 8.29.09 @ 12:29AM

Max is just another liberal slave to marxist ideology.

Liberal whores know nothing about freedom: They sold their honor and self respect a long time ago.

James Stone, | 8.29.09 @ 1:56AM

James Stone, | 8.29.09 @ 2:02AM

Bob| 8.29.09 @ 11:07AM

Last time I looked, Saudi Arabia was still a dictatorship and the source of most of the 9/11 terrorists. If you were consistent, instead of being a partisan political hack, Vadum, you would refuse to buy gas from anyone who sources from any dictatorship. But then again, that would mean you couldn't drive a car or take a bus, or even shop for groceries since they all take fuel from dictatorships.

Another incomplete and biased rant from Vadum, I guess. So Vadum, why don't you foment the WHOLE truth for a change? This is why the true issue is energy independence and not the source of petroleum. Let's build more nuclear plants and force Nevada to take the waste.

Stan Redmond| 8.29.09 @ 1:04PM

Bob, it would be fantastic to buy domestic oil but with envirothugs preventing any possible expansion of domestic oil production we're forced, by liberals, to buy oil from despots. No amount of stupid windmills of solar panels will change that fact.

Jessie| 8.29.09 @ 3:24PM

Vadum may be a political hack but at least he's honest about his political affiliation. Bob, you're a liberal hack pretending to be a "RINO." Turd.

Comrade Joppo| 8.29.09 @ 8:51PM

Chavez a communist give me a break, that is mere label (mere is a way u stupid yanks like to categorise people who are opposed to your quasi- facist ideology) a man who defends his country from the whims (the wants and needs) of an imperialist power, and seeks to empower his own people is no despot his system of rule is far more democratic than what you subscribe to, dont believe me look at the facts, youre most likely the people who believe that your own president has a deep seated hatred of white people and the white culture, and before you even try to criticise me ( to disagree with me through insults or rubbishing my argument) Yes i am a marxist who believes in the basic right to health care like we enjoy in the civilised world (notice how it is spelt with an s not "zee" which is in fact prounouned "zed") At least Chavez cares for the well being of his people as opposed to a state which favours the wealthy and disenfranchises (to exclude) those who have not been given the same oppurtunities due to socio/ecomonic factors.
long live a multi-polar world free from american hegemony (the control of world order by a single absoloutist state)

Bob| 8.29.09 @ 9:01PM

Stan, I agree with you that in the short term we need to get as much domestic oil as possible. Windmills can be economically effective if the price of oil doubles. We do need an electric backbone infrastructure to carry nuclear and wind based energy. That should have been in the stimulus. Instead of spending money now on wind and solar, we should spend a fraction of that on a NASA type program to develop these technologies so that they can travel down the cost curve. Until then, we do need a significant nuclear strategy. Rather than call alternative energy production "stupid", I'd suggest research and cost curve analysis. For example, thin film solar technologies are making great progress. This will lower the cost of solar by a factor of 10. When it gets to that level, we will need a strategy. However, today, wind and solar make little economic sense.

Jesse, if you want to call being against the stimulus, against the bailouts, against the public option, and for the reduction of medicare and social security attributes of a liberal, you need to have your lobotomy reversed.

Bob| 8.29.09 @ 9:07PM

Jesse, I'm glad you agree with me that Vadum is just a political hack. All political hacks are "honest" about their political affiliation -- by definition. They always use bias and partial adherence to favorable facts to oversell their points of view. Just because If the fact that I want Republicans to be educated, factual, objective, and honest makes me a liberal, then our party has a big problem. I certainly am "progressive" or "libertarian" on social issues, but you're not going to find someone more fiscally conservative than me.

Jessie| 8.30.09 @ 2:36AM

Bob, I didn't say Vadum is a political hack--you did. I said you're a piece of human excrement for pretending to be a RINO when you're really just an Axelrod astroturf troll.

You're just another American fascist liberal whore betraying his countrymen. And, like every clown, you have props; your stupid charts and graphs. What an @sshole you are, 'Bob'.

Bob| 8.30.09 @ 8:41AM

So, Jessie, you didn't say Vadum is a political hack? This is a direct quote from you:

"Vadum may be a political hack but at least he's honest about his political affiliation."

Perhaps you should learn how to use language properly. School might help. And yes, facts are stubborn things. The only way you can have the opinions you seem to present is to disregard facts. You should go back to your dinosaur riding.

Richard Baker| 8.30.09 @ 11:23AM

Hasn't this country suffered enough with Kennedys? Is this family the modern day version of the locust and frog attacks mentioned in the Old Testament?

Patriot| 8.30.09 @ 3:43PM

Isn't it time we kicked Massachusetts out of the union? And revoked traitor Bob's citizenship on grounds of mental incompetence?

Jessie| 8.30.09 @ 4:22PM

May be is not conclusive, moron. What is CONCLUSIVE is that you're a lying astroturf troll pretending to be a "RINO." Chartman Bob--what a joke.

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Simon| 8.31.09 @ 11:52PM

If you're a conservative you seem to need a compassion and empathy transplant.

Wolf| 9.4.09 @ 2:15AM

Joe Kennedy's BASE salary was 77,698. What did he receive in bonuses? He was making more than that as a congressman when his brother who was running the oil program died in a skiing accident. When Joe saw what his brother was pulling in, he got out of Congress. By the way, does anybody know what Joe's major was in college? I received conflicting stories from members of his staff when he first ran for office. His degree was more a gift than earned that's why they were unsure of their answer(s). Any Umass Boston professors out there remember seeing him in class? (Cue the crickets.)

magicphan| 9.4.09 @ 4:33PM

Comrade Joppo: 2 things, here. First, you call America an imperialist state and go on to defend Chavez as compassionate, while America favors the rich at the expense of the poor. Second, you call America a hegemony (the control of world order by a single absoloutist state) .sic

As Gen. Powell put it, America has fought in many wars in foreign lands, always in support of freedom or defending oppressors. The only land we have ever asked for in return is just enough on which to bury those who died in battle.

And if America is a hegemony, then what is radical islam? It seeks to convert and control all the world. How would you generalize them? (yeah, that's generalize, with a "zee", for zombie). You seem to be good at authoritarian labels. I wonder how you view any part of the world that is not America.

And to your first point, American conservatism favors a system that allows any citizen to reach their full potential without state interference. Does any other nation practice this?**

(**this last one may soon change, as it is under review by the current administration)

mr roboto| 9.4.09 @ 7:53PM

If you HippoCons dispise handouts, send your social security checks back to Ma Gov once you start receiving them, or refuse to enroll in medicare, family medical leave etc... when the time comes. I surely hope you didn't most recently take advantage of the cash for clunker program as well if your so true to your principles.

Remember...Reality is a Liberal bias!