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Wednesday, April 18, 2001
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Kennedy fires staff as approval rating slips just below 50 percent in R.I.

By David Rivello
Herald Staff Writer

In need of a change, Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I., initiated a major staff shakeup last week, dismissing two top aides in an effort to overcome the specter of recent embarrassments and bolster his falling approval ratings.

Last Monday, Kennedy fired his state office manager, Rick McAuliffe, and replaced his former chief-of-staff Tony Marcella, who will return to Rhode Island to head up the congressman’s 2002 re-election campaign.

A Brown University poll released in February showed Kennedy’s approval rating had dropped to 49 percent, down 14 points from the 63 percent approval he enjoyed in 2000. Two embarrassing incidents also have not helped the congressman’s public image.

Last year, a Los Angeles airport security guard accused Kennedy of shoving her in a fit of anger after she told him his oversized luggage was too big to go onboard. Meanwhile, a charter company has accused the congressman of inflicting $28,000 in damage to one of its yachts.

“The whole airport and yacht thing … kind of highlighted the fact that I was someplace else,” Kennedy told the Associated Press (AP). “I’m much more vulnerable to the kind of negative publicity I’ve received because I don’t have that kind of grass roots organization that I need to carry me though whatever challenges I may get.”

Despite speculation that his motives for the shakeup may have been personal, Kennedy aides insist the congressman was merely looking for change.

Kennedy aide Larry Berman said the four-term Democrat made the moves in order to refocus on Rhode Island’s first district, after two years of heavy travel that have kept Kennedy out of state for extended periods of time.

“He was in campaign mode for two years on behalf of the party,” Berman said. Kennedy served a two-year stint as chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), a post that required “an awful lot of travel,” Berman said.

“He wants to get away from campaigning and focus more on legislative duties,” said Berman, who admitted it’s time for Kennedy “to play some catch up” on the home front after months of travel.

Kennedy, who helped the DCCC raise $97 million — more than triple its previous record, now holds a seat on the powerful House Appropriations Committee. The congressman, who credits his fundraising performance for the appointment, has stated his intention to get inside the game of Washington politics and get more money for Rhode Island’s first district.

Despite his troubles, Kennedy is unlikely to be unseated in his bid for a fifth term.

“He really hasn’t been challenged in the last three elections,” Berman said. But “we are ready for the challenge if the Republicans decide to put up a formidable opponent.”

“When you have a million dollars in cash on hand and your last name is Kennedy, you certainly have formidable fund-raising skills,” Professor of Political Science Darrell West told AP.

West, author of the biography “Patrick Kennedy: Rise to Power,” said Kennedy may have had other reasons for dismissing Marcella.

“I think this actually has been brewing for some time,” said West, who explained that many people close to the congressman told him they were unhappy with the way Marcella limited access to Kennedy.

Even a close aide like Marcella, who has been with Kennedy for nearly 15 years, isn’t necessarily secure in his job, West said.

“Sometimes it works that way — if you were wanting to position yourself for future growth, you need to be pretty cold-blooded about the personnel decisions you make,” he said.

Kennedy admittedly described Marcella as a close friend and confidant.

“This is not an easy decision for me to make, and in the short term, it’s won me a lot of personal and political headaches,” Kennedy told AP. “But I’m convinced that in the long term this is going to make me a better congressman for the people who elected me.”

-- Anonymous, April 18, 2001

Answers

dismissing two top aides . . .

great, two more people who don't like him.

-- Anonymous, April 20, 2001