Classic!

[ProSense]

RUN, KERRY, RUN! Though John Kerry could scarcely be less popular with Democratic voters, there's one group of Democrats that's keen to see him toss his hat into the presidential ring: Massachusetts politicians. It's not that they are out of touch with America. Far from it. They just want him to stop clogging up the local political system.

The problem, as it was recently described to me by a young local politico, is that both of Massachusetts' senators have been so long-serving. Kerry has been in office since 1985, and Ted Kennedy since 1962. That means that, for the past 20 years, no Massachusetts politicians holding lower-level offices have been able to move up and into Congress's upper house. The congressmen can't move up by running for Senate, because the Senate seats are both unassailably taken, and the state senators can't move up by running for Congress, because the congressmen have become so long-serving in their turn. Secure incumbency at the top has created stasis throughout the entire system, leaving young ambitious would-be pols to either wait for someone to retire or try to knock off long-time incumbents just to get to the statehouse. If Kerry would just move on, by trying to move up again himself, then Barney Frank, Ed Markey, Marty Meehan, and Steve Lynch could all potentially contend for his seat, and a domino effect could be unleashed across the system. For that to happen, though, the first domino has to fall, and Kerry has to run for president again.

So if you wonder who on earth is encouraging Kerry to take another crack at it, the answer has to include: Massachusetts politicians.

UPDATE: The Political Insider blog has more.

The conintuing rationalizations and speculations as to why Kerry is considering another run, not because he's the most qualified for the job, but it's to free up a seat in Mass. So it's Markey and the Mass delegation only encouraging this decision. LOL!

I also love the people who say Kerry had his shot, but run Gore, run!

[wisteria]

1. Between you and me, Kerry is a lot more appealing.

I have been watching Gore's appearances recently and he can tell a joke- sort of- but he still sounds like the same old Gore. I think the sigh is what brought it all back for me, I know it isn't fair, but that sigh represents a bit of impatience and attitude to me. Not that this should discredit him, but we do have to listen to and watch the next President for at least four years.

[Mass]

2. Well, this is the least well kept secret in MA. A bunch of people

are trying to move up and the two senators' seats have been blocked for years. (though Menino and Patricia McGovern are news for me - I guess they listed all the local names they could find). So, they may be part of that in Markey's and Meehan's motivation.

But many of the people who support a Kerry run have little to win with that, starting by Kennedy and Cleland, and, in any case, this is no reason for him not to run.

This article was repeated by both Kevin Drum and the CarpetBagger Report.

I guess they do not have anything to report.