Patrick Kennedy: FESS UP and end MSM feeding frenzy now

[npincus]

The MSM and Republicans are licking their chops over this... the best we can hope for is bringing a QUICK closure to this embarrassment, and get it out of the news, sooner than later. The GOP is thrilled because they can point a finger at one of us and remove the spotlight that's shone on their criminal conduct for so long. With a possible Rove indictment in the near future, we do NOT want this petty incident competing for cable and MSM air time, distracting from the greater misdeeds and incompetence of this administration, and casting Dems in a bad light. We know the MSM will conflate this until it looks really, really awful-- on a par with any of the current Republican scandals- take your pick.

Kennedy should come clean immediately; instead of evading the question of preferential treatment, he should respond honestly: it's mea culpa time. He should fess up on whether or not he was drinking or had a drink earlier in the evening (according to police he was "staggering" and smelled of alcohol). He claimed to have taken Ambien- if that's true, perhaps he had a bad reaction in combination with alcohol-- who the HELL knows. He needs to explain why his story changed a few hours later. At the cost of his own humiliation, he needs to put it all out there NOW. IF he told a fib, he needs to ADMIT it. He will look better for being honest (America loves a sinner who tries to redeem himself).

The point is, speculation and the sense that something is fishy here will just extend the life of this story in the news and give Republicans a chance to conflate this into a larger scandal than it is, even possibly suppress public enthusiasm for Dems regaining their majority in 2006.

[HereSince1628]

1. Ambien is a prescription sleep aid?...why not show the prescription?

And you are right it isn't the accident it's the cover-up that will destroy him.

[partylessinOhio]

16. Destroy Him? That is an outrageous comment!

Patrick Kennedy has a right to some privacy. Whatever happened is none of your or my business!

It is time for Democrats to stand behind their politicians just like the Republicans do.

This was a small traffic accident!

Nobody was injured!

Nobody was killed - Laura Bush!

Very little damage was done!

Let's stop jumping on a man when he is probably feeling very badly that this has happened.

The Kennedys have done much for this country in public service. They have suffered an assassination of a President who was a beloved family member.

The Kennedys are not hatemongers and do not personally attack others. I feel we should do the same and leave them alone.

:rant:

[Zuni]

38. he was still drunk driving (probably)

if he had been on ambien he shouldn't have been driving either---I know from experience that ambien can pack a bit of a punch, and it knocks you out usually within an hour. why he would go out after taking ambien is beyond me

but we shouldn't be defending drunken driving, if that is the case, which it likely is. That is just stupid. Just because some other people have done worse things doesn't make it right to get plowed and then go cruising around in the middle of a densely populated city

[dogday]

52. Please read this article on Ambien

People drive in their sleep and not by choice...


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=1108329&mesg_id=1108329

[MADem]

20. The only thing that will destroy him is the voting public IN HIS DISTRICT

If his district returns him to his seat, it doesn't matter what anyone else says. His district makes the call, not us, not CNN, not Faux news.

There are a ton of representatives who have more colorful incidents in their past who have been returned to their seats.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

23. Getting a little hysterical, aren't you?

[HereSince1628]

46. Hysterical? WTF? Hardly, it is always the lies to cover-up that dig

the deepest hole. People have accidents driving all the time, no one would care if it's an accident.

And it's true that his district will ultimately decide on him. But obviously not before the public has a media sponsored feeding frenzy.

If PK is on a prescription drug as at least one report states he claimed then that isn't going to be real difficult to demonstrate. Doing so would be quick and would discount the charge of drunk driving and it would go a long way toward quieting down the media.

[dogday]

56. Recieved both drugs from Capitol Hill Physician

The congressman said he had also been taking Phenergan, an anti-nausea medication, as well as Ambien. Phenergan is sometimes used as an antihistamine, a sedative or a sleep aid.

Mr. Kennedy said both drugs had been prescribed by the attending physician of the Capitol, who cares for lawmakers and their aides. He said he received the Phenergan this week as treatment for a gastrointestinal disorder. He said the Ambien had been "prescribed by the attending physician some time ago" as a sleep aid.

"Following the last series of votes on Wednesday evening," Mr. Kenendy said, "I returned to my home on Capitol Hill and took the prescribed amount" of the two drugs. "Some time around 2:45 a.m. I drove the few blocks to the Capitol complex believing I needed to vote. Apparently, I was disoriented from the medication


http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/05/washington/05kennedy.html?hp&ex=1146888000&en=6ea5903200b92177&ei=5094&partner=homepage

Should not be hard to prove at all......

[HereSince1628]

57. Thanks. Seems to me his claim on the drug use is credible.

[Renew Deal]

2. How does a Vice President shoot someone in the face and nothing happens

but a car accident is a big deal?

[babylonsister]

6. And here's a look at the 'damaged' car:

[Zuni]

39. what cheney did was wrong

but that doesn't make what is probably a case of drunken driving ok either. I am not defending Cheney---he was drunk and playing with guns

Kennedy is an elected representative---he should conduct himself accordingly, no matter what Tom DeLay or anyone else on the other side does

[Missy M]

3. Another version I heard is he was "staggering" and had...

watery eyes and slurred speech, but they didn't mention he smelled of alcohol. They keep embellishing the story as the day goes on.

[Atman]

4. Do you really think ANYTHING will end the feeding frenzy?

They have their marching orders. If he fessed up, then THAT would be the feeding frenzy. It doesn't matter what any of the facts are, the fact that there is a story is the story. It is a Kennedy. Drinking. This is gold to the GOP, and it allows them to bring up Chappaquidick references, Teddy boozing references, you know the drill. Nothing at all will stop the frenzy, I'm afraid.

.

[BOSSHOG]

10. Wouldn't it be a chuckle that what did end this story

was rove's indictment?

[MADem]

17. You might have said the most prescient thing in this thread

But, but, but....never mind the fat bastard getting slapped with papers, LOOK OVER HERE at the KENNEDY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[BOSSHOG]

25. Now I gotta go look up Prescient!

[MADem]

31. Here ya go, you forward-lookin' fellah!

http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache:a9-n2ulzuC4J:dictionary.reference.com/wordoftheday/archive/2002/08/30.html+prescient&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=2

Prescient derives (via French) from the Latin præsciens, præscient-, present participle of præscire "to know before": præ-, "before" (see pre-) + scire, "to know." It is related to science.

[BOSSHOG]

32. Dude

I'm gonna tell my wife I'm prescient. Then she'll have to look it up.

[MADem]

36. Just so long as she doesn't think you're trying to tell her you have a

social disease!!!!

[dogday]

53. Ding Ding Ding Ding

We have a winner... Something is going on...

[npincus]

18. I know there's the "like father, like son" appeal to this one

but if the son behaves in a prinicpled manner- as in speaking the truth, it might remove a bit of taint he unfairly inherited from his Dad's Chappaquidick legacy. I think it would hasten the end of the story (excpet for the FUX network) because once all the facts are out on the table and there's no more speculation, the story is not 'news' or 'newsworthy' any longer.

At present, without clarity, there will be a drip, drip drip as the media investigate the circumstances and every disclosure will be featured on the MSM and cable news lineup. I agree with your point, but there is nothing to be gained by dragging this out and having a Dem look like he's hiding something.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

33. So, the only way he can "behave in a principled manner" is to....

...confess to something he most probably hasn't done?

Interesting.

[MADem]

35. His mother has serious issues too, that have continued until recently

I think they finally got her into drydock, but she's been a problem for years. Horrific addiction to alcohol. She fell down awhile back on Newbury Street and broke a bone or two. Then she got ticked off at all her kids. I think they've made up since then...

I've seen her getting stopped by the cops. I always wondered why she didn't just get a damn driver.

[partylessinOhio]

43. Was that necessary to kick Joan to get at Patrick?

We all have family members who have problems. So what?

[MADem]

44. You aren't from Massachusetts

No one is kicking her, she's a news item every few months. She has a serious, brutal addiction, and no matter how many times they dry her out, she's back at it months later. http://www.sptimes.com/2005/04/02/Worldandnation/Fall_revives_Joan_Ken.shtml

She has struggled with alcoholism, gotten arrested several times for drunken driving, and gone through rehab repeatedly.

On Monday, she found herself back in the public eye when a passer-by discovered the 68-year-old ex-wife of Sen. Edward Kennedy sprawled on a sidewalk on Boston's Beacon Street in the rain. She was hospitalized with a concussion and a broken shoulder.

Exactly what happened to her is unclear. The Kennedys are not saying, and no police report was filed.

The next day, her son Rep. Patrick Kennedy, who also has battled substance abuse and helps oversee his mother's affairs, decided not to run for the Senate. His top aide said the decision was made before his mother's fall, but said the Rhode Island Democrat has been very concerned about her....

There is a genetic predisposition to alcohol abuse. Both his parents have, or have had, substance abuse/alcohol abuse difficulties. He's been down rehab road himself.

Genetic studies indicate that alcoholism tends to run in families and that a genetic vulnerability to alcoholism exists. The disruption of family life in an alcoholic home also plays a role in creating vulnerability to alcoholism later in life. http://rf-web.tamu.edu/security/secguide/Eap/Alcohol.htm

[partylessinOhio]

47. So what?

What connection does his mother have to the fender bender?

I will pray for Joan and not throw rocks at her. She deserves some kindness and positive thoughts.

I met Joan here years ago when she came to Cleveland when Ted was running for President. She was a very beautiful stylish petite woman. I will remember her as she was and not as you want to portray her. I know she has problems now but she had nothing to do with the fender bender and I don't know why you felt the need to bring it up.

[MADem]

49. Who's throwing rocks??? The truth is the truth

And the truth is the best defense, not hearts and flowers and sweeping things under the rug.

She has been rehabbed more times than Joan Rivers gets facelifts. She keeps falling off the wagon. The representative has TWO PARENTS with a booze problem, and Ted had a hard time with coke in a BIG way back in the 80s. He's cleaned up his act in his old age--either he lost the taste, or Victoria is keeping him on a short leash. Remember that scandal down in Palm Beach with Wm. K. Smith that Ted was peripherally involved in?? Guess who else was there? Patrick. They weren't playing bridge, they were getting smashed.

Alcoholism and substance abuse have a STRONG GENETIC COMPONENT. To say otherwise is like denying that your kid LOOKS LIKE YOU. It is completely unsurprising that at least one of Ted and Joan's kids might have snagged the substance gene.

And since Patrick has been to rehab, you gotta figure he did.

[Name removed]

50. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[MADem]

51. Now I know you're the rock thrower

I've given THOUSANDS to Ted over the years, and Kerry as well. Those are MY SENATORS. I precinct walked for them, stuffed envelopes, answered phones.

It isn't DISLOYAL to tell the truth. It's EMPOWERING. If you know the history and vote for them anyway, they must be doing something right during their workday.

And calling me, a registered Democrat all my voting life, a Republican, is simply rude at BEST, and completely incorrect. It's probably also against forum rules.

[Zuni]

41. exactly

he should conduct himself properly and admit he fucked up. Many of us have also fucked up and we can move on
but dragging this out and telling fibs is not going to make it better

[Jayhawk Lib]

45. He is a chip off the old block. Admit nothing

and it will go away in time for the next election.

[yankeedem]

5. I basically agree with your sentiment

but again, I ask of noone in particular, why were Bush/Cheney's FIVE drunk driving arrests no big deal, and politics of personal destruction, but things like this are a cause celebre?

[Waya]

9. Cause Cheney is a Repuke...and Kennedy is a Dem....

Dem's are evil...didn't you know?

[Waya]

7. Yep, Ambien ......

...is a prescrition sleeping medication....have yet to hear what the other prescription drug was he was supposedly taking for stomach ailment and if there was a possible conflict between the two meds. Ambien can cause sleepwalking, vivid or abnormal dreams in some people.....so maybe we should give him the benefit of the doubt....However, if this would have been Bill Frist or some other Repuke, it wouldn't have even made it into the news.....Wonder what's about to hit the Repukes that they have to blow this incident up like this............

[janx]

8. What embarrassment? The guy had a fender bender,

as far as I can tell from the "internets."

[Atman]

12. Actually, he had a fender-scratcher.

Did you see the picture on the news? A parking-lot shopping cart incident would cause more damage. BUT IT WAS A KENNEDY, DAMMIT! HE WAS THIS CLOSE TO DRIVING OFF A BRIDGE! :eyes:

[Joanne98]

11. I don't think fessing up will end it. The MSN loves a Kennedy

scandal. Remember when John jr's plane went down? I total week of non-stop coverage. We should try massive ridule of the MSN coming from the blogs. Make the hate for the MSN bigger than the distraction.

[AX10]

13. I agree 100%!

[nancyr]

26. Ambien

This stuff can definitely make a person do weird things! I was given some in the hospital a few months ago to help me sleep, and during the night I apparently got out of bed and took a leisurely stroll through the halls chatting with people. I had no reccollection of doing it and the nurses all had a big laugh out of it..they said people have amnesia and do all sorts of odd things while taking it. I certainly don't know if Kennedy was indeed on this medication, but I can give him the benefit of the doubt. Somehow it doesn't quite rank up there with shooting someone in the face or killing thousands of innocent people just for the hell of it. But, he is a Democrat, and we all know that makes a huge difference in the ethical standards demanded by the powers that be.

[Joanne98]

40. I talked to a woman at my vets office who gained 15 pounds...

because she was getting up at night and eating. She didn't remember anything. Ambien is dangerous. If he really was taking it he's probably telling the truth. Hell, he could have sleepwalked to the bar and had a drink and not remembered it. It's possible.

[MADem]

14. What I think happened

Strictly MY OPINION, mind you...

He went to the Hawk 'n Dove, and had a few pints.

He went home. He got into bed.

He took his ambien and his stomach meds.

He either got up to pee, or do something else (maybe he forgot the stomach meds)--big mistake.

Ended up driving, like the folks who go to the all night grocery or WalMart during an ambien moment and max out their credit cards, and had no idea how he got there.

If the Cap Police supervisor wanted him to be arrested, he would have been arrested. He's always gotten along with them, and perhaps they checked with the House physician and verified his prescriptions. If they really wanted to be assholes, they'd have cuffed him, made a big deal out of it, and released the dashcam footage.

He probably could benefit from a retour at rehab. Aside from that, the GOP is gonna make hay over this matter. Bet it breaks their hearts that people aren't staying inside on such a glorious day, watching the news. They'd have preferred this incident happen in winter, when everyone is huddled around the electric picture-flashing fireplace.

[nickinSTL]

15. your post seems to suggest that he had something to drink...

which he's denied.

I, of course, don't know what the truth is, but I don't see how you help anything by assuming he's lying.

He has said he was using Ambien - which has a reputation for causing strange behavior...in addition to another medication that can also have side effects. There doesn't need to be alcohol involved.

As to the cover-up/preferential treatment, yes, he should come out and talk about that, if it did occur.

[jumpoffdaplanet]

19. He was telling the truth yesterday and no one cared

There was no "special" treatment, but no cared.

The media had "special" sources, and they "said" there was booze and that must be true.

The man took the meds the doctor gave him at home, woke up confused and got into a small accident. He was cited (3 of them) but hell, no cared about that small story. So the media had to lie all day yesterday to cover up McGovern and Rumsfeld.

All the "special" sources want to distract from the real scandels.

I glad I didn't fall for the lies yesterday.

[MADem]

21. I think he was asleep, his lights were off in the car, per the police

report.

[bottomofthehill]

22. Sleepwalking not that uncommon

Suffered from Ambien side effects?
Concerns are being raised about the safety of Ambien (zolpidem tartrate), the anti-insomnia drug manufactured by Sanofi-Aventis. Reports are surfacing people taking Ambien are experiencing sleepwalking, memory loss / amnesia, binge eating while sleeping, having sex while sleeping, and other disturbing side effects. Some of the most serious side effects involve Ambien users having auto accidents the day after taking Ambien due to daytime sleepiness and the lingering feeling of being drugged. One disturbing report concerned a physician at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston who could not recall advising residents on rounds the morning after taking Ambien.

Ambien Studies
Researchers in Minnesota are looking at instances where people taking Ambien for insomnia got up in the middle of the night and engaged in such behaviors as binge eating. The patients reportedly remembered nothing of the experience upon awakening. Dr. Michael Cramer Vornemann, a researcher at the University of Minnesota Medical School and the Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis, said it appears that those with a prior history of sleep walking and also women may be at higher risk for experiencing these side effects. The researchers believe that thousands of people taking Ambien experience sleep related eating disorders. The researchers looked at older sleep aids and found that these side effects are unique to Ambien, and possibly other newer medications such as Lunesta and Sonata. Mayo Clinic research conducted earlier on Ambien had similar findings. Consumer group Public Citizen has called for very limited use of Ambien because it causes temporary amnesia.

Sleep Medication Usage
According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, an estimated 30 million people in the U.S. take sleep medications, which represents a huge increase in recent years. The increase is partly due to manufacturers of anti-insomnia drugs investing heavily in consumer advertising. Sleep-induced side effects may be rising because of the increasing use of Ambien and other anti-insomnia medications.

Legal Help for Ambien Side Effects Victims
If you or a loved one took Ambien and suffered memory loss, sleep walking, or other harmful side effects, contact us for a free consultation about your case today. Please fill out the short form at the right, or call our lawyers at 1-800-LAW-INFO (1-800-529-4636).

[partylessinOhio]

24. Another rant I have:

On CNN there is Darin Kagan who lies with Rush Limpaw going on and on and on about Patrick Kennedy.

What a witch she is!

[npincus]

27. FYI: Kagan threw his anal-cyst oozing, Oxycontin-gulping ass to the curb

She finally saw the light.

[partylessinOhio]

29. I don't know if that is true, I don't keep up to the minute on her,

BUT she is still tainted and should get off Kennedy.

[LibDemAlways]

28. If this had been anyone else we'd never even have

heard about it. None of us knows what happened. I'll accept that Kennedy's explanation is true and leave it at that. It's none of my business, anyway.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

30. IMHO, you appear to be making yourself part of the "frenzy".

[npincus]

37. No.

This story is ALL OVER the media, on TV and in print. If you are either watching or reading the news, you would see it. Many posts at GD this morning point out this fact. This silly, stupid story is being used/ will be used by our enemies to distract from Republican scandals- on tv and in print. I thought that point was made very clearly in my post.

My point is to get this out of the headlines ASAP by ending speculation and giving clarity to the events of this non-story, even if Kennedy has to make some embarrassing admissions. And I don't know that that's even true.

"making myself part of the frenzy"? Weird.

[garybeck]

34. Cheney didn't get a breathalizer. Why should Pat?

preferential treatment is bad, however...

to play their game, we should be spinning this.

Cheney didn't have to take a breathalizer and we all know he was drinking.

the real issue is that no one should get preferential treatment. but the way to spin the discussion away from the "Kennedy elite" that they are throwing out there, is to spin it back into the Cheney story. they're the same story. So they can't point the finger at Kennedy unless they're going to admit that Cheney should have gotten a breathalizer too.

g

[npincus]

42. good one! makes a lot of sense.

that IS what those clever scum would do.

[Jayhawk Lib]

48. Cheney was not driving....

I hate to ruffle feathers on this but drunk or impaired driving is very serious. I have a terrible experience of some one driving drunk and I can absolutely not stand anyone who does. There is no way he should have left the scene without being tested. If he was irresponsible enough to drive drunk or impaired, lock him up and throw away the key!!!

I refuse to give him the benefit of the doubt. They whisked him away without testing him and as far as I am concerned that is an admission of guilt. I do not care how good of a legislator he is and care less that he is a Kennedy.

Flame me if you wish but he acted very irresponsible by leaving and I have bitter feelings about that.

[npincus]

54. Yes- CNN reported from a newly obtained copy of the police report that

Kennedy was intoxicated, with further details (he was swerving and driving with excessive speed). I am not sure why any DUer would want to defend a drunk behind the wheel. Lots of innocent people (drivers and pedestrians, adults and children) are killed or seriously injured by drunk drivers.

As I said- he should come clean and let the chips fall where they may.

[dogday]

55. Ambien

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=1108329&mesg_id=1108329

[Francine Frensky]

58. Wasn't there a republican senator who dwi'd and killed a guy

and it wasn't even in the headlines, just a little by-line in the back pages?? Some senator from Wyoming or something??

Why do we dems immeadiately assume the defensive position on these issues, like with cynthia mckinney, and not go on the offensive and point out media distortions????

[garybeck]

60. exactly my point n/t

[garybeck]

59. I'm talking about how to spin it, not whether he should have been tested

i agree he should have been tested. so should cheney have been.

my point is, that when the media does what we know they will do, like put this on the front page and ignore the administration's continual lies, the way to go on the offensive is to compare it to Cheney because they both got preferential treatment.