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Patrick Kennedy hints father's death helped spur retirement
Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.) in a recent interview offered a strong hint that the death of his father, Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), played a significant role in his decision to retire from Congress.
Kennedy surprisingly announced his retirement last week even though he was expected to win reelection in the fall. He gave his first exclusive interview since his announcement to Rhode Island Monthly magazine.
Speculation has grown that his father's death helped urge Kennedy toward stepping aside.
Kennedy delivered an emotional eulogy at his father's funeral over the summer, highlighting the sadness he felt upon the passing of the man he called "the center of my universe."
After that, he sometimes wore he emotions on his sleeve. The 16-year congressman lashed out at new Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.), who won the seat once held by his father, calling his candidacy a "joke."
Brown partially campaigned on blocking the Democrats' healthcare reform bill as the 41st GOP senator to uphold a filibuster. The elder Kennedy had called health reform the "cause of my life."
"I couldn't help but inherit a lot of his pain," Rep. Kennedy said in the interview. "I felt so defensive for him when it came to people saying ugly things him. But the thing that people so admired in my dad ...he took it on the chin over and over and over again, and he kept getting up."
Patrick Kennedy spoke at length about his mental health problems and issues with substance abuse, as well as his father's well-publicized personal mistakes.
He said that shepherding mental health parity legislation through Congress in 2008 helped him contribute to his family's legacy of defending civil rights and win the approval of his father.
The bill, of which Kennedy was the top sponsor in the House, requires group health insurance plans cover mental illnesses similar to how they cover bodily illnesses.
"I feel so blessed, having been through a lot and feeling a lot of shame at some trouble that I managed to get myself into, at the end of the day...my dad couldn't help but see the political power in the work I had done on mental health," he said.
"I have managed -- improbably, inconceivably -- to not only live up to my family's legacy on civil rights, but to add to it," he said of the bill's ability to help eliminate the stigma of mental illness.
As for his future plans, Kennedy said that he still plans to work in public service, noting that his aunt, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, created his family's "biggest legacy" with the Special Olympics.
"Service is in my future. I know it as a fact that service is an essential part of maintaining your sobriety," he said.
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