Stealth Candidate

Joe Kennedy looks like a candidate, walks like a candidate, and talks like a candidate. So is he a candidate?

By Seth Gitell

ADD THE TERM "stealth campaign" to the lexicon of American politics. Hillary Rodham Clinton conducted just such a campaign between November 1998 and the following July, when she mulled whether or not to run for the US Senate seat vacated by New York's Daniel Patrick Moynihan. During those months, Clinton began showing up at community events and award ceremonies throughout the Empire State and secretly huddled with Liz Moynihan, the departing senator's wife, to line up support and plan her campaign. Although in many ways Clinton's duties as first lady constrained her from announcing early, she made sure to take full advantage of the opportunities that the role provided her -- most memorably, all those free trips to New York. We're seeing something similar in former US congressman Joe Kennedy's waffling over whether to run for governor.

The Clintons -- despite Bill's efforts -- aren't quite the Kennedys, but the clans have something in common: the ability to draw a crowd. That means if Kennedy were to run for governor of Massachusetts, it would set off a media feeding frenzy -- something he'd probably like to avoid. Thus, a stealth candidacy makes sense. And that's just what Kennedy seems to be launching.

In fact, Kennedy looks, acts, and sounds like a candidate for the 2002 governor's race --even though he's repeatedly made it clear that he is not running. Last Wednesday, he wrote an op-ed piece for the Globe about Haiti. And, thanks to the crisis in home-heating oil, his Citizens Energy 1-877-JOE-4-OIL advertisements are almost as ubiquitous on local television as those featuring the mug of Secretary of State William Galvin. Kennedy's clearly working to raise his visibility.

His performances in public are really heating speculation. Take, for instance, the last time he shared a public platform with soon-to-be-acting-governor Jane M. Swift. Kennedy sharply criticized his potential Republican opponent over the Cellucci administration's commitment to anti-poverty programs. Both had agreed to appear at a press conference for Project Bread, which provides free breakfasts to children. When his turn at the mike came, Kennedy tore into the administration with a vengeance. "You can't just go around saying, `We cut these programs' ... and then come back and say, `Listen, that's fine, we'll sign up for the initiative,'" Kennedy said, according to the Boston Globe. Swift fired back, asking him whether the criticism was politically motivated. "Is that you beginning your campaign?" she queried. Kennedy denied that it was.

Of course, some of the signals aren't broadcast on the nightly news. Democratic sources say that shortly after Christmas, Kennedy reportedly sought advice from none other than Robert Shrum, Democratic political consultant to former vice-president Al Gore and Senator Ted Kennedy, to discuss the possibility of running for governor in Massachusetts. Shrum, so

the story goes, advised Kennedy to wait as long as possible before announcing, so as to put off the press. Shrum did not return phone calls or an e- mail inquiry for this article. When asked by the Phoenix whether he'd consulted with Shrum, Kennedy denied it. Though he later stated, perhaps jokingly, that he had asked his uncle Ted for advice on whether to run.

Then there was his attendance on February 2 at his sister Kerry Kennedy Cuomo's book signing for Speak Truth to Power at the Boston Public Library. The book includes interviews with human-rights activists from around the world, such as Elie Wiesel, and photographs from it decorated the foyer of the library. At the event, Kennedy and his brother Max sure looked as though they were rallying the troops -- shaking hands and greeting the faithful. Kennedyphiles interested in helping the family politically had an added interest in attending: the author is married to Andrew Cuomo, who just announced his plans to run for governor of New York. According to those familiar with the event, Max urged long-standing supporters to stay local, hinting broadly that someone in the family would be running a race in Massachusetts. His message to the Kennedy faithful was clear: keep your dance cards open.

Meanwhile, during his appearance this past Sunday at the annual meeting of the local branch of the American Jewish Committee at the Newton Marriott, Kennedy played the role of stealth candidate to a tee. There to accept the Norman S. Rabb Human Relations Award from the nonprofit, nonpartisan group (which in the past has honored US Representative Barney Frank, former Boston mayor Ray Flynn, Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr., and former Boston Celtic M.L. Carr), Kennedy mingled with attendees as aides ushered him from table to table. To be sure, AJC breakfast co-chair Jim Segel noted to the Phoenix that the AJC had invited Kennedy in September, before speculation about his running for governor was as acute as it is now. Though he added that whether Kennedy would be a candidate for governor has "been a question since he left Congress."

Of course, now that President George W. Bush has nominated Governor Paul Cellucci to be ambassador to the Great White North, speculation about Kennedy will only increase -- and a stealth campaign will be that much harder to run. Lou DiNatale, director of the Center for State and Local Policy at UMass Boston's McCormack Institute, says Democrats have to get their house in order: "Now it looks like any number of Democrats could be competitive, if not win. Pressure is on contributors and operatives to make decisions sooner rather than later. It says, `Come on, Joe. Make the decision.'"

THAT'S JUST what Kennedy learned when he showed up at the Newton Marriott Sunday morning. Before he arrived, attendees coolly hung up their coats and greeted one another. The atmosphere had a serene, pre-caffeine morning air. Then Kennedy walked in. Television reporters from WFXT (Channel 25) and WHDH (Channel 7), with cameras and techies in tow, immediately accosted him. Was he running? When was he going to make a decision? Kennedy put them off with glib generalities, saying he hadn't made any decisions yet and would "in time." Of course, if the TV cameras had stuck around for more than a sound bite, they would have recorded somebody who looked very much like a candidate.

For instance, just as Kennedy tried to elude the cameras, an AJC member came up to him, a small child by her side. Kennedy delved back into a family treasure -- the John F. "Honey Fitz" Fitzgerald campaign handbook -- to handle the pair. "I've got a fan for you," she said, motioning to the child. Kennedy turned on his high-beam smile. "How are you today? Nice to see ya," he said. The woman mentioned something about her grandchildren. "You've got 11 grandchildren -- a prett' girl like you? You must be fibbin' about your age, kid."

When Kennedy finally made it inside the Marriott function room -- beyond the glare of the televisions cameras -- his campaigning turned up a notch. He made his way from table to table shaking hands with AJC members, hugging elderly women, and introducing himself to children. He schmoozed for several minutes with the influential -- but officially apolitical -- head of Boston's Combined Jewish Philanthropies, Barry Shrage.

When it was time to present Kennedy with the award, Jim Segel gave him a florid introduction, lauding Kennedy's work at Citizens Energy, as well as his contributions to international and local human rights. Taking the podium, Kennedy couldn't resist a jab at the media. "After listening to Jim's introduction, I was just wondering if we could invite all those TV cameras in and play it again," he quipped. He then pointed out the politicians present, including Newton mayor David Cohen and Worcester senator Harriette Chandler. During his speech, he made sure to mention those issues sure to elicit warm feelings from the audience -- from praising its commitment to "dialogue" to offering up a statement of his steadfast support for Israel, "a very good country in a very tough neighborhood."

After Kennedy's speech, there was time for one question; it came from Mimi Wishner Segel, Jim's wife and the co-chair of the group. She asked whether he would run for governor. Again Kennedy answered properly, putting off the meddling press and invoking his beloved father. Kennedy said that he and his wife, Beth, had been talking before the event about how soon candidates are expected to make a decision these days. (Obviously, they'd been strategizing about how to handle the press crush when they arrived.) "When my dad announced for president of the United States, if you take the same election cycle, he did it 13 months from now," Kennedy said. "The notion that we have allowed this process to get so far out of control hurts the governing process. I think we should just take a chill pill here."

What a great idea -- at least for Kennedy. As long as he remains uncommitted, the press has no reason to ask nosy questions -- either personal or professional. No probing, for instance, into just what it is that Kennedy's Citizens Energy Corporation does. Everyone -- or almost everyone with a television -- knows that Citizens Energy is a nonprofit company most famous for providing low-cost home-heating oil to the poor and the elderly. But what about the for-profit activities -- such as electricity trading -- that fund its charitable activities?

There's none of that in a stealth campaign, where you can make the rounds, build good relationships with local officials from far-flung but important locales such as Worcester, and backslap potential donors. If nothing else, Kennedy's AJC award gave him face time with would-be campaign donors. It might not seem so at first, but raising money for this race won't be very easy. Even though he is a Kennedy, Joe will face some challenges if he runs. The money he raised for years as a congressman from the Eighth District is federal money -- no good to him in a state race. If he runs for governor, a primary battle is likely to include Massachusetts Senate president Tom Birmingham, who has raised a whopping $2.2 million, and Steve Grossman, one of whose major skills is fundraising -- much of it from philanthropically inclined Jews like those who attended the AJC event.

In the meantime, two other high-profile Kennedy races are in the works. Not only has Joe's brother-in-law Andrew Cuomo announced that he will seek the governor's office in New York, but the popular Kathleen Kennedy Townsend is preparing to run for governor in Maryland. Both races will tie up resources that might have gone to Joe. Kennedy could get around these problems if he opts to be a Clean Elections candidate, as suggested by Boston Globe columnist David Nyhan in January. But of course, that all hinges on whether the Clean Elections Law is fully implemented in time for the 2002 race.

Until he gives a definite answer -- remember, he has not said for sure that he won't be a candidate -- Kennedy will be under the spotlight. But the heat he feels now will be nothing compared to what it will be like if he does run -- hence the "stealth" campaign. Most observers from Democratic circles believe Kennedy will make an announcement once Cellucci is confirmed as ambassador, in a couple of months. But judging by Kennedy's performance Sunday, we'll be hearing more from the eldest son of RFK -- probably sooner rather than later.

Seth Gitell can be reached at sgitell[a]phx.com.