Congressman Joe Kennedy III took the gloves off when he spoke Monday about the attacks Sen. Ed Markey has been making against his family. His grandfather must be proud.

Rep. Kennedy is a nice guy. He certainly understands he was born into a life that most people only read about in history books. There are fools who confuse being nice with being weak. Sometimes fools push the nice guy too far. I spoke with Kennedy today at an event in New Bedford about his speech. He was nice and he was fired up about the hope of America.

The original gang of fools came to the fight on social media. Supporters of Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey started asking if Sirhan Sirhan or Lee Harvey Oswald had a grandchild who could kill Congressman Kennedy. Sirhan Sirhan murdered Kennedy's grandfather, New York Senator and former Attorney General of the United States Robert F. Kennedy. Lee Harvey Oswald assassinated President John F. Kennedy, the great uncle of Markey's opponent.

Fools joke about murder. Fools make light of the assassinations of their own presidents and senators. Fools taunt the family of murder victims. Fools find their own kind. Fools hope to be court jesters to equally silly kings.

Sen. Markey has decided that he must attack the legacy of the Kennedy family if is going to win the Democratic Party primary on September 1. Until he was called out in the last debate by Kennedy, he had said nothing about the fools calling for his opponent to be assassinated. Radicals have killed two Kennedys already. Silence is violence and Sen. Markey should have cast out those of his supporters who advocated murder as a means to a political goal.

Rep. Kennedy gave a speech on Monday rebuking Markey and the dangerous fools who have gravitated to him. He stripped the bark off of his opponent. He laid out the reasons his family has been elected to office by generations of Americans.

In rebuking Markey and the fools, Kennedy did something else: he made the case for his candidacy. Kennedy's speech was a promise to live up the legacy of those who have come before him and who Massachusetts folks trusted with their votes for generations.

The choice is easy.

Chris McCarthy is the host of The Chris McCarthy Show on 1420 WBSM New Bedford. He can be heard weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon. Contact him at chris.mccarthy@townsquaremedia.com and follow him on Twitter @Chris_topher_Mc. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.

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