Joe Kennedy Has to Retool His Message or Be Defeated [OPINION]

Congressman Joe Kennedy III is in the political fight of his life and the life of his family. If he loses, the history books on the Kennedy family will be closed.

Kennedy is trying to unseat incumbent Senator Edward Markey in the Massachusetts Democratic primary. This election will be the first time a member of the Kennedy family has run statewide since the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy's last election.

I have had numerous conversations with Congressman Kennedy. He has a great story to tell, but it hasn't been told by his campaign. He is a Kennedy but he is also a man with his own experiences and accomplishments. He is also more than the current fashion of the day within the liberal political conversation.

Kennedy needs to talk more about his experience in the Peace Corps. The Peace Corps was created by President John F. Kennedy to help export American democracy and human rights. Congressman Kennedy served in the field as a Peace Corps volunteer. He answered the call of his uncle and our president when he entered the Peace Corps. The Kennedy campaign has neglected to tell this life-shaping experience.

During a radio conversation with Joe, I asked him about the opioid crisis. I asked him about the recent overdose death of a family member. Kennedy talked about his experience as a prosecutor on Cape Cod and his attempts to help a military veteran who was caught up in addiction. The story was powerful and it was honest. I haven't seen anything about the work Joe did as a prosecutor battling opioids in any of his commercials. There are lots of families in New Bedford, Fairhaven, Dartmouth, Fall River, and on Cape Cod who have lost a family member to opioids just like the Kennedys.

The people of Massachusetts have repeatedly placed their trust in the Kennedy family. I have seen more quotes from Howard Zinn than John, Robert, or Ted Kennedy in any television ad paid for by the Kennedy campaign this cycle. Who is writing this stuff? Zinn was a communist who hated John and Bobby Kennedy and he was confident enough in his hatred to write it down between his other writing celebrating Castro and Ho Chi Minh.

Joe Kennedy has a powerful story to tell but his campaign isn't telling it.

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.