Reply #7: Seems that Frank will have the same fate as Kennedy. The world cannot exist with him.

[Mass]

We're all doomed (In MA). Said with all due respect for these extraordinary people.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-501704_162-57333255/with-frank-leaving-mass-dems-ponder-bleak-future/

With Frank leaving, Mass. Dems ponder bleak future
...

Rep. Barney Frank's decision to step down at the end of his term is the latest jolt to the bruised ego of the Massachusetts Democratic Party, which once counted Kennedys, House speakers and a president among its ranks.

Instead, some of the state's best-known political figures are now Republicans, among them Sen. Scott Brown and presidential candidate Mitt Romney. Really? Renenber Devak Patrick, John Kerry. Ed markey, Capuano, ....)


"For a long time, Massachusetts Democrats have felt they played a special role in the national Democratic Party," said Tufts University political science professor Jeffrey Berry. "I think that has gone at this point. There is no one in Congress from Massachusetts who has that stature now."
I suspect this guy is a Republican

While the state's senior senator, John Kerry, has a powerful perch as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and often serves as a troubleshooter across the globe for the Obama administration, there's been plenty of speculation that if Obama wins re-election, Kerry could be tapped to succeed Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.
...
Despite Frank's departure, the state still boasts some powerful Democrats with seniority and political muscle.

The dean of the delegation, Rep. Edward Markey of Malden, who was elected in 1976, heads the Natural Resources Committee and has been a leading party voice on climate change, nuclear safety, consumer issues and environmental matters.

Rep. Michael Capuano is a close ally of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Capuano, a close ally of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, has emerged as a strong inside player on Capitol Hill.

Rep. Richard Neal of Springfield, a senior Democrat on the House Ways and Means Committee, is seen as a potential chairman of that powerful tax-writing panel. Rep. Jim McGovern of Worcester, meanwhile, is seen as a possible chairman of the House Rules Committee down the road.

At least, we make progress if they cannot deny Kerry is important, but they also have to acknowledge that the MA delegation is fairly powerful, which makes this article fairly pointless. I love this article. So, the POV of a GOP leaning Tuft professor is truth, now.

This said, there is no question we need new blood.