Kennedy sibs stump for Shriver in Santa Monica
MID-CITY — U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy stepped into a restaurant here Thursday morning, shook hands with dozens of community leaders and bolstered his nephew’s bid for a seat in local government.
Bobby Shriver, brother-inlaw of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and son of Eunice Kennedy and Sargent Shriver, has lived in Santa Monica for nearly two decades. He joined the race for four open seats on the City Council after a TED, from page 1 contentious run-in with City Hall over the height of his hedges.
Sen. Kennedy told the invited group of more than 30 people that Shriver was in touch with the most important issues facing Santa Monica, including homelessness, transportation and education. He said Shriver’s energy and eagerness to work with Sacramento and Washington would benefit the community.
“There’ll be nobody who’ll work harder,” Sen. Kennedy said, pointing out the work Shriver has done with U2 singer Bono for AIDS victims in Africa. “He’s a very hard worker.”
Standing on a chair in the middle of the Back on Broadway dining room, Shriver introduced his uncle by retelling a story he said Sen. Kennedy often used to tell. It went like this: Sen. Kennedy had gone to Texas to accept an award from the Bush Library for his work on education. On an elevator there, a man started up a casual conversation with the senator and asked him if he was visiting from out of town.
After a brief pause in their exchange, the man turned to Sen. Kennedy and said, “Do people ever tell you that you look like Ted Kennedy?” Sen. Kennedy replied that yes, he had been told he looked like Ted Kennedy, and the man in the elevator then turned to him and said, “You must hate that.”
Eunice Kennedy Shriver, a campaign volunteer who planned to spend Thursday afternoon canvassing for Shriver, also was on hand for her brother’s visit to Santa Monica. Sen. Kennedy took the chance to compliment his sister before turning his attention to Shriver’s bid for a City Council seat.
“We’re proud of you, Euni,” he said. “She’s been electing Kennedy men for 55 years.” Attending the event were a number of local education leaders, including schools superintendent John Deasy, leaders of the Community for Excellent Public Schools and professors from Santa Monica College. Also at the event were a number of homeless rights activists, local and regional union leaders, firefighters and local priests.
Sen. Kennedy was in the Los Angeles area to campaign for Sens. John Kerry and Barbara Boxer, as well as to do campaign work for the senatorial campaign committee. He also was scheduled to speak at the Armand Hammer Museum of Art in honor of former Sen. John Tunney.
Criticized the night before by President George Bush during a debate with Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry, Sen. Kennedy used his appearance to take a potshot at Bush and urge residents to vote for Kerry on Nov. 2. Progress will be assured, he said, with the combination of Kerry in office at the national level, California’s Democratic senators at the state level and energetic leaders like Shriver at the local level.
“It starts at the top,” Sen. Kennedy added, “with people who care.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 15, 2004. Read the original PDF.