Patrick Kennedy bows out

U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy’s decision not to run for re-election this fall means Congress probably will be without a Kennedy for the first time in nearly five decades.  The 42-year-old Rhode Island Democrat is the son of the late Sen. Edward Kennedy and is in his eighth term in the House. A friend told the Boston Globe Kennedy has been thinking about quitting for months, and his father’s death last August factored into the decision. No doubt, politics has as well. The national climate for Democrats is generally chilly, and Republican Scott Brown’s upset win last month in neighboring Massachusetts, claiming Ted Kennedy’s Senate seat, had to be personally stunning for the son. A poll released last week in Rhode Island showed him with a 62 percent unfavorable rating statewide, with just 35 percent of respondents in his district saying they would vote to re-elect. Reason enough for Patrick Kennedy to begin a new chapter in his life.