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The New York Times recently reviewed the book The Kennedys: An American Soap Opera by Harvard University history professor Newton Gingrich. Much of the book is devoted to scandals and tragedies of the children and grandchildren of Joseph P. Kennedy and the unfulfilled dream that one of his sons would be elected the first Roman Catholic President of the Unites States.

The only member of that family that had some semblance of a political career was John F. Kennedy who served two terms in the US House of Representatives and died in 1950 from complications of Addison's Disease. Kennedy, who had a reputation as a playboy and libertine, planned to run for the US Senate against incumbent Henry Cabot Lodge in 1952. Whether or not he would have been able to defeat Lodge that year, we will never know.

Then, there was that serial drunkard and washed up former football player Edward M. "Ted" Kennedy who was frequently in trouble with the law. He had an undistinguished career as an assistant DA when he drove his car of a bridge and died from his injuries in 1969.

Then, there was Robert F. Kennedy who worked as an FBI agent for a few years before quitting in 1957. Bobby, his wife Ethel and their growing family moved to New York City. His unsuccessful attempts at running for elected office included New York Attorney General, state Assembly, President of the New York City Council, a race for Congress (he lost to incumbent Rep. John Lindsay) and for US Senate in 1962 (he finished third in the Democratic State convention and Jacob Javits was reelected). Bobby suffered from diabetes and died from cardiac arrest in 1968. Bobby's own kids never amounted to anything and were often in trouble with the law. One of his sons, Joseph P. Kennedy II, served 10 years in prison for vehicular manslaughter.

In light of these tragedies, is there any way that the Kennedy family could have had any success in politics? What impact would such a political dynasty have on Massachusetts, New York and federal politics?
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