The Kennedy Chronicles

This week Bill Kennedy is in the spotlight again – this time it’s for his dismal campaign finance report.  In his October Quarterly report, Kennedy reported raising a paltry $63,742.  The total reflects a significant drop from his first quarter of reporting back in July,and even falls short of the mark set by Monica Lindeen in her unsuccessful bid to unseat Congressmen Denny Rehberg two years ago.  You may recall that Lindeen was soundly defeated by Rehberg by nearly 20 points – just over 80,000 votes – in the last election.

Falling short of that standard has to be a let down for the perennial candidate that should know the look and feel of a losing campaign when he sees one.  In a quarter where Baucus and Rehberg were raising funds at a record-setting pace, Kennedy’s steep drop spells trouble for the fledgling candidate, and shows that Montanans have grown tired of his endless personal quest for higher office, especially when he’s shown such quests come at the expense of his job as County Commissioner.  His perennial candidacy has become the stuff of urban legend in the Billings community, as he has now run for a different political office in each of the last four elections. In2002 it was a Yellowstone County Commission race, but then apparently holding a County-wide office wasn’t enough so in 2004 he ran for Secretary of State. After losing that race it was back to running again for Yellowstone County Commission in 2006 and now for the 2008 Election cycle he is running for the United State House of Representatives.

By now, Kennedy should know his candidacy is already in real trouble – not in trouble of falling short, but in trouble of never getting off the ground.  Unfortunately for Kennedy, Montanans aren’t interested in shameless self-promotion and political ambition, their interested in leaders who work on behalf of those who elect them.  Bill Kennedy continues to show that he’s only interested in working for his next big opportunity.