There’s something exciting about meeting a celebrity. Maybe it’s just the fact that we see them on television and jealously admire them. Maybe it’s because we know that we now have some bragging rights that will bring us some attention – “hey, guess who I met last week?” “Really?” That’s probably good for about two dozen tellings immediately, and then off and on over the years.
With politicians it can be the same way. At a pre-election gathering it’s not unusual to hear a follower let out a scream of delight; one would think it was a rock star coming on stage rather than a would-be Congressman or President.
It might seem like it would be wonderful to be recognized, and certainly to have the money that it seems that even the politicians have. But it’s difficult knowing that every little thing that you say or do might end up on the front page of a tabloid if not a real newspaper or Time magazine. There is a lot of pressure, and as with many other people, politicians have been known to turn to alcohol or drugs to ease their way through the pressure.
On May 9, 2011, a CNN interview revealed that Congressman Patrick Kennedy of Rhode Island found it impossible to recuperate from his addictions to alcohol and drugs while in the public eye. The son of Senator Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts, and a state representative at the age of 21 – he’s always been there. Even before 21 he had trouble with cocaine. Over the years he was admitted into therapy several times. Now he met and fell in love and married a younger woman with a three year old daughter, and he saw that he would not be able to concentrate on getting well while still being in the U.S. Congress which he served from 1995 until the beginning of 2011.
Getting past one’s addictions is possible, but it does take commitment and support. Congratulations to Patrick Kennedy for putting all of his effort into what may be the most important race of his life.
