Hey, there! Log in / Register
A question for John Kerry
By adamg on Fri, 09/25/2009 - 8:23am
Our Temporary Senator said yesterday his naming means he can now work on 800 outstanding requests from Massachusetts residents. Jay Fitzgerald wonders:
Do you think John Kerry could help out responding to those 800 constituent inquiries? Never mind.
He posts some other questions about the Kirk naming.
Free tagging:
Ad:
Support Universal Hub
Help keep Universal Hub going. If you like what we're up to and want to help out, please consider a (completely non-deductible) contribution.
Comments
Oh that is hilarious, John
Oh that is hilarious, John Kerry actually working on constituent issues.
Kerry better hope that Coakley loses in her bid for Senate. I have a feeling she will want to focus on big picture items as well and not constituent work either.
A question of access
To be honest, I have always found Kerry's office to be far more responsive to letters and e-mail than Kennedy's.
It might simply be that Kirk has access to constituent communications with Kennedy, but that Kennedy's office failed to share them with Kerry in the interim.
Then again, I can't see why anyone would write one senator but not the other in the first place ...
At the statehouse hearing on
At the statehouse hearing on the appointment bill a couple weeks ago, Kerry discussed this in some detail, actually. Apparently the process of transferring a case from Kennedy's office to Kerry's office is fairly complex, due to confidentiality issues. Kerry's office was in process of transferring those cases over at the time, but it's slow and messy work, which was part of the justification for the bill in the first place. In any case I'm actually reasonably pleased with Kirk - he's not a star, he's a caretaker, but that's exactly what we need until between now and the election.
Kerry's office is useless, Kennedy's was great
Kennedy's office was so much better than Kerry's on any issue - veterans - immigration - social security - military.
Kerry's staffers are arrogant and lazy - not a good combination.
I had the reverse experience
I would very quickly hear back from Kerry's office, while it would take a month or two to get a semi-relevant form letter out of Kennedy's office. Perhaps it has to do with whatever issue you are corresponding on.
Difference between responding on issues vs. constituent service
Ya, I suppose it's the difference between having the office give an on-point reponse to an opinion on an issue, and having the office intervene and get something done for a constituent with a federal agency.
Kerry's staffers won't put themselves out to actually work a case for constituents, which is different from reponding to constitutent opinion with an accurate letter.
In other words, Kerry's office strokes the opinion-making class, Kennedy's office actually helped out people in need.
I guess a question can be
I guess a question can be asked, what is the job of a Senator? I always thought that congressman at the House level were responsible for dealing with that stuff and Senators did the cerebral stuff?