BARNSTABLE – U.S. Representative and candidate for U.S. Senate Joseph Kennedy III visited the Cape and Islands yesterday to host two town hall meetings with community members to discuss his policies.
His two planned stops on Cape were the Barnstable High School and Camp Jabberwocky in Vineyard Haven, however the trip to Vineyard Haven was cancelled due to weather and will be rescheduled to a later date.
Some of Kennedy’s topics at the meeting at the high school included obtaining affordable healthcare for all, finding an effective federal response to climate change, and creating better ways to deal with the drug and opioid crisis in Massachusetts.
He also took questions from the audience on some of the goals he would have as senator.
Kennedy said that one of his major focuses as senator would be on aiding marginalized groups.
“I think the basic idea that this country is founded on is that here you get a shot. That with your own talent and hard work, our society and community gives you the chance to succeed. I think for a lot of folks, despite their talent and hard work, they don’t get that shot. It’s up to the government, the government is the system by which we solve problems that affect all of us.”
He also said that he would work towards making healthcare more effective and accessible for Americans.
“You don’t think about [healthcare] until you need it, and when you need it then it’s the only thing you think about. So you really want to make sure it’s there for you,” said Kennedy.
“It’s gotten better for those who can access it, [but] there’s a whole bunch of folks across our system that don’t have access to it.”
Kennedy also said he wanted to assist those with mental illnesses, stating that 90% of the inmates held at a local jail he visited in western Massachusetts were suffering from some form of mental illness and weren’t getting the assistance that they needed.
The congressman said that his senate candidacy comes at a delicate time in American politics.
“At this moment that we’re in, everything is on the line for Commonwealth, our country, for our Democratic Party. And we need to have leaders that are going to match the urgency of the times with the urgency of the moment,” said Kennedy.
“That goes beyond just signing on to the right bill or drafting the right legislation. You need somebody that’s going to be fully engaged on all aspects of the job.”
Kennedy is challenging fellow Democrat Ed Markey and also faces competition from Democrat Shannon Liss-Riordan in the upcoming senate race.
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