Beatty fires away at Kerry, Kerry camp parries

BROCKTON - Republican U.S. Senate candidate Jeff Beatty fired three salvos at John Kerry Sunday, saying the Massachusetts senator has high disapproval ratings, a poor record on constituent services and is more focused on campaigning on behalf of Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama than he is focused on serving Massachusetts citizens. Charges that Kerry's team immediately dismissed.

Jeff Beatty (R-Harwich)Beatty answered questions at a candidate forum Sunday at Temple Beth Emunah in Brockton that was sponsored by the Plymouth County Democratic League, Plymouth County Republican Club and inBrockton.com. Neither Kerry, nor a representative for his campaign, appeared at the event.

Beatty was first asked how he plans to defeat Kerry given the Boston Democrat's name recognition having served four terms in the Senate.

"While a lot of people know Mr. Kerry," Beatty, of Harwich, responded, "that doesn't necessarily work in his favor. He is very high disapproval ratings, and we find is that as people get to know me, my biography, my work experience, we actually pick up the majority of those people that are able to inform themselves."

Brigid O'Rourke, a spokeswoman for Kerry, fired back Monday by pointing to Beatty's failed 2006 challenge of Congressman Bill Delahunt (D-Quincy) in Massachusetts' 10th District.

"I can understand why Jeff Beatty wants to talk about disapproval ratings," O'Rourke told PolitickerMA.com. "When he ran for Congress two years ago he didn't win one single community ion the 10th Congressional District. He's what you'd call an expert on disapproval ratings."

Trailing significantly in recent polls, Beatty, who has always been very critical of Kerry's tenure in the Senate, has stepped up his attacks in the final stretch to Election Day. Beatty also jibed Kerry for not appearing at the forum and said he is more concerned with his Obama surrogate work than he is with the concerns of his constituents.

"Where is our current senator today?" Beatty asked. "Our current senator today is in Wisconsin, politicking with Barack Obama to get his next job, not do the job we hired him to do here."

O'Rourke had a direct response to that attack.

"As seems to be the norm, Mr. Beatty has his facts wrong," she said. "John Kerry was not in Wisconsin on Sunday. He was home, right here in Massachusetts."

Beatty was also asked how he would work with Massachusetts' senior senator, Edward Kennedy, who is considered to be one of the more liberal members of the chamber.

"I am looking forward to the opportunity to work with Ted Kennedy, to work for Ted Kennedy even though he is on the other side of the aisle," Beatty said. "Ted Kennedy will be the senior senator; I will be the junior senator. I respect that. I respect Ted Kennedy's work ethic; I respect Ted Kennedy's tremendous constituent services. I hear about in the past year and a half as we have gone all over the commonwealth."

Sen. John Kerry (D-Boston)O'Rourke said Kennedy's service was one thing on which Kerry and Beatty see eye-to-eye.

"Finally, something to agree on!" she said. "As Senator Kennedy's colleague for the past two decades, Sen. Kerry has witnessed firsthand the brilliance of both the senior senator and his staff, and has learned from their extraordinary example. But don't be fooled by Jeff Beatty's phony act of admiration for Ted Kennedy -- just two years ago, he talked about running against him, and Jeff's Republican cronies in the Senate don't want Ted Kennedy to be a committee chairman, and neither does Jeff!"

Beatty also charged that Kerry does not have the same exception record of constituent services the Kennedy has.

"I haven't heard one person tell me one good thing about John Kerry's constituent services," Beatty said. "I am going to have my staff model itself after the constituent services that Ted Kennedy provides. I disagree with him on issues, but I sure don't disagree with him on work ethic. And I think in this particular race, I'm the candidate with the Ted Kennedy work ethic, not John Kerry."