Kennedy Debate With Romney Turns Heated
BOSTON — Sen. Edward M. Kennedy offered a spirited defense of liberalism and his 32-year Senate record in a debate Tuesday with GOP challenger Mitt Romney that erupted into a shouting match within minutes.
In the toughest race of his career, Kennedy found himself under attack as an advocate of an outdated liberal philosophy Romney said had failed to answer an explosion in out-of-wedlock births, illegal immigration and violent crime.
Time and again, Kennedy tried to turn the tables by saying those problems had worsened under 12 years of Republican presidents and had begun to improve thanks to his Senate leadership alongside President Clinton.
And Kennedy got indignant when Romney suggested he had gotten a sweetheart deal in a Washington real estate investment, turning to his challenger and declaring: “Mr. Romney, the Kennedys are not in public service to make money. We have paid too high a price.”
The two candidates debate again Thursday in Holyoke.
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