Editor’s note: The views expressed by guest columnists are not necessarily those of The Costa Rica Star, its advertisers, or its staff.

There’s a shiny new Democrat appearing on the national stage Tuesday night to give the official response to President Donald Trump’s first State-of-the-Union speech before a joint-session of the U.S. Congress.

Rep. Joseph Kennedy III (D-MA) was selected to give the traditional response by House Minority Leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY). Kennedy is a direct descendent of former President John F. Kennedy and former Senators Robert F. Kennedy and Ted Kennedy. This 37-year-old Kennedy is political royalty if there is such a thing in the United States of America.

For Costa Ricans and the rest of the Latino world, Virginia state Rep. Elizabeth Guzman, 44, an immigrant from Peru, will deliver the Spanish-language response to Trump’s speech.

For Kennedy this move must be seen symbolically as passing the torch to a new generation of leadership so sorely needed in the Democratic Party. Pelosi and Schumer are worn out. Both have been in office far too long. Both are out of touch with reality and American voters.

“Congressman Kennedy profoundly understands the challenges facing hard-working men and women across the country,” said Pelosi is a released statement. ”His leadership has been vital in educating a next-generation workforce, in creating good-paying manufacturing jobs and in expanding opportunities for the middle class.”

Not bad for Pelosi. Her statement must have been written by a staffer. This is the same woman who just described the entirety of President Trump’s proposed changes to immigration laws and the border wall with Mexico as “racist” and “Make America White Again” and Trump is trying to “change the character of our country.” She also described $1,000 employee bonuses, given out by businesses nationwide as a result of President Trump’s new tax law, as “crumbs” for the middle-class. What she’s really upset about is those bonuses to employees represent money the Democrats will not get the chance to misspend. Pelosi is off the rails. Her statement also sounds like she is describing all the things President Trump is already doing.

“From healthcare to economic justice to civil rights, the Democratic agenda stands in powerful contrast to President Trump’s broken promises to American families,” said Kennedy in a recent Boston Globe interview. More than likely Kennedy’s Democratic response to President Trump’s Jan 30th address will go much like this statement, only longer winded. If he starts ranting anything ‘racist’ that would put him in bed with all the Democrats and mainstream media but not with American voters who reject blanket ‘racist’ labels.

This red-headed, blue-eyed Kennedy, who kind of looks like ‘Opie from Mayberry,’ has a chance to reach up and grasp the ring of opportunity or he could fall off the Carousel like a drunken sailor. This is a big night for Kennedy — his first national appearance since introducing Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) at the 2016 Democratic National Convention. His appearance on stage that night received much more applause, cheers and whistles than when loud-mouth Warren walked out on the stage with Kennedy at the podium.
Chances are mainstream media will devote more coverage and analysis to Kennedy’s response than Trump’s speech that will get hammered by the media and the Democrats.

There’s no doubt this new Kennedy is a political superstar and he could be a shining light like his ancestors. Anyone alive that went through President Kennedy’s assassination in 1963 and that of his brother Robert in 1968 wonders what today’s America would look like had they survived. That we will never know, but if this new Kennedy can master and recreate that Kennedy magic sure he could make it to the White House on Jan. 20, 2025 or maybe sooner. But if he follows current Democratic thinking like what comes out of Pelosi and Schumer and the rest of them he’s doomed to fail.

According to news reports, Kennedy has already said he is not seeking re-election for a 4th term or the Massachusetts Governor’s Office as many thought he would. He has recently gone on record saying he would not run for “another office.” Denials from politicians about future political ambitions are as common as seeing people wearing their pajamas inside Wal Mart.

Back in 2015 the Republicans did not seek out Donald Trump to run for president like the Democrats are now doing with media-mogul-billionaire Oprah Winfrey hoping she’d run against Trump mainly because they have no one with enough political star power to go up against Trump in 2020.

“I’ve always felt very secure and confident with myself in knowing what I could do and what I could not,” Winfrey said is a Christian Post interview published Sunday. “And so it’s not something that interests me. I don’t have the DNA for it.”

Without Winfrey the Democrats have no talent other than this Kennedy. It would be quite a contrast having a 74-year-old President Trump debating a young energetic 40-year-old Joe Kennedy.

Kennedy could run against Trump in 2020 and lose, but reappear four years later and win. Kennedy might beat Trump in 2020 but don’t bet against the old guy.

About the Author Britt Nelson relocated to Costa Rica in 2011 from Florida, where he served as news editor for the Palatka Daily News, a newspaper owned by the New York Times Regional Newspaper Group (NYT-RNG) for 20 years.

Nelson served the NYT-RNG for 18 years in Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina and Florida as a correspondent, reporter, staff writer, senior staff writer training new reporters, copy editor, page designer, editorial writer, editorial page editor and editorial board member.