Patrick Kennedy's outburst seems less reflection of Brown's candidacy than projection of the eight-term congressman's own woes. In May of 2006, Kennedy infamously crashed his headlights-off Mustang into a Capitol Police barrier. Appearing drunk to some officers at the scene, the congressman claimed he was "late for a vote" -- at 2:45 a.m. Kennedy nevertheless avoided a field sobriety test and received a ride home. The obligatory rehab stint followed, which was followed by yet another one last June. Atop bouts with cocaine, alcohol, and OxyContin, Kennedy has battled bipolar disorder.

Kennedy's bizarre behavior may have finally overshadowed his name and fortune. A poll released last week by Providence's WPRI-TV reported Patrick Kennedy's disapproval ratings at 62 percent throughout Rhode Island and 56 percent within his district. Rhode Island state representative John J. Loughlin II, a well-funded Scott Brown-clone who has hired several of the key operatives behind the Massachusetts Miracle, announced his candidacy against Kennedy on Thursday. Should the National Guard veteran win, it would mark the first Congress without a Kennedy in almost a half-century.

Even the colorful Buddy Cianci, the ex-con "Prince of Providence," mulls a run for Kennedy's seat. "Patrick is definitely, in my opinion, beatable. He's not as strong as he used to be," the former mayor of Providence told the Boston Herald last month. "He's had a number of problems that have distracted him from the business of governing and legislating."

That's a nuanced way of saying that Patrick Kennedy is a joke. And in the midst of a 13 percent statewide unemployment rate, few Rhode Islanders find it funny anymore to send a mentally-ill recovering drug addict to the House of Representatives for another term.