In R.I. city, longstanding confidence is shaken

PAWTUCKET, R.I. -- Among the patrons at the News Café, an airy bar downtown, the debate erupted almost as soon as Representative Patrick J. Kennedy finished making his emotional appearance on a television above the liquor bottles and colored lights.

Kennedy, the six-term congressman who represents this old factory city, said he would enter a rehabilitation clinic for his addiction to pain medication, a day after crashing his car into a barrier outside the Capitol in Washington, D.C.

Bobby LaBonte was not impressed.

''He lost my vote, I'll tell you that," said the 58-year-old former Marine, who called himself a longtime Kennedy supporter. ''He's copping out. He's trying to make it look like he's the good guy. He should get arrested like everyone else."

Not so, said Gina Culbertson, 46, the owner of the bar.

''He's human; he made a mistake," she said, taking on another, patron, Ron Hall, who pooh-poohed Kennedy's announcement. ''If you can admit it, that's a good thing. That's the first step to moving on and recovering."

In Pawtucket, a city of 74,000, 43 miles south of Boston, many voters have been fiercely loyal to Democrat Kennedy since his election to Congress in 1994. They remember him greeting them at Stop & Shop, stopping by the senior center, and welcoming them to his district office on Roosevelt Avenue.

But the congressman's car accident early Thursday and his decision to enter rehabilitation yesterday shook some of that confidence.

Some said Kennedy received special treatment after the accident because he is a Kennedy. Others said the crash made him look stupid and reckless. And while some applauded his decision to enter rehabilitation, others said it seemed calculated to win the sympathy of voters. Republican leaders called on Kennedy to resign, and even some supporters fretted about the potential political fallout.

''I'm worried about this story getting blown all out of proportion by the Republicans," said Bill Massey, 30, a teacher who was eating lunch yesterday at the Riverside Diner on Exchange Street.

''He's a good guy," Massey said of his congressman, as he ordered a meatball sub.

''He's very much for the people," he said, ''and when he's here, he's out and about."

Republican leaders in a state that Democrat John Kerry carried in the last presidential election by more than 20 points, sharply disagreed.

Patricia Morgan, chairman of the Rhode Island GOP, called Kennedy unfit for office.

''He's not healthy and clearly his judgment has been impaired," Morgan said in a telephone interview.

''The people of Rhode Island deserve a congressman who is healthy and can make responsible decisions on their behalf. At the very least he needs to take a medical leave of absence. But really, since these problems take a long time to resolve themselves, I think he should resign."

Edmund Leather, a Republican who says he is challenging Kennedy, joined that call, citing Kennedy's past struggles with prescription-drug addiction.

''I feel sorry for anyone who has problems," Leather said. ''But this seems to be a recurring problem. It strikes me as though his problem is either uncontrollable or he doesn't have the will or maturity to control it. In either case, I don't think he should be in Congress. He should resign immediately and say 'I can't handle this because of my medical problems. If and when I resolve these problems, I'll run again.' "

But Kennedy's appeal will be hard to shake, in places like the Leon Mathieu Senior Center, where seniors gathered yesterday for a health class.

''Everybody loves him here," said Dorothy Plante, 82, a retired hairstylist who fondly recalled Kennedy coming to the center to explain changes in Medicaid.

Still, she said Kennedy's accident was an embarrassment.

''He should use his head," she said. ''He shouldn't take medication and drive."

Darrell West, a Brown University political scientist, said Kennedy contained the potential political damage by going public.

''I don't think it endangers his political career," West said. ''He's very popular in Rhode Island and has brought a lot of federal money back to the state. People will be forgiving. I don't think he'll take a hit on popularity because he has admitted he needs help. If he were in distress but denying the problem it would be worse for him."

Kennedy's admission, however, failed to sway Lori Drew, 41, a barber who was resting outside her shop, Jack and Lori's Hair Salon on Broad Street.

Drew wondered how Kennedy managed to crash his car and avoid going to the hospital. Capitol Police drove him home after the incident.

''It has to be a huge coverup," she said.

Just blocks away, at Cute Cuts Hair Salon on Exchange Street, Kennedy's travails struck a chord with Mike Smith, 35, a stylist who was washing a customer's hair. He was not faulting Kennedy.

''As long as he does what he's supposed to do, that doesn't change my opinion of him."