The Edward Kennedy Institute has just released a batch of oral history interviews about Senator Kennedy. I'm working my way through them slowly, but one that caught my eye was with Stephen Breyer, who was later nominated to the Supreme Court (where he still sits) by President Clinton. Justice Breyer tells about a dinner that he had with Kennedy in 1975 where the two discussed airline deregulation:
why did he go into it? You'd have to ask him. You're getting an impression from me. He said one thing once that was very interesting to me. He said,
Well, you know, this Governor [Jimmy] Carter is going around talking about too much government, and he's getting a very good response.I remember thinking, This is a very good thing because it's both less government and consumer benefit, and it can be done. It's less government, consumer benefit, and people are interested in airlines so maybe there will be a little publicity. You can make a name for the subcommittee. The subcommittee will mean something because it will have accomplished something significant....Number one, isn't it interesting that all the groups you'd think regulation was good for, and would want it—the consumers, the unions, even Ralph Nader—the economists, different people—they all say it's bad. Who are the only people who like it? The airlines! They love it! So, that's a story.
