Kennedy compound may be used as a 'Camp David' for Congress

The polarization of American political discourse has gotten to the point where Americans can barely agree on what they're fighting over. Whether it's abortion, guns, or even the legitimacy of a presidential election, Americans are at odds with each other, a divide so stark that a bridge between the two sides seems imaginary at best.

Adam Hinds, CEO of the Edward M. Kennedy Institute, is aware of that rancor and wants to use the Kennedy compound in Hyannisport as a sanctuary where members of Congress can discuss issues with opposing party members, away from the noise and pressures of the Capitol.

“This is a critical moment in our democracy, and efforts to bridge divides are needed more than ever,” said Hinds.

“We have this tremendous asset and bold vision for how we can play a role in national dialogue,” said Hinds.

The institute’s board, which features several former U.S. senators, began thinking about ways to play a role in national dialogue after the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection, when an armed mob attacked the Capitol seeking to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.

Members also described an increased polarization and unrecognizable relationships between members of different political parties in the Senate.

“That’s the backdrop to this sense that we have real challenges in our democracy in this moment,” said Hinds.

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The board is still working through logistics of the plan, but ideally small groups of Congress members from opposing parties would meet at the compound to have informal and quiet conversations, said Hinds, the goal being to build relationships and pursue problem solving.

The idea is a sort of marriage between Hinds’ previous work in the Middle East, where he worked in conflict negotiations, and his work in domestic politics here in the U.S. In places like Syria, Israel, and Iraq, part of Hinds’ work involved convening parties at locations away from the pressures of national capitals to engage in quiet conversation.

Hinds is a former state senator and spent 10 years in the Middle East with the United Nations.

He pitched the idea to the board and said he has so far received tremendous support. Through the fall, the board will work on the design of those potential meetups.

He calls the idea of a "Camp David for Congress," a reference to the presidential retreat.

History of the Kennedy Compound

At 50 Marchant Ave., the Kennedy compound features a 9,000-square-foot home on two acres overlooking Nantucket Sound, purchased by family patriarch Joseph P. Kennedy in 1928.

From the archives: Hyannisport compound was a haven for Kennedy family

It was used as a campaign base and a summer White House by former President John Fitzgerald Kennedy in the early 1960s, later becoming a residence for Sen. Edward Kennedy. After Sen. Edward Kennedy died there, his widow, Victoria Reggie Kennedy, donated the compound to the Edward Kennedy Institute in 2008.

The Hyannisport compound can be seen in photos and videos documenting the Kennedy family’s daily life and is an iconic image of the family’s time on Cape Cod.

Currently, it is being rented out for occasional functions and is under historic preservation, Hinds said..

According to a 2012 statement from the institute, Sen. Edward Kennedy promised his mother, Rose, that the compound would be used for charitable purposes.

Lack of public access to the compound inspired the creation of the JFK Hyannis Museum on Main Street by the Hyannis Chamber of Commerce, according to jfkhyannismuseum.org.

Email Asad Jung at ajung@capecodonline.com. Find him of Twitter: asadjungCCT

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Directors discussing former Kennedy home for bipartisan diplomacy