Why hasn’t the name Joseph P. Kennedy II come up in discussions of the Bay State’s open U.S. Senate seat or soon-to-be-open governorship?

His nonprofit Citizens Energy Corp. and its call Joe-4-Oil campaign is all about compassion for people who need basic help. His willingness to evoke the name of Hugo Chavez in his innovative oil-buying scheme shows courage where most U.S. politicians would rather cower in the face of the late Cold War.

Of course, he may have no interest anymore in government now that he’s found a gig that truly helps people.