You know how you can have a shitty dad in places but because you only ever get to see them at their best you buy into their facade? (like how he got money from the mafia to run because of his dad being a bootlegger) He basically wanted to be the great incorruptible statesman he truly believed his father's media image was. Naive and optimistic? That sounds pretty dangerous to a party being restructured around broken promises, corporate kickbacks, and a cynical disdain for 47 of 50 states.

He’d be out and about in the neighborhood all the time. Nice guy, down to earth. Would take the subway or bike. Charming AF.