As Beto O’Rourke fades from the picture, under the perilous weight of his native inconsequence, it may be time to examine the unhappy fates and perilous fortunes of those labeled “Kennedyesque.”

There are only three Kennedys who make this a compliment. The first is Joe Jr., son No. 1, who died at 29 in 1944 in a suicide mission. John, of course, was shot to death in 1963 during his third year as president. Bobby was shot while trying to take back the White House, six years or so after that.