Me, Too! I Want To Be A Senator From New York

Who doesn't want to be a Senator? What a great job -- as long as you don't have to campaign for it.

Having to campaign for the gig is a deal breaker, right? Embarrassing financial disclosures. Crazy ex-lovers coming out of the woodwork. The blogosphere lined up in full "gotcha" mode.

Nope, Caroline Kennedy has a clue. This is how you do it -- just ask for the empty seat, whether you're qualified or not.

Lots of New Yorkers are throwing their hats into the ring, but everyone's talking about Kennedy. Did you read her interview in the New York Times on Sunday? Here's what she said about the U.S. economic crisis:

"This is not about the past, this is really about the future and the moment that we're in, and I think that everybody right now has an obligation to think about what they can do to help. This is, you know -- nobody can sit out this one anymore."

Yikes, she's certainly no Daniel Patrick Moynihan. But then, who is? Besides, the real reason her interview is riddled with "you knows" is because she mocked the two Times reporters halfway through the interview:

"Have you guys ever thought about writing for, like, a woman's magazine or something?" asked Kennedy. "I thought you were the crack political team here."

Rookie mistake, Caroline! You gotta play nice in the media sandbox. Good manners are important. Note that no one ever says "you know" in Deborah Solomon's weekly interviews in the Times Sunday Magazine. No one ever says "you know" in my interviews for HuffPost. We edit that garbage out. I'm sure Kennedy won't make that mistake twice. After all, she went to Harvard.

Curiously, Kennedy's Ivy League education has little to do with why she may nab a Senate seat. Consider this reader exchange on Huffington Post:

YellaDog2: She has led a sheltered life. She needs to understand BEFORE she is gifted a Senate seat that politics is a tough business. Obama made it look easy. That may have given her the false impression that it IS easy. At the moment, she does not appear to be equal to the task.

Kevingiampa: Caroline Kennedy doesn't need to be given any further lessons about how tough a business politics can be. You're embarrassing yourself.

There it is, folks, the elephant in the room. We Americans are a kind-hearted people, and we have always felt deeply sorry for her loss. Couldn't we make it up to Kennedy by gifting her a Senate seat? Wouldn't that be nice?

Never mind that she's made it perfectly clear over the years that she really isn't into politics. Never mind that there are hundreds of New Yorkers with more experience. If Prince Charles is entitled to be King, then by golly Caroline Kennedy is entitled to be Senator.

Or is she?

Comments

[standard]

I know you're not alone in your view--and it's a well-constructed post--but:

"What a great job -- as long as you don't have to campaign for it. . . . just ask for the empty seat, whether you're qualified or not."

This process is how vacant Senate seats are filled and whoever is named to that seat, temporarily, will face as many as FOUR elections--if there are primaries and general elections in 2010 and 2012. That will require a great deal of campaigning. Let's keep the facts, however annoying, straight.

Who says a Harvard and Columbia Law grad who's written well-received books on our Constitutional rights and has a long record of civic activity is unqualified? Teddy Roosevelt and FDR were also products of Harvard and Columbia Law , from New York, rich, and from a political family. Were they unqualified?

"[S]he's made it perfectly clear over the years that she really isn't into politics."

Really? In the numerous conversations you've had with her on this subject--or is this just true of everyone who hasn't yet run for office?

If you don't want CKS to be a Senator, that's all well and valid, but let's leave bending facts to the Neo-Cons: they do it so well and it's really their only marketable skill. And why not give a smart Democrat with an unusual background a chance? (That's how we got Barack into the White House--as well as FDR!)

[meko]

George W. Bush went to Yale and has an MBA from Harvard. So an Ivy League education doesn't impress me much when your parents are that powerful. It's what you do with it. And if you never work in a law firm, file a brief or practice law, a 30-year-old law degree doesn't impress me much.

I'd say that no voting in half of the 38 contested elections over the last 10 years demonstrates a lack of interest in DOING anything about politics. Giving about $1,000 over that same period to democratic candidates doesn't demonstrate commitment either - especially if you're in her income bracket. I doubt she's gone canvassing door-to-door either. So I think it's reasonable to assume that she isn't on the passionate end of being into politics.

We got Obama in the White House because he worked for it. He was a State Senator and a US Senator. He won elections to get those posts. He practiced law. He taught Constitutional Law ALL BY HIMSELF. Caroline Kennedy isn't in his league.

FDR was elected State Senator and was Assistant Secretary of the Navy. He campaigned for Democrats who weren't family members for more than six weeks. He was elected governor. So he wasn't a neophyte either. Caroline Kennedy isn't in his league.

By all accounts Diane Tucker wrote this column herself. If the choice is between Caroline Kennedy and Diane Tucker, I want Diane.

[frustratedinohio]

Nicely put.

[standard]

There's a good deal of opposition to CKS. You're not alone. But the arguments against her that I've encountered, so far, I find more emotional than persuasive.

George W. Bush's inability to derive value from the education to which he was exposed is a basis for rejecting the value of the education that all graduates of eight of America's leading colleges and universities have received? Co-authoring something is unworthy or diminishes the value of the end product? (I wonder if Gilbert and Sullivan knew that--or if anyone has alerted the authors of most legal textbooks.) You like FDR, yet he practiced law for just two years--as a junior associate--and before HE entered public office was just an Ivy Leaguer with rich parents. Is that consistent with your argument against CKS?

Law school teaches people a way of analyzing problems. Not practicing law (much or at all) doesn't negate the value of that. There are exceptionally competent folks with J.D.'s who took other paths in life: many political journalists, for example. There are also practicing lawyers of completely indifferent intellectual skill.

All the same, Gov. Paterson may well join your camp in the end.

[glorialovelace]

She's unqualified because she is clearly unfamiliar with New York State and its problems.

She's unqualified because she is naturally reticent and poor at public speaking.

She's unqualified because, until now, she has shown just about zero interest in NY politics.

She's unqualified because there are at least a dozen more experienced, better-spoken, more knowledgeable, possessing more and better degrees, more committed-to-public-service candidates for that position.

[ESerafina42]

Oh, and she had a co-author on those books. How much of them did SHE actually write?

[standard]

I have two problems with your facts:

She's been a life-long resident of New York State, so your assertion "she is clearly unfamiliar with New York State", while it sounds plausible, isn't.

You assert that "she has shown just about zero interest in NY politics", but how would you know that? Through the many conversations you've had with her, over time? I keep reading that plausible claim but, so far, it's never from an authoritative source.

I also have two problems with your your logic:

Even if she were "naturally reticent and poor at public speaking" (for which there is, at least some, limited evidence), so is Bill Richardson--and that hasn't stopped him from being a very fine public servant in a wide range of capacities. (Anyway, if she proved poor at the job, the voters of New York could easily replace her, in primaries or general elections in 2010 and 2012.)

And the really big one: No matter HOW many people are qualified, their qualifications in no way diminish, affect or have anything whatever to do with whether she is qualified.

You're certainly not alone in not wanting CKS to become a Senator. While that's all well and valid, I've yet to encounter a single negative assertion about her--from anyone--that persuades me. But take heart: Gov. Paterson may face a sufficient political threat from Andrew Cuomo that he appoints Cuomo, instead.

[meko]

Gee, Diane. You seem articulate and a nice enough person. Why not? You're as good a choice as Caroline Kennedy.

[Diane Tucker - Huffpost Blogger]

Why, thank you, Meko. Would you like to be my campaign manager?

(Thanks for reading!)

[meko]

Honestly Diane, I feel the governor should consider others before he considers you: Byron Brown, Carolyn Maloney, Elizabeth Holtzman, Thomas Suozzi, Nydia Velazquez, Kirsten Gillibrand, Steve Israel. Even Andrew Cuomo.

However, when it gets down to you versus Caroline Kennedy, you have my support.

[ESerafina42]

"This is not about the past, this is really about the future and the moment that we're in, and I think that everybody right now has an obligation to think about what they can do to help. This is, you know -- nobody can sit out this one anymore."
___

Well, Caroline - you sat out the last eight years, so why do you feel you can't "sit out this one anymore"? Where were you when we went into Iraq? Where were you with your law degree as the Constitution was being shredded? I didn't always like Hillary's stands on those issues, but at least she TOOK stands.