Caroline Kennedy Lets Political Elites Know She Expects A US Senate Seat
It seems Caroline Kennedy has decided she'd rather have a US Senate seat than a pony for Christmas:
Caroline Kennedy, the daughter of an American political dynasty, has decided she will pursue the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, a person told of her decision said Monday.
The decision came after a series of deeply personal and political conversations, in which Ms. Kennedy, who friends describe as unflashy but determined, wrestled with whether to give up what has been a lifetime of avoiding the spotlight.
Ms. Kennedy will ask that Gov. David A. Paterson consider her for the appointment. The governor was traveling to Utica today could not immediately be reached for comment.
If appointed, Ms. Kennedy would fill the seat once held by her uncle, the late Robert F. Kennedy.
Ms. Kennedy has been making calls this morning to alert political figures to her interest.
Really? She's "making calls this morning to alert political figures to her interest?" I guess it was either that or get her nails done.
Ms. Kennedy first telephoned the governor Dec. 3 to inquire about the job, but Mr. Paterson described that conversation as "informational" and said it was clear Ms. Kennedy had not decided whether she wanted to pursue the position.
But since, then, she has begun reaching out to key political figures in New York, such as Sheldon Silver, the speaker of the state Assembly, and State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. She has also hired Knickerbocker SKD, a prominent political consulting firm headed by Josh Isay, a former chief of staff to Sen. Charles Schumer, to advise her.
How about the public, huh? How about them? You know, those little people whose ordinary lives she hopes to enrich by her presence? How about getting out and talking to them? Maybe she could overcome her legendary shyness and tell people what she stands for? Now there's a thought. What exactly does she believe in? Why does she feel she's qualified? What does she hope to accomplish in office?
It doesn't seem to have occurred to her that letting people know where she stands on important issues of the day should matter, or that she should have to subject herself to public questioning. At best it seems like a political afterthought -- because she hasn't troubled herself to do so.
It appears Ms. Kennedy thinks that US Senate seats are something to lobbied for amongst political elites when one decides one wants them, and that the public should be happy to simply fall in line. The fact that one has a family political machine currently in the process of steamrolling David Paterson and a famous last name should be enough for the little people.
I thought at least she's get out before the cameras and start making her case to the public before she announced her intentions, because simply lobbying your well-connected buddies just oozes an outrageous sense of entitlement and insufferable pomposity.
I guess she'll take entitlement for a thousand, Alex.
Jane Hamsher blogs at firedoglake.com
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Say what you will about Fran Drescher, at least she's made an appearance on Larry King Live.
Democrat leadership seems to think that inserting "political winners" is what the average Democrat voter cares about.
No. To be frank.
What we want is someone who WILL GET SOMETHING DONE.
Nobody cares AT ALL about the Kennedies, or their billionaire dynasty. Sure, some of them are cool, but those ones are dead now. Sorry.
Move on, get people who weren't born with a silver spoon in their mouth, in office.
One of the most bitter-sweet experiences of my life was watching the funeral cortege for the murdered President John Fitzgerald Kennedy; seeing Jackie dressed in uncharacteristic black. Caroline and "John John" were standing stoically at the roadside as the drum rolls persisted and the riderless black stallion was led to Arlington with the casket on the caisson. The Caroline has seen all of her childhood family die and faced growing up under great pressure, high education and privilege. She is undoubtedly a fine woman. However, considering the state of affairs in the nation, it is time for an unknown average citizen to step up to the plate and swing the bat. I remember Eddie The Eagle in the Winter Olympics several years ago. He was not a professional ski-jumper but he gave his heart and soul to his "job" and warmed a lot of hearts. Considering the vast financial wealth on both sides of the aisles of congress, it is time for a little guy or gal to come in and make a spectacle of the process of govenment and expose the foibles and folly that go unnoticed because it is all so commonplace to the wealthy professional politicians. Caroline..
I am so sick of cronyism. George son of George, Jeb son of George, Caroline daughter of Jack, Richard (Daley) son of Richard, Rod son-in-law of Richard.
Enough. Obama/Biden are the first Pres/VP combo that doesn't include the son or grandson of a senator. I'm sick of it.
It would be different if Caroline had ever shown interest in campaigning for anything. She's got every right to face the electorate. But this calling all the favors in the family address book to avoid an election is against fair play. I don't want to support an aristocracy.
Wrong again Jane. Kennedy would win an election against any of her probable democratic appointments. That is why Patterson will eventually appoint her.
I agree. Jane is totally on the money. This is not terribly different than the Blagojevich scandal. the Illinois governor was simply asking for payment up front; in New York, we'll expect the payment in the next Senate election, which Ms. Kennedy will be expected to win via influence and fund-raising. Whatever happened to democracy? Ms. Kennedy may, in fact, be a fine candidate, but, as a New Yorker, I think the people of this state have a right to know where she stands on state, national and international issues. Ms. Kennedy said her children convinced her to support Barack Obama for President. Will they be advising her on world affairs as well?
Jane happens to be 100% on the money with this article. If Caroline Kennedy gets Hillary Clinton's vacant senate seat it will just prove beyond doubt that our political system is a complete sham. Kennedy may be a wonderful person, but she is no more qualified for this appointment than I am. In these trying and dangerous times for our nation we need QUALIFIED individuals in office. If she is awarded the appointment based on her connections and name recognition it will be a travesty. And let's be honest, what else does she have? She has basically shunned public life, until she woke up one recent morning and decided...
I think Caroline is a fine person who has done much philanthropic work.
Bobby was the first political figure to really excite me in my youth.
but...
Her apparent sense of entitlement is outrageous, even worse than Hillary's. At least Hillary actually got elected to the senate, before seeming to think she was owed the presidency.
Sorry, nobody "deserves" a senate seat. It must be earned, and I don't think she's earned anything of the sort. By all means, run for office, even senate the next time there's an election. Don't lobby for this as a gift of some kind. There lots of fine, unknown people who do a lot for their community. That doesn't mean they should be senators. The only thing that separates Caroline from those people is name recognition
Second; The US Senate from its inception is the foremost deliberative body of debate in the nation. By definition it is a body that is to be populated by the INTELLECTUAL elite of the country (initially unbound to the will of the public because they were not publicly elected, and later less bound due to longer terms in office) whose duty it is to lead substantive debate and reach compromise on important legislation. In essence the only true qualification for the Senate is to be immensely more intelligent, and rational, than the rest of one's fellow countrymen, and to act in what one truly believes to be their best interest.
Finally; I REFUSE to be lectured on the evils of "entitlement" while living in a nation governed by an Oaf who was handed numerous companies, a professional baseball franchise, the Governorship of a state, and the Presidency of the United States as his birthright. Political aristocracy and entitlement has been a fact of life in this nation since its founding, and always will. And frankly with a family as accomplished as Ms Kennedy's it is well deserved. She will be Senator. She will make an excellent Senator. She will be re-elected overwhelmingly as Senator. And she will spend the rest of her life serving her nation as humbly, gracefully, and competantly as her father and uncles have.
"It seems Caroline Kennedy has decided she'd rather have a US Senate seat than a pony for Christmas:"
"I guess it was either that or get her nails done."
"I thought at least she's get out before the cameras and start making her case to the public before she announced her intentions, because simply lobbying your well-connected buddies just oozes an outrageous sense of entitlement and insufferable pomposity.
I dunno Jane. I really like your work, but this is just sour grapes. Walk a mile in her shoes before you write a hit piece. The big idea here is that we are all in this together. Rich/poor/
For me, GWB is the dictionary example of privilege gone wrong. CK is pretty much the opposite. OR tell me why I'm wrong here.
The main difference is that up until now, CK was content to have a life that didn't involve her reach exceeding her grasp.
Legacy office holding, or entitlements, is NOT a good thing for our democracy. There are few jobs more important than senator, and we've had enough poor quality senators already.
When looking for a new candidate, we should be asking what sort of experience he or she had that actually PREPARES them for this role. Have they done superior work in government? In business? In academia?
CK has not done any of those things. She's a nice lady, with a progressive viewpoint, who's been involved with various charity projects and other things that are the privilege of the super-rich. If her name wasn't Kennedy, there's not a chance in hell she'd be in consideration here.
Really, we need to do better than this. Otherwise, as HL Mencken famously observed, we get the government we deserve.
And haven't we had enough of that already?
Jane is PERFECTLY on the money on this one.
This pressure on Patterson from Obama-land to give Miss Caroline a Senate seat is political payback at it's most insidious. It's a tasty lolly for a spoiled, unqualified little girl, that's all. Kennedy is not qualified. Read her entry in Wikipedia, if you don't believe me. Her resume is NOT impressive. She was a legacy at Harvard; she got her JD from Columbia, no law review is apparent. She doesn't appear to really have ever practiced law, but she's a board member for the Commission on Presidential Debates and the NAACP Legal Defense/Education Fund, largely honorariums most likely if they're like all other board seats. She raised money for NY City public schools three days a week. Other than the Met and the fund-raising, she hasn't held a job wasn't handed to her by a Kennedy.
Go compare her resume to Hillary Clinton's, come back and tell me that she's got "comparative experience
"She's been directing her life toward helping others." Give her a cookie, not a Senate seat. She doesn't have the POLICY experience for it. (But experience arguments don't impress us liberals these days, do they?)
She seems to have a lot of experience in giving out awards. I mean, I could buy this if the Senate had a Committee on Spokes Models or a Sub-Committee on Letter-Turners, but anything else, well, she'd just be in over her head.
EXCELLENT posting Ms. Hamsher!!!
Caroline is making a big mistake. She's bigger than a mere senator. if she has a public role- it's a little like princess di's. She could brilliantly represent the united states with heads of state and society. Caroline has heretofore not been associated with strong political partisanship. She should not become an ordinary politician. andrew cuomo would be a good choice; he has national potential. appoint him and caroline can help re-establish us overseas.
Are you ACTUALLY proposing that Caroline Kennedy is ABOVE us mere mortals and politicians? Perhaps you think she is...royal
she's royalty with the right public relations strategy if she wants to go that route. another thing- since she gets invited to assume the vacant NY senate seat, i have to assume she's above SOMEBODY. did you get a call to assume a state office in your state without running for office? and finally: she's pro-obama and a good cat's paw to destroy hillary's power in new york. ask long time hillary loyalist edolphus townes about that.
http://www
What were Hillary's qualifications when she ran for Senate back in 2000? She never held elected office, she failed at health care reform, and she had a famous last name. If New York deemed HRC qualified, then Kennedy passes the test as well. And unlike HRC, Kennedy is an actual resident of New York.
True, but Hillary actually ran a campaign and 'earned' that seat, in that respect.
Kennedy is asking for that seat to be 'given' to her - kind of like a puppy at Christmas.
Hillary ran a terrible,divisive campaign and she lost.
Exactly solopico! You are quite correct!!
Arguably, the 'best' reason not to pick CK is that she hasn't been elected
to public office before. But since this is an appointment, til Nov 2010, that's
probably less important. The position is, in effect, a try-out, as it was for HRC.
It was not a tryout for HRC. She ran for, and won the seat twice.
The operative word is RAN. HRC actually RAN for elected office. She told people what she stood for, and what she was going to try to do. And she ran damned hard! It's a little different than expecting an appointment.
I am sorry that you sound disappointed about Kennedy-
As for me, this is an "entitlement" that is well-deserved, given what her family has given us all.
I hope she takes the position, we need more "beacons of hope" in today's politics
given the numbers of "bums" out there that are ripping the American people off.
Kennedy could do more and make us proud of public service again.
Most NY political hacks out there i.e. "shuck & Jive" Andrew Cuomo
think that they are owed- but this is about what and who the "people want"
not about political dues owed-
I want better and more honest government, no one else comes close to Kennedy
and yes! I want that magic in NYC.
sueno: this is an "entitlement" that is well-deserved, given what her family has given us all.
===
Holy cow.
When people think like this, is it any wonder that George W Bush gets a chance to ruin the world for eight long years?
Is it any wonder that McCain - a guy who usually knows what's going on - picks Palin for his VP, and the crowds of righties LOVE her?
We really have to get back to the idea of a MERITOCRACY when it comes to picking candidates for high office, as well as senior positions in the White House.
Here's the truth: We don't "owe" the Kennedy's anything. We don't owe the Bushes anything. And we don't owe the Clintons anything. Such thinking is antithetical to the entire thrust of the initial formation of our government. Our senate is not supposed to be the functional equivalent of the Brit's House of Lords.
Legacy politics is for the birds. Really.
I love how you threw your quaint Sarah Palin slam in there with no real connection whatsoever.
If anything, you're completely backwards in your attemt to compare Palin to the Kennedy situation. On the one hand, you're largely correct - legacy politics tends to be 'for the birds' and I think this country is growing tired of it. Clintons, Bushes, Kennedys, Daleys, and more.
However - Palin is the farthest thing from legacy politics, and while you might disagree with her politics, you must realize that McCain chose her for very different reasons. Her popularity in her own state, her achievements of political growth from PTA to Mayor to Governor, her fighting corruption within her own party...
But again, you did a nice job of getting your daily dose of Palin jabbing in.
Oh pigeon pooh
We owe the guys in the wigs and funny pants - who owned other humans. Who so graciously let their slaves build them houses of victory. Antithetical in your dreams.
I remember seeing colored only signs in my youth. My grandma couldn't vote as a young woman and you are worried about legacy politics.
This is just more distraction from the question that matters about any pol - can they get stuff done for the people who elected them. Really.
I would not wanted to be treated by a physician who was given his/her position for having gone through hard times. Neither do I want to be represented by a Senator for that reason.
The O messiah is a stand-in for John Jr. The Kennedy family wanted to continue their historical mission with America. O is a perfect stand-in. A celebrity candidate for a dynastic family that celebrates the Kennedys as if he were one.
The great O messiah told us unwashed ones that we were to dump the Bushies
and the Clintons because they were the PAST (how horrible!). Leaving
room of course for the resurrection of the Kennedys. Forget how dedicated
to being smart about public policy the Clintons were. Let us all worship
at the feet of celebrity politics.
Caroline can go wherever her name and money can take her. Just not in
Hillary's seat, thank you. Hillary better grab her seat back before the
music stops. I just know that Bill is trying to tell her she will be
fired from the O administration soon enough - after they can blame whatever
on her.
I would not have felt that way about the Kennedys until dear little Caroline
endorsed Obama with her great uncle Ted. They are substituting Barack for
John Jr. Too bad. Their family is sad. Now give me back Hillary!
Or has Hillary become an Obamabot?
Hillary now serves at the pleasure of the Messiah so I guess you can say she is an Obamabot.
The taking over of the democratic party by rich people, the AA's and the youth of America do not have my interest in mind. Time moves very fast. The voters will have enough soon. Democrats vs. Republicans means little any more. Enjoy your power and the spotlight while you can. The voters will rule again. Long live democracy. Down with dynasties.
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