The Argument for a Senator Caroline Kennedy

I was intrigued to learn that Caroline Kennedy expressed an interest in being appointed to Senator Hillary Clinton's New York Senate seat. Precisely how strong that interest is, is hard to know, but I suspect that if she wants to be in the United States Senate, Governor David Paterson would have a hard time turning her down.

Her appointment would disappoint many New York political figures who are vying for the same job, including Representatives Carolyn Maloney and Kirsten Gillibrand, not to mention Andrew Cuomo. They have the argument that they have earned a Senate seat. In their eyes, Caroline's appointment would be equivalent to royalty claiming its rightful domain. Not fair.

Yet, there is a good argument to be made that she would be the best person to fill that Senate seat. There are now 17 women in the United States Senate. With Hillary's resignation, there will be 16, the same number that existed before November 4. A further argument would be that she could afford to campaign again for the seat in two years. But what interests me most is that the Kennedy legacy has been almost totally male, except for Kathleen Kennedy Townshend, a daughter of Bobby Kennedy, who served as Maryland's Lt. Governor and lost her race for Governor in 2002.

It was the Kennedy men who were groomed for politics, starting with Joe, who was his father's pride and joy. After his death in World War II, the father turned to John and groomed him for the Presidency. Next came Teddy. And then Bobby, who served as JFK's Attorney General and then as a New York Senator until his assassination in 1968. The women and girls in the Kennedy family were in the background as good political spouses were in those days.

The evolution of Caroline Kennedy from socialite, mother, volunteer, campaigner for Barack Obama, and finally, into a candidate herself would be a significant transformation. She got a taste of what it feels like to wield power when she convinced uncle Teddy to endorse Barack Obama. One of the ironies of her appointment to Hillary's seat is that it was this timely endorsement that may have pulled Obama ahead of Clinton in the primaries.

If Caroline Kennedy decides she wants the position, and if David Paterson agrees, she will send a message to women like her that says, "It's fine to volunteer, it's fine to be on the sidelines and work for the election of others, but I know where the real power is, and that is having a vote in the United States Senate. I could do more for the issues I care about, like education and health care, if I'm on the inside rather than applying pressure from the outside." That is an important message for women who work on issues that concern them, but stop just short of opening the door to the smoke filled rooms (which now have No Smoking signs) where the action is.

If John F.Kennedy were alive today, I wonder what he would think. He was a ladies' man in the old fashioned definition of the term, which had nothing to do with empowering women.

I'd like to think that he would have changed, as so many fathers of his generation have, and would want the same things for his daughter as he had wished for his son--to make a contribution to her country, acting on the famous phrase from his inaugural, "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country."

If Caroline Kennedy heeds these words, she just might go for it.

This was originally posted at Chelsea Green.

Madeleine M. Kunin is the former Governor of Vermont and was the state's first woman governor. She served as Ambassador to Switzerland for President Clinton, and was on the three-person panel that chose Al Gore to be Clinton's VP. She is the author of Pearls, Politics, and Power: How Women Can Win and Lead from Chelsea Green Publishing.

Comments

[meko]

It seems to me, still, that Caroline Kennedy is only in consideration because of her last name, money and family connections. No one with her resume (non-practicing attorney, co-author of a few books, charity board member, part-time volunteer on behalf of NY public schools) would be considered otherwise.

But perhaps all those people talking about the cost of reelection have a point. Perhaps only the very wealthy and people with relatives in government can win the senate seat in New York. Caroline Kennedy never raised money for anyone who wasn't a family member (excepting her 6-weeks on behalf of Obama). I think she'll continue to refuse to throw herself behind other democratic candidates in New York. And I expect her wealthy friends will follow.

The New York senate seat, may not be available to anyone but the wealthy. Maybe all the press releases and Kennedy sycophants are right and best the common people can hope for is that the best plutocrat wins.

Hillary sold the "Obama can't raise the money and can't win the general election line" and in NY it worked. So maybe the same line works for the NY senate seat. But I'm not giving them any of my time or money. I don't do volunteer work to further line the pockets of the wealthy and further aggrandize the famous. If the senate is going to be bought by someone, they can buy it themselves.

[twohearts]

"The mere fact that she's a Kennedy should be a point against her." -- Why is that? Most of the Kennedys who have held office have done fine work, so I don't understand your complaint....

I really do have mixed feelings about this. I understand the desire for an upstater, and Mahoney, Velasquez & Lowey have worked long & hard for the state.

But I still have a warm feeling for Caroline, who has NOT been a politician until now - I'd think some people might approve of that!
& I do respect Madeleine Kunin's opinion.
I figure that Paterson is being pushed by a lot of people.......

[nanjemoy]

Just to follow up: how different would this "Argument for a Senator" be if it said anything about her professional qualifications.

From Wikipedia:
Kennedy is an attorney, editor, writer and member of the New York and Washington, D.C. bar associations. She is one of the founders of the Profiles in Courage Award, given annually since 1990 to a person who exemplifies the type of courage examined in her father's Pulitzer Prize-winning book of the same name.

From 2002 to 2004, Kennedy worked as chief executive for the Office of Strategic Partnerships for the New York City Department of Education. During this time, she helped raise more than $65 million for the city"s public schools.[3] She currently serves as the Vice Chair of The Fund for Public Schools, a public-private partnership founded in 2002 to attract private funding for public schools in New York City. [5]

In addition, Kennedy is currently President of the Kennedy Library Foundation,[3] a director of both the Commission on Presidential Debates and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and Honorary Chairman of the American Ballet Theatre. She is also an adviser to the Harvard Institute of Politics, a living memorial to her father.

[meko]

While all of those are laudable achievements, and would impress me if she were running for office, she's not running for office in an election. She's never had a job where she didn't write the job description. That's the great thing about serving on a board - you get to pick and choose your responsibilities.

Why was it beneath her to pursue state or city office?

[Rockerbabe]

Let her actually EARN a top position, by working her way up. Giving another Kennedy a plum political position puts the idea of merit and earning one's way on its ear. We need fresh voices, not another Kennedy in the Senate. Let her campaign, garner votes and let the citizens decide. She is definitely not the equal to Hillary Clinton and to give Hillary's senate position to someone who couldn't be bothered to support her, is affront to many of us. There has to be more deserving and talented and connected people in NY that putting another undeserving Kennedy in the Senate could be avoided.

[lilkunta]

I agree.
Caroline does do charity work yes but her work has always been @ he dead Dad's library & in the art & publishing world.

Just as 'rockerbabe' said we dont need another Kennedy getting a plum politcal position.

[agrund]

I really have nothing negative to say about Caroline Kennedy. It does seem from her modest resume that her qualifications to become a United States Senator are thin. Would we really be having this conversation if her last name was not Kennedy? I think not.

[anney]

Caroline Kennedy's resume is anything but thin, and she certainly has a broader range of qualifications than Hillary did when she ran for the position. What she does not "have" is direct entrenchment in the Washington machine, which is no longer an advantage.

Now, that said, Patterson's responsibility is to choose one person from among some really good choices. I'm sure that won't be easy. But Caroline would be an excellent choice to serve New Yorkers and the rest of the US in that Senate seat.

[standard]

Well said. I hope that Gov. Paterson gives her strong consideration.

[Active]

I'd love to see Hillary ENDORSE another candidate possibly Nydia or Anthony Weiner.

[monicaangela]

New York is so yesterday for Hillary, she probably doesn't remember ever living there.

[indc]

How about some who actually has been out there fighting to make a progressive difference over the last decade or two or three.... She appears to be a nice and decent person and would probably do a credible job but many people who have given more would do as well or much better. Why is privilege a qualification. In fact, I think less of her now because she is trading on a family name. It is clear that given who she is without the name, there is no way she would be considered. There are people who have EARNED this opportunity... merit, not privilege...change we can believe in..

[standard]

Having a famous name and being privileged doesn't mean that Caroline Kennedy hasn't also EARNED this opportunity through her excellent credentials and hard work. She wasn't born a product of Harvard and Columbia Law, a published author, nor someone actively contributing to the civic life of her adoptive city.

To prejudge her is to be (literally) prejudiced.

[standard]

"Why is privilege a qualification[?] "

Why is privilege a disqualification? She has a great deal more to offer than that--and a great deal more than many of the professional politicians with spotty records, by comparison, who want the job.

[glorialovelace]

How are the records of the Congressmen and Congresswomen who want -- and deserve -- the job "spotty?"

Do you still follow New York State politics closely enough to know?

[StedyRuckus]

Please, there are several other elected representatives form the State of New York who happen to be female, so the whole we need a woman in there to replace Hilary argument for selecting Caroline Kennedy holds no water.

If youre going to choose Kennedy because she is a woman, then lets choose Representative Nydia Velazquez. She's a woman, and she's latina. SO take that logic and times it by 2. And oh yeah, she has a ton of legislative experience too.

[melponeme k]

Apparently Ms. Velazquez is not white enough, rich enough and lacks a family pedigree. She isn't royalty.

That is what is required in office nowadays, I guess.

[glorialovelace]

Appointing Caroline Kennedy sends all the wrong messages, including nepotism, inappropriate use of political power, and the disregarding of the many candidates who truly represent the REAL New York, whose qualifications are far superior to Caroline's. The notion that she should be appointed because she could either raise more money for a campaign or use money of her own is simply appalling.

[Active]

Nydia lacks one thing: the name Kennedy. The obsession over the Kennedys is astounding! Get over it!

[PictureAmerica]

Caroline Kennedy would bring to the U.S. Senate

-- Hope We Can Believe In --

JOHN LONGENECKER
Picture America

[nanjemoy]

I really don't see how this slogan applies? I really hope you're being sarcastic. Hope we can believe in would be competence, experience, knowledge, expertise, clarity, vision, ethics, and maybe some awareness of how the wild majority of the world lives.

[Stefano]

I'm going to stop ranting about this. (after this one of course) Apparantly, this is a done deal already with all these people writing in excuses to justify Princess Caroline ascending to her throne. How about the message that it says to our hard working represenatatives. Sorry guys for all your hard work, but this is America, land of royalty and celebrity, where money and blue bloods reign supreme. Once again, Caroline may be a very talented person, but she has no way earned this other than she comes from one of our most powerful famlies. It sends the exact opposite message that our election of Barack Obama says. I guess the more things change, the more they stay the same.

[commonsense2]

Not to mention her notoriously contentious relationship wirth the media and being very touchy regarding her privacy. How will she handle being scrutinized as a Senator?

I am sorry - but to pass up women like Gillibrand or Maloney due to pedigree would be a great injustice when we are seeking "change" in this country. These are women who have done the hard job of hitting the campaign trail, had to make the arguement to voters, and put in the work.

I am not saying that Caroline is not elegant and educated and of course she has exposure to politics that others do not have, but to give her the seat is just sending the wrong message to aspiring public servants everywhere. How will that encourage brilliant unknowns? Just encourages the notion that politics is an inside game.

I would rather have a Senator who knows what it is like to be working class and has faced the problem of having to pay a mortgage or try to find a job in a difficult job market, or struggle to send a kid to school, or pay off their own student loans. Not someone who has inherited millions. I am not saying that CK does not care for the poor, but sorry - there is nothing like that first hand experience.

[Samsara]

Any comments on how Sonny Bono or Jesse Ventura "earned" it ???

[Stefano]

They ran campaigns and were elected. I'm not a resident of either Ca or Mn, so I don't know why people voted for them, I doubt I would have. If Caroline wants to run in 2 years, go for it, but to appoint her is to prove that this whole change thing was BS, we're a country in which the rich and powerful rule, and can pressure governors to select them for office.

[Active]

They were elected, not appointed.

[JimR]

They ran for the office and were elected by voters.

[glorialovelace]

I don't think it's a done deal at all. After this Blagojevich business, I don't think Paterson will appoint her. There is too much appearance that inappropriate pressure may have been exerted in Caroline's behalf, including interference by politicians from outside our state.

[brixtony]

There seems to be a full -fledged "surge" (you should pardon the expression) of people pushing Ms. K's candidacy. Sorry, my built-in crap detector keeps going off. This argument is ridiculous- to appoint her to give female Kennedys a shot at the magic power ring is offensive when there's Nita Lowey, Nydia M. Velázquez, Carolyn Mahoney, just to mention three.

[Giada]

Thank you, I agree.

[JimR]

Yes, I agree.

[gacam]

This is just a veiled attempt to legitimize a sexist appointment. There are plenty of women who are qualified to take this position and can stand on the fact that they are simply a better candidate than any other, notwithstanding the fact that it happens to be a woman. The mere fact that she is a Kennedy should be a point against her. Americans are tired of political dynasties. No one has an entitlement to the seat. It should not matter that a relative had it in the past. And there mere fact that this is a chance to measure up to the males in her family is a ridiculous argument. Why must the fate of New Yorkers in a turbulent economic time be the subject of such a silly experiment. Pick someone with real business experience, that epitomizes the American Dream and has made it on his/her own, not as a priviledged philanthropist.

[standard]

"The mere fact that she is a Kennedy should be a point against her."

Well, that's just senseless bigotry! America has benefited from having more than one Adams, Harrison, Roosevelt, Udall, Stevenson and, yes, Kennedy in public office: not all "dynasties" have proven quite the disaster the Bush family has been. Give a civic-minded long-term resident of New York who's a well-received author and has earned degrees from Harvard and Columbia Law a break! She may make a better Senator by far than any of the professional politicians also vying for this appointment.