Caroline Kennedy Is A Good Choice...To Be An Ambassador

Caroline Kennedy would be a wonderful choice to become an ambassador in the Obama administration. She could have her pick of countries where she could serve. I remember interviewing Jean Kennedy Smith in Dublin in 1996 where she served as the American ambassador to Ireland. She was a popular pick and Caroline would be the same today to serve as our ambassador to the Emerald Isle.

However, choosing Caroline as the next United States Senator from New York seems to be not such a good choice. If Caroline wants to be a United States Senator, she should wait until the next election in 2010 and run for the office. After all, Hillary Clinton and Robert Kennedy both ran for office the office and were elected in their own right.

What does Caroline Kennedy bring to the position as the junior senator from New York that the current state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo does not bring? Does she know more about the law than an attorney general?

Why is Caroline more qualified than the actress Fran Drescher who is speaking out on talk shows across the country on why she would be a good pick? The actress famous for her television show The Nanny is a public diplomacy envoy for women's health issues for the State Department. She is also the founder of the Cancer Schmancer Movement.

Wouldn't a choice of one of the qualified congressmen or women such as Rep. Jerrold Nadler or Rep. Carolyn Maloney make more sense as they have been elected to their current positions?

I have nothing against Caroline Kennedy. I have always been a fan of the Kennedys and I wrote my graduate paper on how brilliantly JFK successfully solved the Cuban Missile Crisis. I liked Bobby Kennedy when he ran for president and I feel that Ted Kennedy has been one of the better senators to have served in the past few decades. However, I don't think it is a good idea to start a trend of presenting senate seats and other positions in government to individuals who happen to be from famous political families.

So, what exactly does Caroline Kennedy bring to the United States Senate, or more importantly, what does she bring to the people of New York?

Granted, she is instantly recognized and has done positive volunteer work in New York over the years. Unlike Hillary and her late uncle she actually does live in New York, which is definitely a plus.

But what does New York Governor David Paterson get out of appointing Caroline to the Senate? Will it bring in more campaign contributions to the Democratic Party in the future? Will it help him with fundraising for his re-election campaign for governor?

Does her possible appointment boil down to bringing in more money for the New York Democratic Party because she is so well known? Is this about helping with fundraising or is it about who will best serve the people of New York in the United States Senate?

What exactly is it that Caroline Kennedy brings to the table? Her interviews with the media have been less than satisfying with regard to her grasp of the issues, so there would have to be some other reason for her appeal.

Caroline Kennedy would be a wonderful choice to represent America abroad as an ambassador. If she felt the need to become a United States Senator, she could resign as ambassador after a year and come back to New York and launch her campaign for the seat. If she won, her position would be secured for a long time as she would have shown she could be a winner in an election rather than being appointed.

Caroline for ambassador....and not for the Senate. At least, not until she runs and wins the office on her own.

Comments

[meko]

Ambassador to somewhere pleasant and not-too-strategic like Ireland is the traditional reward for a big contributo­r/supporte­r of a president - why not?

She would also be great as the titular head of the NEA or the Peace Corps.

An experienced legislator, like Maloney, Nadler or Gillbrand would make more sense in the senate. And there's no reason Kennedy couldn't lend the fundraising power of her name to their elections, or even the Democratic Party as a whole. If she's really so interested in the role of legislator, she'd have more credibility (from a merit and democracy point of view) if she started out in the State Senate, the way FDR did. But honestly, her advantages suggest that she'd make a bigger difference elsewhere.

[malachhamovess]

Caroline Kennedy would not make much of ambassador to any but the least articulate among us, ya know; she would, um, bring to the table a lot of, uh, indecision.

Most notably, she's said that 9/11 was the driving force for her entry into politics; it's strange considering she's waited 7 years to make her "move" which, in this case, meant telling a few reporters that she'd like a job that others work hard to get and keep.

[meanguy]

Most notably, she's said that 9/11 was the driving force for her entry into politics; it's strange considering she's waited 7 years to make her "move"
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not to mention her comments suggesting she was unaware that she had skipped voting so many times...i guess her help neglected to tell her when november came along?

[stradanuova]

You did not exactly make a compelling case for any of the alternatives to Caroline Kennedy so, based on the weakness of your arguments, she remains the front runner for the seat . . .

[theonlyvic]

I would think noting that these alternatives are already in the Congress and have proven records of producing results for New York is quite compelling enough.

[TIMLHOWE]

Yet more bad news for Caroline Kennedy's Senate prospects: A new survey from Public Policy Polling (D) shows that if she were appointed to Hillary Clinton's Senate seat, she could potentially put it in danger of a Republican takeover in 2010.

The numbers: Caroline 46%, GOP Rep. Peter King 44%, within the ±3.7% margin of error. State Atty. Gen. Andrew Cuomo leads King 48%-29%.

King's personal numbers are 34% favorable, 26% unfavorable, and the remainder having no opinion. So we can be pretty sure that a good chunk of people saying they would vote for him are really voting against Kennedy, whose own favorable numbers are at 44%-40%. Cuomo's numbers are 57%-20%.

A poll yesterday from PPP showed that Kennedy had also fallen way behind Cuomo as the choice of New York Democrats on who should get the appointment.

[Omidal]

Robert Guttman, the qualifications to be a US senator are:
1. Be A US Citizens or naturalized US Citizens for at least 9 years
2. Live and Reside in your State/district in which you want to be senator
3. Be at least 30 years old

[TIMLHOWE]

According to Public Policy Polling, of Raleigh, N.C., 44 percent of New York State voters now say they have a less favorable opinion of Kennedy than they did before she started vying for the position.

[meanguy]

"Robert Guttman, the qualifications to be a US senator are:
1. Be A US Citizens or naturalized US Citizens for at least 9 years
2. Live and Reside in your State/district in which you want to be senator
3. Be at least 30 years old"
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well, that certainly narrows the field to what...hundreds of thousands? and we're supposed to believe that of all of them, THIS 'born with a silver foot in her mouth' unaccomplished celeb is the best choice?

[OrJa]

In regards to Fran Drescher and her "cancer movement", I can't help but remember a time several years back when a play I wrote to benefit cancer patients was being produced in Los Angeles. All proceeds were to go to help people suffering through a multitude of cancers. When Ms. Drescher was contacted to possibly attend the opening night and thus bring publicity to our cause, we were told "she is moving away from cancer related causes as she doesn't want to be typecast". I find it utterly amazing that now, she has founded a "movement" and is running for senate based on this considering what we were told those years back. I guess she figures she can use this for her own gains now. I am not a proponent of putting Kennedy into office based merely on her name but I certainly hope people look below the surface of Ms. Drescher's public persona and see what is generating it.

[TIMLHOWE]

NYers don't like to be bullied and she has been mismanaged this entire process. It's going to be embarrassing for her if she is passed over given the whole if Caroline wants it, it must be hers argument. She should do the right thing and withdraw.

Caroline Kennedy should salvage what's left of her reputation in NY by withdrawing. It is clear NYers think she is unprepared and ill-suited to the role. She is losing ground and the only positive argument for her is Obama likes her and we don't want Uncle Teddy to be vengeful against NYS legislation.

Enough is enough already. Someone needs to tell her to save her dignity and exit stage right.