No More Sweet Caroline

INTRODUCTION

I created this blog on January 16, 2009, while Caroline Kennedy was a viable contender for a US Senate seat vacated by Hilary Clinton, whom President Obama appointed as US Secretary of State. Since creation of the blog, Caroline Kennedy withdrew her name from being considered for an appointment to the Senate seat by New York Governor David Paterson. As of January 23, 2009, Governor Paterson appointed Kirsten Gillibrand for the Senate seat. Although Caroline Kennedy did not fulfill her goal, my disdain for the Kennedy pedigree continues, as highlighted below.


ORIGINAL BLOG
Caroline Kennedy, daughter of deceased President John F. Kennedy, has sought the US Senate seat from New York that Hillary Clinton has vacated in her cabinet appointment as Secretary of the US Department of State. New York Governor David Paterson has sole authority to appoint a replacement until the next election in 2010. Another viable contender for this appointment is Andrew Cuomo, Attorney General of the State of New York.

Caroline Kennedy’s pursuit of the US Senate seat has rekindled my passionate disdain for the Kennedy clan. I respect Ms. Kennedy as an individual for her personal and professional accomplishments. However, I perceive that she and her family members have sought political office and favors with brazen opportunism and underhanded tactics. To further agitate my disdain, the media outlets and many Americans glorify the Kennedys as a royal family worthy of endless admiration. I consider this admiration to be a cult following of a dysfunctional family whose glory days are long gone.

Some Americans, including myself, and several columnists have wisely questioned Caroline Kennedy’s political experience and her motives for the US Senate seat. Historically, Ms. Kennedy kept a low profile in political circles. Curiously, after she endorsed Obama as a presidential candidate and volunteered intermittently for his successful campaign, she and her supporters have begun to view her desired position as an entitlement and a birthright of sorts for her pedigreed background.

I have provided links and summaries to three of the most biased columns about Caroline Kennedy. The first is “A Vote for Senator Caroline” by Ruth Marcus, columnist for The Washington Post, from December 9, 2008 (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/08/AR2008120803294.html). In this article, Ms. Marcus relives the Camelot days of JFK and brands Ms. Kennedy as our “tragic national princess.” She ends the article that her emotional reaction to Ms. Kennedy is “a fitting coda to this modern fairy tale to have the little princess grow up to be a senator.”

Another illogical article is “She’s a Kennedy, but She’s a Lot Like Us” by Anne Glusker, a freelance writer, from The Washington Post on December 28, 2008 (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/26/AR2008122601118.html). Ms. Glusker contends that, in spite of Ms. Kennedy’s famous and privileged background, she shares a lot in common with other working mothers, such as balancing work and family responsibilities and not having a steady work history. Ms. Glusker argues that “if you strip away the glamour, the name and the money, then Caroline is…me.” While this argument is technically correct, I have seen little evidence that Ms. Kennedy is ready or willing to relinquish her background to become the likes of Rosie the Riveter or the wife of Joe Sixpack.

The last example is “Sweet on Caroline” by Maureen Dowd, columnist for The New York Times, from January 7, 2009 (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/07/opinion/07dowd.html?_r=1&emc=eta1). Ms. Dowd exploits this article by saluting her fond memories of both Caroline and other Kennedy family members and ranting about the Bush administration. She declares, “Congress, which abdicated its oversight role as the Bush crew wrecked the globe and the economy, desperately needs fresh faces and new perspectives, an infusion of class, intelligence and guts.” Ms. Dowd may as well declare Caroline Kennedy to be the salvation to Congress. Interestingly, two Kennedys, Edward ("Ted") and Patrick, have been US Senators from Massachusetts and Rhode Island, respectively. In my humble opinion, contrary to Ms Dowd’s contentions, the Kennedys’ presence in Congress has been contributory negligence.

FIRST UPDATE

As of January 22, 2009, Caroline Kennedy officially announced that she had withdrawn consideration for the US Senate with New York Governor David Paterson. According to “Kennedy Drops Bid for Clinton’s Senate Seat, Citing Personal Reasons” by Nicholas Confessore and Danny Hakim in The New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/22/nyregion/22caroline.html?_r=1&hp), the “personal reasons” included health concerns for uncle Edward “Ted” Kennedy. Some political commentators have suggested that she perceived she was not a shoo-in candidate for the vacant senate seat, and chose to avoid potential embarrassment. This article mentioned “…her pursuit of the seat also set off resistance, with some local Democratic officials suggesting it smacked of entitlement, and polls showing voters preferring Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo for the position.” In spite of my disdain for the Kennedy clan, I believe Ms. Kennedy showed some dignity and respect in her withdrawal from seeking the US Senate seat.


FINAL UPDATE

As of January 23, 2009, New York Governor appointed a relatively unknown congresswoman, Representative Kirsten Gillibrand, from the upstate Hudson Valley region. Representative Gillibrand has a centrist voting record, and has been at odds with many of her Democratic colleagues from relatively liberal New York. Her appointment has already caused a ruckus. According to one Kennedy friend, “’Everyone in town in furious with him (Paterson)’”, and the friend labels the entire selection process as a “’fiasco’”. Some may perceive his choice a bit surprising and unconventional, having bypassed Caroline Kennedy and Andrew Cuomo. Paterson may have selected Gillibrand to curry favor amongst women and upstate voters. Another possibility is that Paterson, like myself, found few qualifications with Caroline Kennedy.