Saturday, December 27, 2008

Caroline's Commitment


Caroline and John F. Kennedy Jr. dance
in the Oval Office while President Kennedy claps.


Yesterday, Ben Smith reported, at Politico.com, that Caroline Kennedy doesn't plan to seek the Senate seat from New York in 2010 if she is not appointed to replace Hillary Clinton.

Kennedy, who acknowledged (to no one's surprise) that she is a lifelong Democrat, said that, if she is not appointed, "I would support the person that [Gov. David Paterson] does select."

The unspoken assumptions are, of course, that
  • a Democrat will be appointed to replace Clinton — which is a reasonable assumption, since both Paterson and Clinton are Democrats — and

  • if Kennedy is not appointed to replace Clinton, the person who is appointed will not do something that will offend Democrats and/or the public at large — like, for example, the previous governor of New York did — before the special election in 2010.
In other words, Kennedy is saying she would be loyal to her party if she is not appointed to the Senate.

But the Daily Kos dismisses her comment by saying "So much for her commitment to democracy." Kennedy, suggests the Daily Kos, doesn't want the seat if she has to work for it, and politics in New York is run by a political machine. Thus, "if Kennedy does get that appointment," writes the Daily Kos, "it's ludicrous to think that she can be primaried out of it in 2010 if New York Democrats aren't happy with the selection."

Then, indulging in some fantasy, the Daily Kos elaborates by expressing a desire to see Kennedy, Andrew Cuomo "and a dark horse candidate or two" running in 2010 for a seat that, apparently, has been filled by a caretaker who has pledged not to run in the special election.

I'm disappointed in the Daily Kos, which, in my experience, frequently posts articles that are reasonable and logical.

Not this time.

Of course, Kennedy is a Democrat — like everyone else in her famous family. As her statement suggests, she is a loyal Democrat. And, since she has no reason to assume that anyone who would be appointed to replace Clinton in the Senate will do anything to offend the members of her party or cast many votes that are at odds with her party's philosophy, she has no reason to challenge that incumbent in 2010.

She was not asked what she would do if the appointee turned out to be a disappointment to the governor and many of New York's Democrats. (That's an entirely different question — and a hypothetical one, at that.)

Nor was she asked if she would run for the office in 2010 if, as has been speculated, the governor will appoint a temporary caretaker and let the voters make the decision in the next election cycle.

If, at this stage, she suggested that she might run against the person who was appointed (thereby sowing the seeds of discontent before the appointee has even been named), that — to me — would be evidence of an absence of respect for either the office or the voters — and an indication that she is self-centered, not selfless.

Instead, she generously said that she will support the governor's choice. She trusts him to choose someone who can do more than keep the seat warm for a couple of years. She will not divide the electorate to further her own political ambitions — if she has any.

The work that must be done to repair the economy is urgent for New Yorkers and all Americans. Kennedy does not want to be represented in the Senate by a caretaker. She wants a senator who will be an advocate for her state. And she encourages unity in a common cause.

New York is indisputably linked to the national and global economies. It must have two senators who can speak on behalf of the tens of thousands of New Yorkers whose livelihoods are dependent upon the health of New York City's financial district.

Perhaps Kennedy's remarks were influenced, to a certain degree, by the recent Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey that indicated that two-thirds of U.S. voters have a favorable opinion of her, but less than 40% think she is qualified to be a senator.

Personally, I think a national survey on this subject is not appropriate.

The only people who should be questioned are New Yorkers. It is their Senate seat. And if Caroline Kennedy is appointed to fill it, New Yorkers will have the opportunity to keep her there or select a replacement soon enough.

But I think Kennedy's comments clearly demonstrate her commitment to freedom — as well as democracy.

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