Friday, November 27, 2009

Opinion

Michael Barone

We Could Do Much Worse Than Caroline Kennedy and Other Dynasty Senate Candidates

December 17, 2008 05:25 PM ET | Michael Barone | Permanent Link | Print

Reader Comments

It can't get any worse than this..

WOW! A steel-trap mind, razor-sharp logic, brilliant analysis.."WE COULD DO WORSE!" is a powerful argument indeed. How utterly depressing.

Caroline

We've heard all this before. "If your name was Edward Moore, instead of Edward Moore Kennedy, you wouldn't be a serious candidate (paraphrasing)" I don't blame you for complaining. I'd complain, too, if the smart son was named Jeb.

Dynasty

Nothing against Caroline but she doesn't measure up. This dynasty thing smacks of 18th century France.

Rick

It's obvious to me she'll be selected by the media, the Democrats, SNL, Hollywood & MTV for the first female President after the first black President. The Democrates own the elite media, Hollywood, blacks, women, gays, unions, trial lawyers and they want to absolutely cement that.

We could have another Bush

And finish invading the rest of the axis of evil.

Well, the Republicans aren't real big on dynasties these days...

quit enough said....

Kennedy

Though Caroline Kennedy has a lower standard than others to become the Senator (by appointment and name recognition), she will have to live up to the Kennedy standard. As such, she will be held to standards that no average Joe or Jane will have to meet. She also will have to prove herself more so than if she were elected--so as not to make it that much easier for her challenger to defeat her come the election.

Seems to me that there are still Clintonites who are chomping at the bit for paybacks. This is childish and completely disregarding the fact that Hillary Clinton could not have won an election without her last name being Clinton or her husband being a popular President. She turned out fine. So will Kennedy.

And then she should run for President in 2016 so America will have its first father-daughter President.

Looks like the people want monarchy, not democracy.

How About . . .

. . . Liza Minnelli! She is a New Yorker, and sounds HORRIBLY BAD TO BE BACK ON BROADWAY, so she can hide behind a senate seat.

We could do much better...

That's mighty weak logic to say that Caroline Kennedy should be appointed (or more accurately anointed) senator because she may be more qualified than Uncle Ted was in 1962. Both she and Andrew Cuomo are far too liberal for my tastes, but at least Cuomo has an established record of public service and office holding. But should Caroline get the seat, I fear she'll push policies (e.g. mass immigration) that erode the middle class while she retreats to her exclusive, sheltered neighborhood and family compound.

Add your thoughts

All comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive. For more information, please see our Comments FAQ.
U.S. News Weekly

Subscribe Today

Order the new U.S. News Weekly digital magazine at a special low introductory price!

Michael Barone is a senior writer for U.S.News & World Report and principal coauthor of The Almanac of American Politics. He has written for many publications—including the Economist and the New York Times.

advertisement

NEWSLETTER

Sign up today for the latest headlines from U.S. News & World Report delivered to you free.

RSS FEEDS

Personalize your U.S. News with our feeds of blogs and breaking news headlines.

U.S. NEWS MOBILE

U.S. News daily briefings are also available on your mobile device.

People who read this also read ...

Thomas Jefferson St.

Thank You, Bob Dylan

He’s still touring around America like a rolling stone.

GOP Can Be Thankful for Strong Polls

But they cannot get complacent.

5 Reasons for a Democratic Thanksgiving

Michael Steele and healthcare reform top the list.

Women Have Say on Health Reform

If it's the year of the women, why are there so few of them?

Turkey Tax

Uncle Sam is joining in on your Thanksgiving dinner.

Ideological Labels Just Don't Fit

Hard-liners don't understand that some of us don't toe an ideological line.

A Decade in Biased Review

How well does the video sum up the last decade?

Public Opinion

Should the GOP Have a Litmus Test?

Should the RNC exclude politicians who don't match the party's platform?

Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our Terms and Conditions of Use and Privacy Policy.
Make USNews.com your home page.