Chesler Chronicles

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December 16th, 2008 10:05 am

The Princess Ascendant: Caroline Kennedy’s Bid for the Senate.

As I was deciding what I’d write about today, imagine my surprise and delight when I came across a certain quote in today’s lead New York Times article about Caroline Kennedy’s decision to seek Hillary Clinton’s Senate Seat. Joel Klein, the Chancellor of New York City’s public schools, favors her anointment (whoops, I meant appointment), and said that Kennedy’s recent campaigning for President-elect Obama “got her blood flowing.”

In other words if her blood has begun to stir, even at this late date, it would be an act of noblesse oblige, on the part of We, the People, to allow our dynastic princess this small boon. After all, she does know “everyone,” they will all take her calls. And, her family has sacrificed at least three sons for this nation. In the grand tradition of the House of Lords, if the only peer left standing is a woman, with absolutely no formal political experience, duty still obliges her to represent her family in Parliament… (whoops! I meant the Senate).

A flute player, Marie Owen, who was also interviewed in the article, “expressed admiration for Ms. Kennedy and said, ‘I can’t see her as being corrupt. It’s not her legacy.’”

The romantic idealization of the Kennedy women, but especially of Caroline’s late mother, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, continues on. This is as close as America can come to the kind of royalty worship that Queen Elizabeth and the late Princess Diana still command among the plebes. Look: We are all brought up on fairy tales and the habit dies hard.

Pitted against Joel Klein’s view (and that of the flute player), was the lone voice of a teacher, Shannon R. Berkowsky, who lives on the Upper East Side. Berkowsky noted that “Ms. Kennedy’s positions on many issues were all but unknown, unlike those of many elected officials who have expressed interest in the seat. ‘There are people who have worked hard their whole lives for the greater good who don’t have the name, and should they be passed over?’ Ms. Berkowsky said.”

Ah, Shannon Berkowsky is also my beloved daughter-in-law! My son just told me that she had been approached last night by the reporter as she sat in a cafe waiting for a friend to join her. Shannon is hard-working, fair-minded, pragmatic, realistic, creative, and I think she has raised a quintessential American question. Are we a monarchy or a democratic Republic founded upon law and a world-class Constitution?

Shannon is too young to have lived through the bright, brief days of Camelot, (a myth which no amount of truth can ever puncture for its True Believers). But woe to our democracy, shamed and brought low by corruption in High Places, both financial and political. Even as I write, I can almost hear all the phones ringing on Kennedy’s behalf in Governor Patterson’s office, a Governor who also holds the fate of New York State’s next Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals in his hands. I hope he appoints the very excellent judge, Jonathan Lippman, but I, too, am only one lone voice. (What the hell, I also favor long-time, hard working, and feminist New York Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney who has certainly put in the time and who wants the job).

So: Hillary Clinton, the lawyer-former First Lady-carpetbagger from Illinois, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Arkansas and Washington D.C., handily won the Senate seat from New York. And, although she, too, had never before been elected to political office, many believe she did very well for us in her new position. She certainly did well for herself and, despite promises to the contrary, ran for the American Presidency and is now slated to be our next Secretary of State.

Is Caroline Kennedy made of the same stuff–or is she truly different from her predecessor? Does America really need aristocrats to take over the ship of state from elected pros like (the also born-wealthy) Spitzer, Blagojevich, and a truly long, long line of corrupt politicians on both sides of the aisle?

Funny: The Times article has completely disappeared Kennedy’s long-time married name (Schlossberg). And, maybe I missed it, but I haven’t read many outraged and sputtering views which condemn Kennedy for daring to run without any previous experience. Remember how Sarah Palin was greeted? How dare she, who is she? Oh, she’s the governor of an American state? But it’s such a small state, and she has no national experience, and it’s a rough-and-tumble insider’s game in DC, etc.

Is Governor Patterson capable of turning away all that Kennedy and Obama money given that he himself faces a gubernatorial run in 2010? Would someone like Caroline Kennedy have risked “coming out” for a job if she didn’t know that she already had it? Anyone wanna bet on what Governor Patterson will do?

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12 Comments

1. Virginia/Greenconsciousness:

First of all -Hillary DID have political experience before she was elected in NY and plenty of it, having been an active participant in the rough and tumble of running campaigns, getting elected and participating as an equal in the governorship and presidency. She had been through a war in terms of political experience.

CK, on the other hand, has organized socials where rich people come and kiss her ring. Just like her father she is taking credit for books that scholars were hired to “co-author”.

What is different about this appointment, bought by the political power and wealth of the Kennedys, from the more blatant actions in Chicago?

Does anyone really believe that this seat is not being bought with promises of patronage and threats of political retribution if not awarded? Chicago got caught because it was more honest than NY.

And what does this say about the Clinton SoS appointment? Given to get Hillary out of the senate? Samantha “monster” Powers has re-emerged as a member of President-elect Obama’s transition team.

“Specifically, Power is listed as a member of PEBO’s “agency review team” on national security. The even more interesting wrinkle — Power is focused on the State Department, which the aforementioned Ms. Clinton will likely soon helm. ”

The CK appointment is an insult to Hillary and to the women of NY who don’t even know CK’s catholic position on choice.

That is why, as in Chicago, there should be a special election for this seat not a bought and sold political coronation.

It is impossible to get rid of an wealthy incumbent and this one will be only available to her class and kind.

This country is so corrupt now the rich just buy their senate seats, Wall St takes the worker’s tax money without conditions and the workers are savaged because they want to keep their pensions. No money for medical care but billions for Wall St. They don’t even pretend to democracy any more.

We lost our last hope when this machine and CK used sexism to win the presidency for BO. Now that same machine is poised to give NY as a patronage payback for CK’s family endorsement of BO.

New York working class people are lost if they let this happen. Demand an election so these people have to tell you how they will vote on economic and social issues or insist that someone with a record be given the seat.

Dec 16, 2008 - 12:02 pm 2. Sylvie7:

I never cease to enjoy your comments and sense of humor. I think “passing the job on” to Mrs. Schlossberg is another example of the sorry state American politics has reached (maybe it’s been there before). We aren’t a monarchy. Doesn’t anyone care about the Revolution. When she gets the job, it will just reinforce my own disgust for the politicians who run our governments. I still haven’t gotten over the way Nita Lowy was ditched after all her years in Democratic politics. That’s when I became an “Independent.”
Sylvia Navon

Dec 16, 2008 - 12:07 pm 3. Norman Simms:

Doesn’t anyopne feel a slight urge to change the process by which retired or deceased senators are replaced? The appointment by governors or state legislatures goes back to the days when all senate seats were by appointment. So why not do what parliamentary democracies all over the world dop: call by-elections? Then the celebrity heirs to celebrity politicians can fight it out in puiboic with the public deciding.

Norman

Dec 16, 2008 - 12:54 pm 4. Marcia Pappas:

Bravo for your honesty Phyllis. Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, hard working, dedicated public servant, a person who has proven herself to be a leader on the hard issues, deserves Hillary’s Senate seat. Hands down, she’s our pick. Governor Paterson should appoint Maloney. A true American who cares about her state and the rest of the country.

Dec 16, 2008 - 1:18 pm 5. Fern Sidman:

I think that Gov. Patterson would place Carolyn Kennedy Schlossberg on this top of his short list of potential candidates for the highly coveted US Senate seat. I understand that Gov Patterson needs to fill his coffers and build his war chest for an upcoming run for Governor in 2010. Appointing someone like Carolyn Kennedy who has ties to the wealthiest people in this country, not to mention her own mega fortune would surely be a tremendous asset to him. No doubt she will be a magnet for contributions for his campaign.

You raise another excellent point. Why is it that Carolyn Kennedy’s full name does not appear in the media? Do her handlers believe that her status as wife of a Jewish man could possibly hurt her chances of being appointed or not being warmly embraced by the voters of New York state?

The possibility of her appointment will indeed be a nostalgic one as her late uncle, Robert F Kennedy held the very same seat, but under very different circumstances.

I agree with a previous commenter who said that a special election be called in such circumstances so that the voters can hear the views on the issues from each candidate and decide for themselves who will represent the Empire State in the Senate.

Dec 16, 2008 - 1:21 pm 6. josil:

It’s unfortunate that so many “populists” prefer the election of a U.S. Senator to an appointment of one. Some of us can recall the hastily contrived 17th Amendment, which dispensed with one of the last vestiges of our aristocracy. The Empire State is valiantly trying to restore the status quo ante 17th. Maybe we can even scare up a few Bourbon descendents.

Dec 16, 2008 - 2:06 pm 7. Mavra Stark:

It’s challenging to give up the princess myth. My mother was obsessed with the Kennedys, and some of that has rubbed off on me. It would be fascinating to watch Caroline develop into the junior senator from NY. Yes! But Carolyn Maloney for senator is by far the fairer and most logical choice. She’s a much surer bet. We already know she can handle the job, we know how she stands on so many issues. She deserves the promotion. Caroline K.S.ought to run in 2010 against Maloney if she really wants the job and is willing to put herself on the line for it.

Dec 16, 2008 - 3:50 pm 8. Marcia Pappas:

I have respect for Caroline Kennedy, but she is not qualified for this position. We don’t even know where stands on the issues. We have never seen her work for women’s rights or civil rights. She has never held an elected position. It is disheartening to know that someone can buy a seat at the table. Not surprising, but disheartening.

And then we have Carolyn Maloney who has worked on some crucial issues and has been out front for New Yorkers. And she has been doing this for years. How Governor Paterson can pass Carolyn Maloney over for Kennedy is beyond me. The National Organization for Women PAC has endorsed Carolyn Maloney. They did this after reviewing all of the potential nonminees. Also the Feminist Majority PAC has endorsed Carolyn Maloney.

Sure Kennedy is a bright woman, but she is riding on the coat tails of a myth and has not proven herself to New Yorkers. Her day will come, but she should wait her turn and not buy herself a seat at the table.

Dec 16, 2008 - 6:10 pm 9. BL:

Dr. Chesler,

Too funny, but not funny, ha ha! Right on the heels of the Illinois Governor’s senatorial auction, New York has it’s own raffle going on! I’ve been waiting for you’re input. As Obama stacks his White House team with Clinton political cronies, doin’ the ‘good ole boy’ pay back thing, you laid in wait! (Sarah Palin would be proud of your restraint, biding your time in the duck blind).

But a new duckling, flew out today (”Sweet Caroline”), and there you were with your verbal gun, not looking for a kill, but firing a reasoned warning shot across the bow, with a little help from your daughter-in-law to boot! The acorn doesn’t fall far from the tree and when those acorns meet they create a pretty solid start to a new, yet similar, tree! Madam Berkowsky’s comments raised the kind of issues that an old limb can support.

I don’t think they had too many flutists playing in the “Speakeasys” during Prohibition, it was the golden age of the yakkidy Jazz Sax! Benny Goodman played the clarinet, but Joe Kennedy supplied the booze and Anti-Semitism. Bootlegging was illegal and profitable: buy me a drink and I’ll do you a favor. It’s called corruption.

I wish I could be so idealistic to think that two generations later, it is easy to erase corruption and substitute virtue. But as Shannon so cogently put it, paraphrasing, “where are the words, much less the actions!”

Thanks for providing the link to Rep. Carolyn Maloney’s congressional website. I read words and I saw actions. I see a feminist who has continued the fight for womens’ rights and I’m sorry, boys, but the next junior senator from the state of New York, should be a woman, should be a feminist, should have a public record, should, in these tough times, be a bona fide mover and shaker. a campaigner who has fought for the trust of the citizens of this state in elections and won!

Governor Patterson, all the money and favors in the world from the rich and famous, will not win you the votes to retain a governorship that you have risen to, by hard work and yet, default, from one of those rich and powerful favor recipients who violated the public trust.

SNL aside, I think you are doing a good job (so far) at a very difficult time. You’ve been frank with us, your constituents, about who you are, the trials and tribulations you have overcome, what you’ve done and the values you hold dear. Hold true to that and, we the people, will vote and support you. Bend, succumb to others’ values and you will disappoint not only us, but yourself!

Please appoint Carolyn Maloney, the next junior senator from the great state of New York.

Dec 16, 2008 - 9:19 pm 10. Greenconsciousness:

This is a legitimate petition circulated by Hillary’s supporters to tell Patterson to find someone else. Please sign it.

http://www.petitiononline.com/nysen/petition.html

Dec 17, 2008 - 9:48 am 11. Gary Ogletree:

How will Caroline fare in regard to The Chicago Way running the executive branch (or will it be our new Poliboro)? Will she go along to get along in our new House of Lords? Camelot is her family brand, will she object to Dear Leader trying to make it his own? How does she feel about Bill Ayer’s admiration for Sirhan Sirhan and his wife’s fondness for the Manson family’s murder of Sharon Tate? Dumb questions I expect will never be asked.

Dec 17, 2008 - 8:56 pm 12. Random Thoughts » Setting the bar for 2009…:

[...] possibility of Bill Clinton joining in the Senate fun (at least his qualifications beat those of Caroline Kennedy), all this Congress needs is a canvas big [...]

Jan 3, 2009 - 12:20 am