Dowd's bogus case for Kennedy

Published Jan 07 2009, 10:58 AM by Adam Reilly

In its sharp deconstruction of today's Maureen Dowd column--which attempts to make the case for Caroline Kennedy as U.S. senator--Gawker rightly notes that Dowd seems to have a double standard regarding the thin resumes of Kennedy and one Sarah Palin.

Undiscussed, though, is the bogus argument Dowd uses to close out her piece. Here it is:

Sitting in the Senate gallery on Tuesday as senators were sworn in by Dick Cheney, I saw plenty of lawmakers who had benefited from family.

Two Udalls were being sworn in, under the watchful eye of Stewart Udall. Mark Begich, the new senator from Alaska, is the son of a former Alaska congressman. The classy Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, son of the late Gov. Robert Casey, was there in a festive pink tie. John McCain, whose wife’s money and Arizona pull made his Senate election possible, looked on with a smile. Hillary, whose husband paved the way for her to join this club and run for president, chatted with colleagues. Jay Rockefeller wandered about, as did Chris Dodd, son of Senator Thomas Dodd. And Teddy Kennedy, walking with a cane, worked the room with his old brio.

It isn’t what your name is. It’s what you do with it. Or, in the case of W., don’t.

Here's the problem: Mark and Tom Udall won election to the Senate after previously winning election to Congress. Mark Begich won election to the Senate after previously winning election to the Alaska Assembly and Anchorage mayoralty. Bob Casey won election to the Senate after previously winning election as Pennsylvania's auditor general and, later, treasurer. John McCain benefitted from his wife's connections, but still won election to the Senate. Ditto for Hillary Clinton, and Jay Rockefeller (who'd previously won election as West Virginia's governor), and Chris Dodd, and Ted Kennedy.

In short: it's not Kennedy's family ties that have some of us irked. It's that those ties could give Kennedy--who's never held any kind of elected office before--a seat in the U.S. Senate without a single vote being cast.

Filed Under: New York Times, Maureen Dowd, Caroline Kennedy, Gawker

Defending the Herald: Diane Patrick got it wrong--updated!

Kudos to Chuck, with a caveat

6 Comments

Mo MoDo said:

The basic argument boils down to "meh, you could do worse."

January 7, 2009 1:41 PM
Utopia on the Hudson said:

What I don't understand is why this blog and outlets such as Fox spend so much time on the issue of the open Senate seat in New York. Let us in New York worry about it, eh? This obsession by out-of-staters seems to hint at some deeper pathology.

January 7, 2009 3:46 PM
Adam Reilly said:

I can't speak for Fox, UotH. But as you may know, the Kennedys have something of a history here in Massachusetts.

January 7, 2009 4:17 PM
Yellow Dog Democrat said:

The open Senate seat in NY is the business of all Democrats whether or not they live in NY. We just don't want the seat to be given to someone who cannot compete in the political arena and may lose the seat to a Republican in 2010 or 2012. Kennedy's klutzy entry into national politics suggests that she cannot compete. Recent polls seem to corroborate that concern.

January 7, 2009 7:18 PM
Peter Porcupine said:

That's your only concern, Yellow dog? Not that she might bollix up her constituents, but that the Dems might lose in the future?

Of course, why am I surprised...the same excuse was made in Illinois, resulting in the 'Blago' appointment. And the only reason we have a special election law here was to prevent a GOP governor from making an appointment - which could have been overturned by the voters if they wished.

I never want to hear about partisan bias in the Senate from Democrats again; no whining about partisan filibuster, etc. The Democrats have amply proven their hypocricy in the matter, and the party motto should be changed to - Some pigs are more equal than others. Especially those with lipstick.

January 8, 2009 12:38 PM
aging cynic said:

Adam, well played. Further evidence that New Yorkers sincerely believe that they deserve more than 2% of the Senate membership,(e.g. "I don't know anyone who voted for him") "Deeper pathology", indeed....

January 8, 2009 12:47 PM

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Dowd's bogus case for Kennedy

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Mo MoDo said:

Utopia on the Hudson said:

Adam Reilly said:

Yellow Dog Democrat said:

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aging cynic said:

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