As a lifelong New Yorker, I have mixed feelings about Caroline Kennedy's desire to represent me in the U.S. Senate.
On the positive side, obviously her father and her uncle gave their lives for our country, and I am a child of that era so that counts for me. She has lived her entire life in a fishbowl, yet became a person of principle and character, in both her public and private lives. She wrote two books on the Constitution and worked to improve New York City schools. At a time when virtually the entire American establishment -- political, military, media, financial -- is corrupt, she appears untainted.
But appearances can be deceiving. Kennedy's first purely political move was hiring consultant Josh Isay, whose clients include Joe Lieberman and Benjamin Netanyahu, two of the strongest supporters of the disastrous invasion of Iraq. That awful hire quickly cost her the support of Kos; Jane Hamsher then found a lying Isay-Lieberman ad against Ned Lamont which promised to bring our troops home from Iraq, shortly before Lieberman called for more troops.
Kennedy's personnel decisions are crucial because her positions on the issues are a mystery. As Jane Hamsher writes,
It doesn't seem to have occurred to her that letting people know where she stands on important issues of the day should matter, or that she should have to subject herself to public questioning. At best it seems like a political afterthought -- because she hasn't troubled herself to do so.
But even if she adopts progressive positions on all the issues, how can she possibly represent me or my fellow 20 million New Yorkers? She comes from a rich dynastic family, was a national celebrity from birth, and never had to struggle to get a job or pay a bill in her life.
Sure FDR was rich and did a pretty good job. But he still had to work his way up the political ladder by fighting for key Democratic constituencies like labor unions. Caroline wants to come in at the top without having fought tough political battles for anyone.
That's a tough one for me to swallow, especially now when our fundamental economic and political structures are coming undone, thanks to the corrupt actions of America's elites, including Democratic elites.
The last 8 years have been a litmus test for Democrats. When George Bush stole the election in Florida in 2000, activists around the country took to the streets - but influential Democrats like Caroline Kennedy said nothing. When George Bush marched the nation to war in Iraq on the basis of lies in 2003, millions of Americans took to the streets - but influential Democrats like Caroline Kennedy said nothing. When George Bush's Iraq lies were exposed in 2005, along with his dictatorial regime of torture and wiretapping, millions of Americans called for impeachment - but influential Democrats like Caroline Kennedy said nothing.
Why should Caroline Kennedy be rewarded for doing nothing over the past 8 years about the most important issues we faced as a nation?
Yesterday, Gov. David Paterson said of their conversation: "She'd like at some point to sit down and tell me what she thinks her qualifications are." Here's my suggestion: rather than having a private tea with our accidental governor, why doesn't Caroline sit down in front of a camera and tell all 20 million New Yorkers what she thinks her qualifications are, and put it up on Youtube so we all can judge? And then she should invite and answer questions from all New Yorkers, just as President-elect Obama is doing at change.gov.
If we like her answers, New Yorkers are likely to support her. But if we don't, we'll thank her for her interest and consider other influential Democrats who demonstrated their commitment to fighting for us over the past 8 years, like Liz Holtzman.