Me Me Me

Caroline Kennedy has declared her interest in replacing Hillary in the Senate, and the press has gotten busy scratching its collective chin over the burning question, “Is she qualified?” Um, YEAH. She is BEYOND qualified, and I couldn’t be more thrilled that she wants to put herself out there and serve our state (which is not overflowing with inspiring political figures, to put it mildly) and haul herself to Washington to take the seat held by her Uncle Bobby. In fact, it’s the best news I’ve heard since Obama decided to run for President. Appoint her tomorrow, Governor Paterson, before she changes her mind!

All of this harrumphing over Caroline’s “qualifications” makes me laugh. She would be a fabulous and inspiring Senator. “She hasn’t proved herself.” Excuse me — who SHOULD get the seat, some hack who has traded political favors for a dozen years in some obscure town in Westchester or upstate? Some semi-corrupt member of the useless New York City Council? Here’s who should be a Senator: Someone really, really smart. Someone with a record of public service. Someone progressive and strong and independent. Someone like Caroline Kennedy.

Do I have a soft spot for Caroline because I remember her hugging her daddy in the Oval Office and riding her pony Macaroni and standing with her sweet little brother before JFK’s funeral? Yes, I do. Now think about how Caroline might have turned out after losing her father at age six. With all that money — the Kennedy money and later the Onassis divorce money — she could have become the ultimate New York socialite, hopping out of limos and concentrating on her wardrobe as she made the scene here and all over Europe. A glittering (wasted) life, fawned over in Vogue like so many other shallow, vain people with famous last names.

Caroline didn’t do that. Quietly, she went to law school, wrote a series of interesting books, administered an award for public service attached to her father’s library, raised millions of dollars for New York public schools (including a $50 million donation from Bill Gates), spoke out for great organizations like Human Rights First, and raised three kids out of the spotlight. She never cared about appearances. She hasn’t had a facelift. She is one of the most famous people in America and yet she seems to have lived a normal, productive life in spite of all the tragedies she had endured. She would be an outstanding Senator. Yes, Caroline!

Tags: Caroline Kennedy

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 17th, 2008 at 6:08 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.