Back during the Presidential campaign, the Dems beat a very insincere drum about Gov. Sarah Palin's qualifications. They said that she didn't have any experience and therefore was not qualified for the position she would have been voted into had the GOP ticket won.
Do the Dems really believe this? No, they don't. The problem with their criticisms of Sarah Palin has been brought out into the light over the proposed appointment of Caroline Kennedy to fill the vacated New York Senate seat should Hillary Clinton become the next U.S. Secretary of State. It is the problem of a double-standard.
Let's compare the self-made woman Gov. Sarah Palin to the Kennedy heiress Caroline Kennedy.
Gov. Palin has actually done her own work, stood on her own and has actually been voted into office starting with the local politics of Wasilla, Alaska before moving on to the State Politics of Alaska and then was introduced to the nation this past year. She has a resume of independence, hard work and accomplishment.
Caroline Kennedy was born into a rich family with a very recognizable name. That's it. Nothing more. She has never been voted into office nor has she ever stood on her own. The only thing she brings to the table is a recognizable name.
Steve Chapman, writing for Town Hall, notes some interesting points that we need to be aware of about Ms. Kennedy and why any Democrat supporting her would be two-faced:
| Kennedy is a well-spoken, pleasant woman who is indistinguishable from many other rich folks who would never be considered for a seat in the nation's highest elected body. Indistinguishable, that is, except for her name, which in some minds confers magical powers denied to ordinary mortals. If she had been born Caroline Kelly, no one would indulge her expressed desire to become a United States senator. But because of her pedigree, Paterson appears to think she's doing him a favor instead of the other way around. Kennedy is the latest example of the rise of "branding" in American politics -- in which merely coming from a particular family is taken as a qualification for office. |
Anyone who is willing to say that Kennedy is fit for office must also be willing to recant any criticism they had of Gov. Palin's apptitude and fitness. Sarah Palin is light-years ahead of Kennedy in qualifications and experience, yet the Dems, like well-trained parrots, kept repeating over and over that she wasn't suited to national public office.
But somehow, they think that an unqualified woman whose only asset in life is that her name is "Kennedy" is a good thing. However, the name "Kennedy" isn't always remembered as being a profile in courage.
More:
| In the Kennedy case, of course, not everyone would agree that Caroline's Uncle Ted has been a boon to the nation during his years in the Senate -- quite the contrary, since he has long been one of the most liberal lawmakers on Capitol Hill. That's without even taking into consideration the minor matter of Mary Jo Kopechne, the young woman he killed in a mysterious car wreck in 1969. Other Kennedys have fallen short in office. Joe Kennedy, son of Robert, was known as a telegenic lightweight during his time in the House of Representatives. Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.), son of Ted, has made news mostly with his drug use and traffic accidents. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, daughter of Robert, was elected lieutenant governor of Maryland, but in 2002 managed the feat of becoming the first Democrat in more than three decades to lose a governor's race in that state. |
And let's not forget William Kennedy Smith's sexual improprieties.
This all comes down to Caroline Kennedy's (and many Dems') belief that somehow, bearing the name Kennedy entitles one to office regardless of how inexperienced the Kennedy is.
If the Dems want to be taken seriously as the party of "change," they need to shout down any possible appointment of Caroline Kennedy and demand that all proposed appointments for the vacated Senate seat must abide by the same standard that they held Sarah Palin to during the 2008 Presidential campaign.
Should we be serious about this? You betcha!
You can access the complete article on-line here:
Caroline And The Lure Of Royalty
Steve Chapman
TownHall.com
December 18, 2008
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