She was a mayor. She went through a primary and became a govenor which a budget significantly larger than that of, let’s say, Delaware. Kennedy has done no such thing. She has no elected representative experience at all. None.
Glad you agree that Palin being brought into this isn’t relevant (and rather odd). Both Regan and Arnold ran for office. They put the fact that they didn’t have the experience to the voters.
Well if you admit that there are more qualified candidates then I’m not sure what we are arguing about. My mistake, I think I assumed you were saying that she’s the best candidate so that’s an error on my part.
With regard to her credentials, as an attorney I’ve actually published more than she has. It’s not that difficult.
OK, Palin’s qualifications were not as flimsy based on her other government jobs. I do think Kennedy has qualifications that Palin lacked despite her time as Mayor of Wasilla, but I don’t know why Palin is being dragged into this at all, really. There are better examples of people obtaining high elected office with zero government experience. Reagan and Schwarzeneggar, as I said before.
You keep saying this, as if Kennedy is trying to dodge being elected to this office. Being elected is not an option right now. This is no fault of Kennedy’s. If she gets appointed, she will have to prove herself in order to get re-elected. The Democrats do not want to put someone in there who will be unseated by a Republican, so they should choose wisely. Kennedy could well do fine, but I’d rather see someone more qualified in the job. Thus, you and are I pretty much in agreement here.
Of course it’s her 'fault". She could wait for an open seat, and run for election. Then the electorate could decide if she was qualified despite her lack of experience. Just like Reagan and Schwarzenegger.
What she seems to be hoping for is to slide in thru the back door, and then have all the advantages of incumbency the first time she has to face a campaign, with opponents and everything.
The unfortunate thing about this is that it smacks of the sort of entitlement that gets objected to in America. There is no divine right of Kennedys in the US of A, Teddy is circling the drain, Camelot is as dead as Elvis and a poet with a law degree and a famous last name wants to be one of the hundred most powerful people in the nation without even giving her state a chance to have a good look at her pasty white ass.
Hilary got the seat because of her last name. Now Caroline wants a twofer. What’s next, Jeb Bush for President?
Sure, but she was marrying below her station, not above it, which is what you seemed to be implying when you called her a social climber. She could hardly have known her aw-shucks husband was going to become a Governor, much less President.
Not really. Politicians’ kids in the UK generally don’t become politicians themselves. If they do make headlines on their own, it’s generally through sex scandals and the like.
I can’t think of anywhere other than India and Italy where nepotism (in elected politics) is the norm, other than here.
Of course it’s not her “fault.” Being elected is not an option, so she’s applying for the job. If there’d be any fault to assign here, it would be to the person who picks her.
She still has to run when her appointed term is up. If she sucks, then she won’t get re-elected, which will be bad for Democrats. Thus, if you think she is not qualified and won’t be good, maybe you’d be applauding the choice.
Hey, I’m not endorsing her candidacy. I’m not a big fan of nepotism and legacies either.
Despite the fact that I’m most definitely NOT a Hillary fan, I have to object to this. Like Reagan and Schwarzeneggar, Hillary ran and won, fair and square. If you don’t have a problem with them being chosen because they were movie stars, I don’t see how you can have a problem with her being elected because she was Bill’s wife (if indeed that’s why New Yorkers voted for her-- arguable). You could also say the same about George Bush being elected Governor of Texas, couldn’t you? I think he failed to be elected to Congress and that was his only prior governmental experience before becoming governor. As long as your objections to Hillary are also applied to Republican candidates with a similar lack of experience and prior celebrity, then we are in agreement.
There are precedents in the world for relatives being appointed to an office that is vacated.
No, I’m not thinking of Bill. He’s doing too much good elsewhere.
What about Chelsea ? She’s got impressive credentials like a Master’s degree from Oxford in International Relations and she’s a bona fide New York resident.
Too young. The Constitution requires senators be at least 30, and she’s 28. While Kennedy’s merits are debatable, Chelsea is definitely not qualified.
Hillary Clinton was seen decades ago as somebody with a bright political future if she wanted it. She didn’t magically gain one when she married Bill. She did take advantage of her name recognition in 2000, obviously.
In case this wasn’t clear: all the appointee gets is a minor head start in office. The special election will be in November 2010, and then the winner of that election will have to run again in November 2012, which would’ve been the next scheduled election were Clinton not leaving.
I didn’t say I didn’t like it. I said it would have been better if it had followed the form of a limerick more closely, not that it would have been good if it had done so.
I agree 100%. And honestly, this post, for what little it means to you, makes me think that you aren’t an absolute whore to all things liberal. Good job with the independent thinking
Hillary Clinton really studied up on the issues for every single New York county, and it showed. Carrying off a credible listening tour - that is demonstrating your familiarity with all the small-bore issues of the state - shouldn’t be dismissed, IMHO. There are no higher qualifications for a freshman Senator than intelligence, hard work and a willingness to engage with all your constituents.
Okay. Too much filler. In a limerick, any time you’re tempted to use the words “quite” or “just” to fill out a line, re-write the line. If you need both of them in a five-line poem, start the poem over again from scratch.
