Before we collectively marveled in revulsion at Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich offering Barack Obama’s senate seat to the highest bidder, I seemed to be one of the few equally perturbed that Caroline Kennedy, a respectable woman with absolutely zero interest and experience in politics or public affairs until a few months ago, was being considered as a front-runner for a New York Senate seat that was also to be filled by special appointment.
I have always been allergic to nepotism in public and private practice. Maybe it’s because my parents didn’t have a business where I could start as a vice president right out of college because they told me I had to earn my career the hard way. And there certainly was no political seat they kept warm for me either. And unlike Caroline, Paris and others, the Jacobson name doesn’t open many doors or ensure you’re born on third base or home plate either. But when many deride the special interests that consume politics, they should make room for the most special interest of all – families from the Bushes to the Kennedys on down trying to form oligarchies to govern plebians like us.
I’m not from Massachusetts and I don’t buy into the Kennedy mystique. In my home state of New Jersey, voters recently denied Tom Kean Jr., son of a former governor who had amassed an unspectacular record as a state senator, a U.S. senate seat in 2006. And I don’t think they would re-elect any senator who had gone through the driving and drinking trials of Ted Kennedy either. But if you look around at the recent political families that run so much of our country, you find little to assure you that these families are winning elections because of their brains. From the slew of Kennedys here to the Landrieus of Louisiana and the Daleys of Chicago, the overall track record of these families is pretty mediocre. While that may be no better or worse than your average politician, it’s safe to say that Hillary Clinton was Hillary Smith and Caroline Kennedy was Caroline Jones, do you think either of them would be considered for or elected to Congress with their track records?
And guess who may take over Joe Biden’s seat in Delaware? That’s right – Joe Biden III! In a move that Blagojevich would approve, Delaware Governor recently appointed Vice President-Elect Joe Biden’s chief of staff to fill his seat while Biden III prepares for a quite obvious run when he returns from Iraq. At least Biden has currently served almost 18 months as Delaware’s attorney general, giving him far more experience than Caroline Kennedy.
Nepotism is nothing new in American politics. The Adams of Massachusetts, the Roosevelts of New York and the Tafts of Ohio existed long ago and more families will arise. Name recognition is always important when running for office. But it’s a shame that so many voters and governors who must appoint members to Congress never look beyond pedigree or last name.
I have always been allergic to nepotism in public and private practice. Maybe it’s because my parents didn’t have a business where I could start as a vice president right out of college because they told me I had to earn my career the hard way. And there certainly was no political seat they kept warm for me either. And unlike Caroline, Paris and others, the Jacobson name doesn’t open many doors or ensure you’re born on third base or home plate either. But when many deride the special interests that consume politics, they should make room for the most special interest of all – families from the Bushes to the Kennedys on down trying to form oligarchies to govern plebians like us.
I’m not from Massachusetts and I don’t buy into the Kennedy mystique. In my home state of New Jersey, voters recently denied Tom Kean Jr., son of a former governor who had amassed an unspectacular record as a state senator, a U.S. senate seat in 2006. And I don’t think they would re-elect any senator who had gone through the driving and drinking trials of Ted Kennedy either. But if you look around at the recent political families that run so much of our country, you find little to assure you that these families are winning elections because of their brains. From the slew of Kennedys here to the Landrieus of Louisiana and the Daleys of Chicago, the overall track record of these families is pretty mediocre. While that may be no better or worse than your average politician, it’s safe to say that Hillary Clinton was Hillary Smith and Caroline Kennedy was Caroline Jones, do you think either of them would be considered for or elected to Congress with their track records?
And guess who may take over Joe Biden’s seat in Delaware? That’s right – Joe Biden III! In a move that Blagojevich would approve, Delaware Governor recently appointed Vice President-Elect Joe Biden’s chief of staff to fill his seat while Biden III prepares for a quite obvious run when he returns from Iraq. At least Biden has currently served almost 18 months as Delaware’s attorney general, giving him far more experience than Caroline Kennedy.
Nepotism is nothing new in American politics. The Adams of Massachusetts, the Roosevelts of New York and the Tafts of Ohio existed long ago and more families will arise. Name recognition is always important when running for office. But it’s a shame that so many voters and governors who must appoint members to Congress never look beyond pedigree or last name.
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