Why Senator Caroline Kennedy is Good for the Democratic Party

It's no secret around these parts that I am not a fan of political dynasties, and I cannot stand nepotism. I found the appointment to the Senate of Joe Biden's former Chief of Staff in order to hold the seat for Biden's son -- by blocking the appointment of the Lieutenant Governor -- was extremely distasteful. Given my views, then, you may find the following declaration surprising and perhaps even hyprocritical, but as a Democrat, I think the appointment of Caroline Kennedy to the U.S. Senate would be a very good thing for the Democratic Party.

My rationale here is pretty simple. I think that putting Kennedy in the Senate would be a huge plus over the long haul for the national Democratic Party because of all the positive pr she would generate. For all the negatives being tossed out there right now -- she has no experience, she is trying to leap-frog over others who are more qualified and have paid their dues, given that she has avoided the limelight her entire life she would be ill-suited to deliver for New York, she would bring Kennedy baggage, etc -- people are forgetting one thing: this woman is JFK's daughter! That by itself would make her an big asset for the Party.

There's no question that today, JFK remains a mystical, beloved figure in America, not just in the northeast, but everywhere. As a result, critics should forget what she could do policy-wise or for the state of New York and realize that having her on a national stage with Barack Obama would be another signal of the national political renaissance in this country and in the Democratic Party.

On the one hand, Dems now have Barack Obama, who is going to lead the country for at least the next four years. Politically, he represents the future. Kennedy herself could play a huge role in pumping up the Democratic Party brand in a similar manner. Every time Kennedy is on tv giving a speech, the media is going to show a picture of her father. That's a given. And let's just say that if you put JFK's picture up giving a speech, it would not do poorly in a focus group. Given Kennedy's likely focus on issues like education, poverty, and all those other flowery things, the sterling publicity alone would be worth its weight in gold for the national party's image.

Contrast that with the current Republican Party, whose leadership is made up almost exclusively of two types of people: wealthy, white-haired white guys, and wealthy gray-haired white guys. Oh, and most of them today are from one region of the nation: the South. Quite the difference, huh? What types of figures would be more appealing on television and to Americans in 2009: Barack Obama and Caroline Kennedy, or John Boehner and Mitch McConnell? What's more likeable, Bill Clinton and JFK, or George Bush and endless references to Ronald Reagan? Another easy call. Putting Caroline Kennedy in the Senate would help burnish the Democratic Party's image not just as the party of the future, but also the party with the richer history, the party that led the country when times were good, as opposed to the last eight years. I think any of the negatives Kennedy would bring would be easily outweighed by these considerations.

Barack Obama himself has to love this idea. For starters, Ted Kennedy was almost certainly the most important endorsement Obama got in the campaign, as it helped him gain enormous credibility at a time he needed it. But more importantly, every time Obama is on stage with Caroline Kennedy, the pictures of JFK will come out on the news telecasts and 24-hour news feeds, and thus the JFK-Obama comparisons will flow, whether or not they are intentional. You think Obama doesn't like that idea?

Let me reiterate how much I hate political nepotism like this. Caroline Kennedy has not only never paid any political dues, but she has actively avoided real politics her entire life. What she is doing is as bad as what Hillary did in 2000 when she jumped over several senior Democrats to take Dan Moynihan's open seat. Additionally, there are big questions about how effective she would be as a Senator to New Yorkers (which should obviously be the biggest consideration for both her and Governor David Paterson, to say nothing of the raw politics we are talking about here).

One other minor consideration. Caroline Kennedy is not Ted Kennedy. Republicans would be very hard-pressed to make her out into some negative, divisive figure. She has none of the personal or political history of her uncle, or several other Kennedys for that matter. She is an elegant figure (in many ways like her mother), and is likeable. Besides, Ted has assumed lion status in American politics today and he is attacked less, especially since his illness was disclosed. So I don't think Caroline Kennedy would be a touchable figure as cheap political attacks go, and any GOPers dumb enough to try using her in that way would have a very hard time succeeding.

Democrats should be smart enough to look past the issues here to focus on the bigger picture outlined above. Having Caroline Kennedy in the Senate would be a boon to both the incoming President and the national Democratic Party. It would be a masterstroke. Whether or not she gets the appointment is up in the air, but I find it telling that her people have made her desire to serve so public. The Kennedys are not stupid, and when they want something they usually get it, so I don't think that move was made in haste. Plus, by appointing her, David Paterson actually does not have to make the choice of tapping one deserving New York congressman over several others who want the job. That is actually a plus in his personal calculus.

So, we will see. But from a purely political standpoint -- and that is always the angle I look at first -- putting Caroline Kennedy in the Senate would be a brilliant political move. And no, I am not, and have never really been a big Kennedy fan, so these are not the babblings of a JFK junkie.