In reference to this diary on Caroline Kennedy seeking Hilary's seat, there seems to be a redux of an argument I hear constantly but never quite understand.
What, some people ask, makes Caroline Kennedy think she's qualified to be a Senator?
What, I ask, qualifies anyone to seek public office?
If you want to begin, let's look at Hilary Clinton seeking the Presidency: what, people asked, qualified her to be the next President of the United States? She was the first lady-- she was involved in policy decisions (the two for one presidency jokes), she attempted to run a campaign for health care-- she, more recently, was a Senator.
Okay, so she was a President's wife-- which got her the Senate seat-- and then a Senator who is also a President's wife. Those were her qualifications.
What of men like George W. Bush, as governor? He was a business man. To many people, that's enough-- a business man, well, he runs a business. He does accounts. He knows people. He has an MBA. That's his qualifications. Then he became a governor and being a governor was, essentially, his qualification.
Barack Obama? One term junior Senator? Former state Senator, lawyer, community organizer? What, people asked, time and time again, makes him qualified for the highest office in the land (and some folks on both sides of the aisle still ask this question)? He's too young! He's never been an executive or a company, he's not had enough time to learn the complete ins-and-outs of the senate, he's not a governor!
What makes him qualified to be the President? Well, he ran a damn good campaign. Was that really what qualified him for the job?
Caroline Kennedy is an author. A campaigner. A philoanthropist. And, let's face it, another in a line of political legacy aristocrats.
But to say, as one commenter did, that she's another "dilettante heiress" is a little overboard.
Let's be honest here: the Political Class is a class (especially the Senate). They are often wealthy and are often educated in the schools of the elite. Many are legacies of a political machine or family-- nothing, after all, is more networking intensive than a life in politics.
So she hasn't campaigned, yet. Why is that important? Why are so many dupping themselves into believing that the only thing that qualifies people for public office is running a campaign. Think about that. A campaign is, quite simply, an exercising in "getting people to like you."
There's only one quality that qualifies one for high office: the trust of the people. People in NY know her. People in NY like her. Maybe they'd like Cuomo more, but I'm not in NY so I couldn't tell you.
But whatever you want to say about Caroline Kennedy, heiress, aristocrat or no, I do believe she's passed the trust of the people test.