Not a threat, just a benevolent wish.
I am someone who wouldn't mind seeing Caroline Kennedy in the Senate, but if she wants to serve her country and set herself apart from her "competitors", she might want to
- portray herself as a counterweight to the flaccid Harry Reids of the Senate. (Cf. Reid’s recent calling REPUBLICAN senator Corker a great guy! For what, trying to sink the auto industry bailout and castrate the UAW? !);
- get a voice of her own in the Internet world IMMEDIATELY, just like her uncle Ted who is a Daily Kos member and has posted here many times;
- come up with a specifically progressive agenda (e.g., an official Congressional censure of Bush/Cheney for all their misdeeds; protecting gay civil marriages; hastening Iraq withdrawal and the cancellation of Bush tax cuts for the rich) to show that she is not just some coddled Kennedy who wants a fancy job, but rather, someone to be reckoned with, and who has something special to offer and who will serve and protect the American people and take their grievances seriously.
Can she handle it?
(more below)
If CK can show she has the stuff (and I doubt that she's just a Christmas pony), I think that many Democratic activists will tend to support her (even over more experienced candidates) and to contact David Paterson, or make noises he can hear (he IS a member here) and suggest she gets the seat.
Actually, never mind my speculations; let's just do something about it.
Her spokesperson of the moment seems to be Stefan Friedman at public relations firm Knickerbocker SKD; therefore, you can presumably reach Ms. Kennedy through Mr. Friedman. Here's his e-mail, friedman@knickskd.com, and here's a sample script for you to use--tweak it as you like--if you want Caroline to be responsive to this community and other progressive communities:
[subject line: What does Caroline have to offer progressives?]
Dear Stefan Friedman:
I am an active Democrat who'd like to see what Caroline Kennedy has to offer as a Senate candidate. I invite her to join, and post on, Daily Kos, the premier Democratic blog, like her uncle Ted Kennedy does, to see if she can deal with answering progressive activists' questions, to see if she has a progressive agenda (e.g., official Congressional censure of Bush/Cheney for their poor behavior; protecting gay civil marriages; making the Iraq withdrawal and the cancellation of Bush tax cuts for the super-rich both happen quickly; etc.), and to see what she has to offer that more experienced politicians don't.
If her esteemed Senator uncle can handle it, so can she, and I look forward to her first diary there. Of course, if she somehow can not handle it, perhaps Governor Paterson would do better to choose someone who is able to handle it. Thanks and good luck,
Sincerely and best wishes,
[your name]
She should be posting here, frankly, even if Paterson chooses someone else to be Senator. She should be posting here not just because of her uncle, but because of the great Kennedy tradition and because she should desire to be a progressive in an age when too many things have been regressive. Anyway, let her hear from you, immediately; it might be to her benefit, to this site's benefit, to your benefit (or gratification), and to the country's benefit. Let it rip.