We are always pleased to see the United States, which in the interests of liberty and democracy and the equality of all its citizens broke from the United Kingdom, realise the error of its ways with regard to the importance of nepotism and aristocracy to the political health of a country.
The House of Lords, whilst (thank Heaven) still resisting attempts at vulgar democracy to its claret benches, no longer seats only the Dukes, Earls and Barons appointed by Her Majesty. Since the 1950s it has permitted Life Peers (appointed by Her Majesty at the request of the Prime Minister) and even women. It was left to Tony Blair to shred our ancient and uncodified constitution, by making the House of Lords exclusively for those who had earned Peerages for their life's work. Hereditary peers were reduced in number, and now elect a mere 92 from amongst themselves.
92 Hereditary Peers in the House of Lords out of 746 voting Peers in the Upper Chamber. That's 12.3%. And yet even having been cursed by the plague of modernism and universal suffrage in the XVIIth Amendment, the United States' Upper Chamber ('the Senate') manages to ensure that around 15% of its members are of noble and longstanding families with a history of holding high political office. Well done to them!
Even casual observers were aware that had Hillary Rodham Clinton won the 2008 Presidential Election, that America would have seen the White House occupied by only 2 families (Bush pater et filis, and Clinton his and hers) for a quarter of a century.
Yet the Senate is yet more impressive. Even ignoring that Mike Crapo (R-ID) is distantly related to former Gov Harry Crapo of Michigan, and that Mary Landrieu (D-LA) is the daughter of New Orleans Mayor Moon Landrieu, and sister of the current Lt Gov of Louisiana, the Senate of the 110th Congress managed 15% of its members who were directly related to holders of high office.
By 'directly related' I mean a direct line of lineage or member of immediate family (spouse, sibling, in-law, or even uncle/nephews, given that 'nepotism' is taken from the practice of Popes appointing their illegitimate sons, who were known as their 'nephews', to Archbishoprics or even to the College of Cardinals). By high office, as well as the President or Vice President of the United States, I would include a Representative or Senator in the US Congress, a Secretary or Assistant Secretary in the US Cabinet, or the Governor of a US State.
Ted Kennedy (D-MA) - brother of Senator (later President) John F Kennedy and brother of Senator and Attorney General Robert F Kennedy
Hillary Clinton (D-NY)- wife of Arkansas Governor and US President Bill Clinton
Elizabeth Dole (R-NC) - wife of Senator Bob Dole
Mark Pryor (D-AR) - son of Governor (and Senator) David Pryor
Chris Dodd (D-CT) - son of Senator Thomas Dodd
Evan Bayh (D-IN) - son of Senator Birch Bayh
John Kerry (D-MA) - great-great-grandson of Sen Robert Charles Winthrop (also Speaker of the House of Representatives)
Judd Gregg (R-NH) - son of NH Gov Hugh Gregg
John E Sununu (R-NH) - son of NH Gov John H Sununu (also WH CoS)
Bob Casey Jr (D-PA) - son of PA Governor Bob Casey
Bob Bennet (R-UT) - son of Sen Wallace Foster Bennet
Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) - nephew of Governor and VPOTUS Rockefeller, great-grandfather and father-in-law were Senators, another uncle was Governor of Arkansas
Jon Kyl (R-AZ) - son of Congressman for Iowa
Gordon Smith (R-OR) - son of Ass US Secretary of Agriculture
Beyond this illustrious list, one might also include Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS) - son of C Wesley Roberts (RNC Chair under Eisenhower).
This is no mean list - I would say that at least 14 Senators have directly benefitted from being in the immediate family of another political figure. At this trend is continuing in the next Congress. Already confirmed as Senators-Elect are:
Mark Begich - son of Congressman Nick Begich
Mark Udall - son of Congressman (and Presidential candidate) Mo Udall
Tom Udall - son of Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall
These last two are not thought to be hostile to Senator-elect Jeff Merkley (D-OR) for beating their fifth cousin (you say 'double second cousin in the US?) Gordon Smith (R-OR).
Obviously, there are going to be replacements for the exodus to President-elect Obama's Executive Branch. Already confirmed are vacancies in the US Senate for the states of Illinois, Delaware, and New York. How nice that the first three names mentioned were (for IL) Rep Jesse Jackson Jr (son of Shadow Senator for DC and Presidential Candidate), (for DE) State Attorney General Beau Biden (son of Senator and VP-elect Joe Biden), and (for NY) Caroline Kennedy (daughter of JFK, and ... you get the picture).
It seems that Jesse Jackson Jr's star has fallen thanks to the Blagojevich scandal, and Beau Biden cannot take the Senate seat due to a scheduled tour of duty with the US Military. Fortunately, Caroline Kennedy is keeping the nepotistic flame alive, and if she should fall by the wayside, the most likely candiadte to replace her would be her cousin Kerry's ex-husband Andrew Cuomo (whose father was Governor of New York).
There seems little chance that the British House of Lords - one of the great bastions against ochlocratic fetishes such as 'voting' - will manage to overtake its US counterpart in the race for 'Most Nepotistic Legislative Chamber'. Times, they are truly a changing. Even if the poitical gene pool isn't.
FOR THE RECORD: I have no problem with any of the candidates or Senators mentioned. All I am trying to say is that, as qualified and wonderful as each of them may be, the SYSTEM is broken when a handful of families control this much of the Federal Government. No hate on here...