Kennedy Should Not Be Given A U.S. Senate Seat
Steve Adubato, Ph.D.
CBS 2 Political Analyst

I'm sure Caroline Kennedy is a very nice person with a good heart. She has a track record of being helpful to the New York City public schools, and has been a great fundraiser for terrific causes. I know she's shy (at times it seems painfully shy), but nonetheless, a good person. She comes from a family that knows a lot about public service. The Kennedy's are tantamount to royalty in the United States, even though the Obama's are about to take that mantle from them. However, the idea that Caroline Kennedy is ready to be anointed U.S. Senator is pretty laughable.

Not only does Caroline Kennedy have virtually no experience in politics, government (or from what we can tell, a full-time job), but the idea that she could ascend to replace Hillary Clinton in the U.S. Senate in New York is a slap in the face to countless other more experienced, and frankly more worthy, public figures. I know her Uncle Teddy wants her to be the Senator from New York. I know her cousin Bobby wants her to get the job. Apparently, lots of people have been making calls on her behalf, and the word is Mayor Michael Bloomberg has been supportive as well.

The decision as to who will take Hillary Clinton's Senate seat falls in the lap of Gov. David Paterson. There's a lot of pressure on him to name Kennedy to the seat, but there's just as much pressure from many senior New York Democrats not to do it. Some, including former Congresswoman and vice presidential candidate Geraldine Ferraro, think that Caroline is just not qualified. Other Congressmen from New York have openly mocked Caroline, saying she's nothing more than a celebrity figure that has no more right to the Senate seat than Paris Hilton. I wouldn't go that far, because at least Caroline Kennedy has tried to use her fame and celebrity for good causes.

But she doesn't deserve this Senate seat, and shouldn't get it.

One of the biggest reasons is that not only don't we know about her views on important issues (only this past week did she have a press representative provide a written response to media inquires on Caroline's stance on important issues), but the 51-year-old New Yorker has a terrible voting record of her own. I'm talking about voting as a citizen. She's missed several elections for mayor; she forgot to vote in an election for the U.S. Senate seat she now seeks to hold, and has missed several other elections over the years. That's not just embarrassing, it's disgraceful.

But the fact is, Caroline Kennedy is not that engaged in the process. That's understandable, given what she experienced as a small child— losing her father, President John F. Kennedy, as well as her Uncle Bobby, who were both killed by assassins. One could understand Caroline Kennedy's obsession with privacy and her desire not to be involved in politics. Of course it's her legal and constitutional right to seek this appointment to the US Senate, but from a practical point of view, she's done absolutely nothing to justify her selection.

I say, if Caroline Kennedy really wants to be the US.. Senator of New York, then she should run in a couple of years when the seat is open. Go through the rigors of a brutal, nasty and distasteful political campaign. Prove that you want it, and are willing to work for it. If she's willing to do that, and we truly get to know her and her politics, then she has the potential to get elected and serve with distinction. Until that time, the idea of Caroline Kennedy being given a U.S. Senate seat, ahead of so many worthy and experienced New Yorkers, makes no sense. Only in the celebrity-crazed, media-obsessed world that we live in would it even be a possibility.

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