Qualified, Unquestionably
January 1st, 2009Much ado has been made about the qualifications of sweet Caroline Kennedy to ascend to the throne of Hillary Rodham Clinton’s New York senate seat — even in the mainstream media, who until just recently seemed to understand their proper role as one that only questions the other side.
Ms. Kennedy is clearly qualified.
First and most importantly, she’s qualified because the Constitution says she’s qualified. According to Article I, Section 3, a senator must be 30 years of age, a citizen of the United States for 9 years, and must reside in the state he or she represents at the time of election. It would not be fair to apply any arbitrary set of qualifications for high federal office beyond these.
But critics and malcontents do.
They claim she lacks experience for the job. And why? Just because she’s never actually held what they call “a job.” But people — especially women — can have valuable experiences apart from the traditional workplace. Life experiences. Caroline has had the toughest job of them all — raising a family — even if she did have quite a bit of help. And no female politician should ever be criticized for choosing to raise a family, especially a large one.
They say she lacks policy knowledge. Well, so what? The woman was unexpectedly thrust into the national spotlight. Who would be so unfair as to judge the erudition of a person under such circumstances? And what does this even matter when we know she’ll surely vote the correct way all the time; that is, the way of good Uncle Teddy.
And there’s at least one area of policy she’s quite versed: public education. In fact, she knows and loves the public education system so well that she wants that no child shall ever be educated outside of it. Except her children, of course.
Some in the media have even stooped as low as to declare her unfit to serve because of her poor spoken English. You know, don’t they realize that not everyone’s a gifted speaker? After all, we elect leaders not actors. We don’t want politicians who glibly talk as if reading from some virtual teleprompter in their head. How they speak should be of little concern, especially when average people — whom we want our politicians to emulate — have the same or similar speaking flaws. We progressives would never mock or belittle a politician because of her speech, and we should not tolerate others when they do it.
Finally, she is qualified ex cathedra of her name. The Kennedy name is the political Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval. We know innately that any person from this family has the best interests of Americans in mind; apart from when they’re sympathizing with Nazis, hating Jews, working for Joseph McCarthy, spying on Martin Luther King, or engaging in sundry acts of public intoxication and wantonness.
Caroline Kennedy is qualified. Period. And should be anointed in due haste. Our great democratic tradition and future demands it.
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© Copyright 2009 by Colin Cohen. All Rights Reserved.
