Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Is Caroline Kennedy the Democrats' Sarah Palin?

Caroline Kennedy will be the next Senator from New York (video below) despite not being qualified. That is why she is sounding a lot like Sarah Palin every time she opens or doesn't open her mouth. The press in NY is in a uproar that Ms. Kennedy is refusing to answer questions. Doesn't that remind you of the Alaska Governor during the recent presidential election? Pedigree rules in American politics. She doesn't have to answer questions. She is U.S. royalty, after all. Hillary Clinton had zero qualifications before she became a NY Senator. Now an equally unqualified person wants her job. And all because Ms.Kennedy is part of a powerful elite in America. Doesn't sound like what we fought against over 200 years ago when we became a democracy.

This from the BBC:

Caroline Kennedy's latest attempt to press her case to be the replacement for Hillary Clinton as a senator for New York has been widely criticised in the US media.

Ms Kennedy - daughter of former President John F Kennedy - broke weeks of silence on her bid, by giving a series of interviews at the weekend.

But she was criticised for being unknowledgeable on key policy areas, being unable to articulate why she was seeking public office for the first time - and even for possessing a verbal tic.

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Under the headline "Caroline Kennedy no whiz with words", the New York Daily News mimicked Ms Kennedy's speech pattern during the round of interviews.

"Caroline Kennedy, you know, might need, you know, a speech coach, um, if she, you know, wants, um, to be a senator," the paper said.

Totting up the number of "verbal tics" during its 30-minute interview, the paper counted "you know" more than 200 times... and added that "'um' was fairly constant, too".

Asked if President George W Bush's tax cuts on the wealthy should be repealed immediately, Ms Kennedy replied: "Well, you know, that's something, obviously, that, you know, in principle and in the campaign, you know, I think that, um, the tax cuts, you know, were expiring and needed to be repealed," the paper reported.

[...]
Columnist Michael Goodwin wrote: "The wheels of the bandwagon are coming off. Fantasy is giving way to inescapable truth. That truth is that Kennedy is not ready for the job and doesn't deserve it. Somebody who loves her should tell her."

[...]THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

The Associated Press said "Kennedy offered no excuses for why she failed to vote in a number of elections since registering in New York City in 1988".

"I was really surprised and dismayed by my voting record," she told AP. "I'm glad it's been brought to my attention."

AP reported that "since word of her interest leaked out in early December, Kennedy has faced sometimes sharp criticism that she cut in line ahead of politicians with more experience and has acted as if she were entitled to it because of her political lineage".