Caroline Kennedy Asks Senators To NOT Confirm RFK,JR As HHS Head

 

Who Should The Democrats Should Nominate In 2020 ?

I'm sure many of you will think it's far too early to be picking a candidate for 2020 -- and you are right. But it's not too early to start thinking about who the Democrats have that could win in 2020, because getting Trump out of the White House in the next election is critical for the well-being of this country (or getting Pence out if Trump doesn't last that long).

The Harvard / Harris Poll asked that question of 2,092 registered voters between March 14th and 16th. The results are shown in the chart above. No "candidate" got a lot of support -- with the leaders being Bernie Sanders (who's NOT a Democrat) at 14%, Michelle Obama (who will not run) at 11%, Elizabeth Warren at 9%, and Hillary Clinton at 8%.

The overwhelming choice was that someone new was needed. I agree with that. The Democrats need a new candidate without a lot of baggage -- a candidate that can offer a fresh prospective.

I have a couple of people that I like for the job. They are pictured below -- former ambassador Caroline Kennedy and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. I believe either could energize the party and garner the support of most Americans -- and both are good progressives.

Giffords Wins Profiles In Courage Award

Each year since 1990, the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation gives a Profiles In Courage Award to people who have taken a conscience-driven stand to improve their community/nation in spite of significant opposition, which put their life or career in jeopardy. The 2013 winner of the prestigious award in former congresswoman Gabrielle "Gabby" Giffords.

Giffords, who survived being shot in the head by an assassin in 2011, has fought back and now champions reasonable gun restrictions in this country. She and her husband recently founded Americans for Responsible Gun Ownership, which supports "the right to bear arms and responsible public policy on guns and gun ownership".

Caroline Kennedy presented the award to Giffords saying, "Our family is still suffering from the heartbreak caused by gun violence. No one should have to lose a husband, a wife, a father, a child, to senseless murder. But as our nominee has shown, out of that pain and tragedy, we must find the strength to carry on, to give meaning to our lives, and to build a more just and peaceful world."

Is Kennedy Qualified ?

By now, everone knows that Hillary Clinton will be giving up her senate seat in New York to become President Obama's Secretary of State. The leading candidate to fill that senate seat at this time is Caroline Kennedy, whose father and two uncles were all United States senators. Personally, I think she would make a great senator.

But recently, there have been some people who are saying Kennedy is not qualified to be a senator. That got me to thinking, just what are the qualifications to become a United States senator? So I went to the source -- the United States Constitution. Here is what the Constitution says about the qualifications to be in the senate:

"No person shall be a Senator who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty Years, and been nine Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State for which he shall be chosen."

It seems that there are only three simple qualifications a person must meet to be qualified to be a senator. Is she at least 30 years-old? Yes, she was born on November 27, 1957 and is currently 51 years-old. Has she been a United States citizen for at least 9 years? Yes, she has been a citizen for over 51 years. Is she an inhabitant of New York state? Yes, she has lived in New York since the mid-1960's.

That settles the matter of "is she qualified". The Constitution says she is qualified. So what do those people mean who say she is not qualified? Are they talking about experience? Frankly, I find it refreshing that she is not another career politician -- one of those people who have spent their entire life climbing the political career ladder from one office to another.

I think that is one thing that is wrong with our political system. It is populated by far too many career politicians -- people who have forgotten (or never knew) what it is like to have to actually work for a living. People who are so caught up in a political philosophy, that they have forgotten that the essence of politics is to better the lives of ordinary citizens.

I believe our forefathers intentionally left experience out of the qualifications they laid out for our elected officials when they wrote the Constitution. They wanted the elected offices to be open to ordinary citizens -- not career politicians. I think they were right to do that, but too often today many citizens seem to think our government is so complicated that only career politicians can comprehend it and effectively legislate.

That is just not true. Kennedy is a very intelligent person, and any intelligent person can locate and use the right people to educate them on anything they are not already familiar with. But she is not completely without experience. Kennedy has a law degree and has written books on civil rights. She has been active in charitable work and has raised a family.

Is Caroline Kennedy a career politician? No. Is she qualified and experienced? Absolutely!

Another Kennedy For Senate ?

Now that President Obama's cabinet is taking shape, some interesting decisions will have to be made in the new year. Some of the positions vacated by incoming cabinet members will be filled automatically, like New Mexico's Lt. Governor taking over for Governor Bill Richardson who will be the new Secretary of Commerce. Other vacancies will require an appointment.

One of the most important of those appointments will be to fill the senate seat vacated by Hillary Clinton when she resigns to become Secretary of State. There was early speculation that Governor David Paterson might select himself to fill the position, but he has made it clear that won't happen.

That left New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, son of former Governor Mario Cuomo, as the leading candidate. Personally, I think Cuomo would probably be a good senator, if chosen. But now there is another even more famous name being bandied about.

Sources are now saying that Caroline Kennedy, daughter of President John Kennedy, is interested in the senate seat that was once occupied by her uncle Robert. Until recently, she had not involved herself in partisan politics too much. But that changed around the first of this year, when she publically came out in support of Barack Obama for the presidency.

She campaigned tirelessly for him, and even helped to vet his candidates for the vice-presidency. Perhaps this recent political activity has given her the desire to carry on the family tradition of political service, and also be of service to help Obama accomplish his goals. I certainly hope so. She is an intelligent person, who doesn't take herself too seriously, and I think her desire to serve her country is stronger than her desire for personal glory.

I think Caroline Kennedy would make a great senator. If she truly wants the job, I urge Governor Paterson to make it happen.

Caroline Kennedy Endorses Obama

There are those who believe the candidacy of Barack Obama is reminiscent of the candidacy of President John Kennedy. They say he is a younger man who offers a new vision of hope and unity for the United States, much like Kennedy did.

Interestingly, it looks like one of those people is Caroline Kennedy -- daughter of President John Kennedy. She has written an op-ed piece for the New York Times, in which she parallels Obama's candidacy to her father's. She goes on to endorse Obama for the presidency. It's a great editorial, and I recommend you go to the NY Times and read the whole thing. Here is some of what she says:

OVER the years, I’ve been deeply moved by the people who’ve told me they wished they could feel inspired and hopeful about America the way people did when my father was president. This sense is even more profound today. That is why I am supporting a presidential candidate in the Democratic primaries, Barack Obama.

My reasons are patriotic, political and personal, and the three are intertwined. All my life, people have told me that my father changed their lives, that they got involved in public service or politics because he asked them to. And the generation he inspired has passed that spirit on to its children. I meet young people who were born long after John F. Kennedy was president, yet who ask me how to live out his ideals.

Sometimes it takes a while to recognize that someone has a special ability to get us to believe in ourselves, to tie that belief to our highest ideals and imagine that together we can do great things. In those rare moments, when such a person comes along, we need to put aside our plans and reach for what we know is possible.

We have that kind of opportunity with Senator Obama. It isn’t that the other candidates are not experienced or knowledgeable. But this year, that may not be enough. We need a change in the leadership of this country — just as we did in 1960.