A Legendary Name in Politics
Nearly everyone has heard about the Kennedy family. Bobby, JFK, and even Jackie. They are a part of our history like no other family has ever been. This family holds a great mysterious power, more than any other. Not the Clinton's, the Bushes, or the Carters can hold a flame to what has gone into making the Kennedy family a symbol of American culture. But what do they represent? Are they mysterious and famous because there time of greatness never really began? Do they stand for that time, when things were changing, and came to an end? Are they simply a legend that never came to pass? These answers we will never know. Our people would like to say that the Kennedy's changed America. But really, they never got the chance. Our failure as a society is what sparked there involvement in politics. They wanted to make things better. And now, there is a new chance for this family. With an open senate seat in the great state of New York, another Kennedy has been thrust into the spotlight.
Caroline Kennedy has avoided politics most of her life. She has yet to utter a word publicly about her interest in running for Hillary Rodham Clinton's Senate seat. But in a sign of the enduring power of the Kennedy mystique, even her secondhand statements of interest have spooked the rest of the crowded field.
Then came Caroline: Kennedy mystique eclipses rivals for Senate - Salt Lake Tribune
Kennedy is a name unlike any other. It's up there with Washington, and Jefferson. But the fact that this Kennedy has never been involved in Politics seems to take a backseat. Unless of course, you are speaking to other candidates.
Then came Kennedy. Suddenly, the others seemed to shrink in stature. "What are we, chopped liver?" asked Rep. Jose Serrano, a Bronx congressman who is not vying for the seat but is sympathetic to his fellow lawmakers who are being eclipsed by Kennedy. "They think, 'My god, a Kennedy, how do I look like I'm not happy about a Kennedy?'" he said. "It's not logical, there's a lot of emotion in this, emotion about the good ol' days and the Kennedys and Camelot."
Then came Caroline: Kennedy mystique eclipses rivals for Senate - Salt Lake Tribune
And while the other candidates can feel the emotion, none can match this legend. No one has a history like that. Not one candidate has a symbol of American culture in their DNA.
Kennedy, a writer and lawyer, has never held an elected office. She has been involved with numerous charities, has served as president of John F. Kennedy Library Foundation, and was a director of the Commission on Presidential Debates. Yet, in the end, Paterson may be hard pressed to turn down the only surviving child of former President John F. Kennedy.
Then came Caroline: Kennedy mystique eclipses rivals for Senate - Salt Lake Tribune
Yes, Caroline Kennedy is inexperienced and not qualified to serve in the senate. Yet, she seems ranked higher than any other candidate. Our culture is not obsessed with the Kennedy's because of the change they represented. We are obsessed because it is a broken piece of our culture; a portion of history never completed. We need a new Kennedy, one who can fulfill these promises.
