Exhausting, ennui, angst, blowout, burnout, fatigue, call it whatever you will, I haven't been the same since the funeral of my dear friend. Another friend called a few nights ago to complain about her job search and I commented that our friends were dying and the new people in our world hardly knew the dead or cared. We can drop names with the best of them but our list of living friends who can help us get a job when we need one is shorter and not as well connected as it used to be.
It hardly matters to me if Caroline Kennedy gets the appointment to represent New York in the U.S. Senate. We are going to have our own hell of a Senate race in Texas in a few months. Everyone including those whose platform includes synchronizing the street lights on Houston streets and either flat-heads or Phillip's head screwdrivers but not both are going to run.
I don't know if Ms. Kennedy is any more or less qualified to be a Senator than Hillary Clinton was when she earned voters' confidence and won the seat. If her brother were alive, the buzz would be for him. If her mother were alive the buzz would be for her. Ms. Kennedy isn't any more or less qualified to serve than President Obama was when he became Senator from Illinois. Or President of the these United States after a mere two years in the U.S. Senate. Gore Vidal famously wrote in his seminal play, The Best Man, that a criticism of a candidate is usually something like, "never met a payroll," or some such nonsense. Vidal's in-law, John Kennedy, who had the benefit of becoming a war hero when the Japanese sank his PT boat under him, said, if you are in the race, you are qualified to be there. Winning is what mattered.
John Kennedy seemed older then at 43 than his daughter seems now at 50. He had been elected more than a few times to the House and Senate. And he had a fine mind and a love of learning and books. Ms. Kennedy does, too. She has done considerable fund-raising and yet like her Uncle Teddy really doesn't have an answer to questions on the issues. Ted Kennedy couldn't tell Roger Mudd why he wanted to be president. Kerry Kennedy tried to say that her cousin Caroline, author of two books on the Constitution, hadn't divulged her stance on abortion in one of the more high profile Catholic family gatherings. I don't believe her. I believe Ms. Kennedy has a stance on abortion and either it isn't the party line or they haven't gaged the reaction of the Church to her stance on abortion. How do we expect voters to react to a pro choice Catholic Kennedy? The Kennedys have visited more popes than most members of the Senate have.
How about thinking about voters like complicated adults. Many Catholics support abortion and the Church dares voters not to support them. Does she really have to prove her worth as a pro-choice Catholic? Her father just had to prove his worth as a Catholic.
What a tiresome, pseudo-problem. Look the camera in its unblinking eye and answer the question. Don't be shy. Be smart. She is a grown woman who has seen considerable death in her 50 years and has three teenage children. She is concerned about contraception and the alleged contradiction.
Andrew Cuomo, Caroline's ex-in law, would like to go to the U.S. Senate. He has been elected attorney general of the state of New York. He is divorced from Kerry Kennedy and they have three daughters. He was in the Clinton Cabinet. Cuomo's father was governor of New York, could have been president or on the Supreme Court or both.
The plot is now thick. And Governor Patterson is really not going to make anyone happy. His best solution is to select either a New York City police officer or transit worker to be the next Senator from New York. An out of work auto worker would be an excellent choice. May be he will pick himself. Perhaps an immigrant cab driver from India since they are happy to tell you what is wrong with politics and have an opinion or two about the intersection of politics and religion and of course nuclear weapons..
