The Wisconsin Policy Research Institute

Caroline Kennedy - She's No Russ Feingold

By George Lightbourn

For the past week, the parlors up and down the Atlantic coast from Washington to the Hamptons have been abuzz with the prospect of Senator Caroline Kennedy. This now middle-aged woman, who represents a link to the nation’s past, has seemingly floated down on gossamer wings to hover above the mud puddle of contemporary American politics.

Were my mother alive, the prospect of seeing JFK’s daughter in public office would put a bounce in her step and a smile on her Irish Catholic face. And there are millions of Americans who, like my mother, need little more than her direct link to Camelot to justify their support for Caroline.

Other people, especially political people, have their own reasons for jumping at the prospect of Senator Caroline. They see in her the Democrats’ best bet for maintaining the Senate seat as well as a vast fundraising draw.

So why should I be the least bit troubled by the prospect of Caroline Kennedy as the junior Senator from New York? Frankly, it’s because she just seems so wrong for the times. Never in my lifetime has the country faced issues with the gravity of those facing the 111th Congress. Where does this woman stand on Afghanistan, Iran or China? What life experiences will she bring to bear on matters of immigration, health care or No Child Left Behind? And what has she to say about why the U.S. economy fell off a cliff and what should be done to restore the nation’s capital markets or revitalize the auto industry? Many of us out here west of the Hudson River cannot fathom how she could garner any serious consideration for Clinton’s vacant Senate seat.

OK, maybe at other points in our history we had the luxury of sending an icon to Washington, but certainly not now. Yet she is being given serious consideration and Governor Paterson must sense that, were he not to appoint Caroline, he would run the risk of alienating people who hold the key to his political future. So this non-serious symbol has the inside track for a very serious position.

And that in a nutshell is why there is a serious disconnect between us and our brethren on the eastern seaboard. What is wrong with those people? Don’t misunderstand; I think we have heard far too much bashing of the eastern elites. I have never completely understood why many conservatives ascribe a large degree of the nation’s ills on the eastern elites. I have always been able to distinguish between Charles Krauthammer and Paul Krugman; both are thoughtful, provocative and worth reading. I dare say that most of my conservative friends are similarly able to make the distinction.

But a seat in the U.S. Senate is another matter. Here in Middle America we expect our elected officials to earn their status as leaders. Have New York Democrats no Russ Feingolds from which to choose? While we rarely agree on these pages with the policy positions of Senator Feingold, we know that he is a diligent and thoughtful and that he does his homework. He is a serious person. It doesn’t hurt that Senator Feingold, like our incoming President, spent time honing his skills while toiling in the State Legislature. We will know soon enough what Governor Paterson plans to do with the new York Senate seat. Will he choose someone with the heft of a Russ Feingold or will he acquiesce and move Caroline to the seat that apparently is her birthright?

-December 22, 2008

By George Lightbourn

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