December 18, 2008

King: Picking Kennedy Is Like Picking Greta Garbo

@ 3:08 pm by Walter Alarkon

Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) said that appointing Democrat Caroline Kennedy to the Senate would be like picking an unqualified movie star to the upper chamber.

King, on Fox News on Thursday, agreed with the suggestion that he and others were a bit "ticked off" at the notion of Kennedy, daughter of President John F. Kennedy, in the Senate.

"You know, the real intensity is coming from fellow Democrats like Gary Ackerman and Anthony Weiner, Bob Zimmerman, the National Committee men, who just feel like she's parachuting in from nowhere, other than having a famous name," King said. "It's sort of like you're putting Greta Garbo in the Senate."

Garbo was an Academy Award-nominated actress during the silent movie era of the 1920s and when films first started to use dialogue in the 1930s.

King, who is considering running for the seat himself in 2010, said he's not aware of Kennedy's qualifications.

"She, obviously, is very, you know, fine — fine woman, but she's never been in the public arena, and I don't mean just being in politics," he said. "She's never really been out there fighting for any issues. She doesn't represent any communities, she's never been in government, she's never been in business, never been in labor. She's just — any type of labor issues — she's really, to me, just, again, comes from a famous family, probably an intelligent person, but she doesn't have the experience that's needed to be a fighter for New York.

"You have to fight hard, and we are the number one terrorist target in the world, and I've never heard her say a word about Islamic terrorism or military policy or homeland security policy or Guantanamo, any of these issues — and even involving the fiscal crisis that we face."

Kennedy has been campaigning for the job and has pointed to the books she has written on constitutional law and public service. Her backers have also noted her work on behalf of charity and non-profit groups, including an academy she helped start to train public school principals in New York City.

King suggested that New York Gov. David Paterson (D), who will decide on the Senate appointment, is feeling pressure from President-elect Obama and the Kennedy family to pick her.

"Let's face it: It was the endorsement of Ted and Caroline Kennedy that probably had more to do with Barack Obama being nominated [for president] by the Democrats than anything else," he said. "So, you know, this could be payback time."

Paterson has said he'll pick a new senator based on merit, especially after Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) was accused last week of trying to sell his state's open U.S. Senate seat.

Archived under: Campaigns, Congressional Campaigns, News
Tags: Caroline Kennedy, David Paterson, Peter King

37 Comments »

1. AAAAAAaaaaahhhhh!!! I'm so sick of this drivel!

   The woman is a lawyer and philanthropist. For the love of God, philanthropy is as political as politics itself and a law degree counts as study of the law, doesn't it? Isn't congress where laws are made? These comparisons to actresses are completely baseless and sexist. Peoples disrespect know no bounds.

   Comment by Kristi — December 18, 2008 @ 3:58 pm

2. These people are ridiculous. To Representative King, sending you to the Senate is just sending another grouchy old white guy to the good ol' boys club.

   Tell me somebody WHAT did HRC bring to NY other than her carpetbagging and desire to use NY as the stepping stone to her POTUS goal. WHAT ELECTED office had HRC won when SHE ran for Senator from NY?

   You should be honored and thankful that Caroline is willing to use her intellect, tremendous clout, and precious time to the citizens of NY and these United States. Go for it Caroline. They need FRESH NEW BLOOD. CHANGE.

   Comment by Yurdelite — December 18, 2008 @ 4:06 pm

3. The comparison of Caroline Kennedy to Sarah Palin is the latest media insult of Caroline. This is patently false. Sarah Palin couldn't get through 5 colleges much less Yale or Harvard. Come on people. She'll toughen up shortly.

   The media always want to stir up crap. Democrats do like the Republicans and fall in line. Then again, speak your peace we do not suppress. Caroline YOU ARE QUALIFIED to be Senator from NY AND POTUS according to the Constitution.

   Comment by Yurdelite — December 18, 2008 @ 4:10 pm

4. King may be right, but he needs to be careful about how he phrases his objections. Caroline is a popular figure, insulting her isn't going to win him many points.

   Comment by Chris — December 18, 2008 @ 4:15 pm

5. If they were silent on Sarah Palin's VP qualifications, they are total hypocrites. Being a senator is way less important than a VP, and my guess, they thought Palin was perfectly qualified. Typical Republican hypocrites.

   Comment by Lolis — December 18, 2008 @ 4:20 pm

6. Defenders of Caroline: Ask yourself one question. Would you be happy if Marvin Bush were being considered for the seat if it were a republican seat?

   Comment by bob — December 18, 2008 @ 4:58 pm

7. Caroline is just as qualified, if not more so, than many who have been elected to the Senate. She is a lawyer, an author on constitutional law: the Bill of Rights, she has fought tirelessly for quality education for all students, not just those of means. She has contributed to countless efforts in New York. Her quiet demeanor is foreign to many politicians as it's not been about her, it's about the cause, the issue. She's been quite content to be a work horse, not a show horse, when getting things done. She is very self confident, doesn't need someone else's approval to know she has worth, she has demonstrated self-discipline. Like her mother asked for her kids, she raised her family without the public scrutiny and we haven't seen any of the Schlossberg kids names in the press or on police reports. New Yorkers and the rest of country would be extremely fortunate to have this wise woman representing them, fighting for all of us in the U S Senate. I hope that the Governor will not succumb to the naysayers and accept her offer of service to New York.

   Comment by Jerri — December 18, 2008 @ 5:35 pm

8. Republicans are awfully afraid of a Senator Caroline Kennedy, aren't they ?

   Comment by Sami — December 18, 2008 @ 5:57 pm

9. The US Senate is becoming an American version of the House of Lords—-access by hereditary!

   Comment by Blackspeare — December 18, 2008 @ 6:01 pm

10. Fight is the only word Republicans know. For those of us who are fed up with the so-called fighters who seem to only fight for their own careers and coffers, it's time to get some quiet intelligence into the public sector. If the last 8 years have taught us anything, it's that experience i.e. Cheney, Rumsfeld, Powell, Rice doesn't necessarily work to the people's favor. Caroline Kennedy is as qualified as anyone to serve in the Senate. Just because she's not a loud-mouth, shouldn't rule her out.

    Comment by Linda Feldman — December 18, 2008 @ 6:07 pm

11. It's true she may never have said a word about terrorism, but I suspect most will assume that, unlike the PIRA groupie King, she's against it.

    Comment by Jimmy Sands — December 18, 2008 @ 6:23 pm

12. One could say the same of Rep. King, i.e., electing rep King would be like lecting the Pillsbury doughboy. However, Caroline is qualified according to the U.S. Constitution — According to Article I, Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution, a senator must be 30 years of age, a citizen of the United States for 9 years, and must reside in the state he or she represents at the time of election.

    Comment by Bilverado — December 18, 2008 @ 6:38 pm

13. I guess Rep. King is qualified, eh?

    Comment by abiodun — December 18, 2008 @ 6:43 pm

14. Last time I looked, Caroline Kennedy was an American citizen who fulfills all the criteria to become a candidate for the US Senate Seat from NY State..would someone remind me when she gave up her right to run for office?

    And which of us Mr. King gets to decide into which family we are born?
    Caroline Kennedy has been one of the most low maintenance, low profile VIPs I know of in this society. She has never sought access because of her name or her family.

    Go for it Caroline! I don't live in New York State, but will ask all of my friends there to vote for you if you run.

    Comment by anghiari — December 18, 2008 @ 6:51 pm

15. "Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) said that appointing Democrat Caroline Kennedy to the Senate would be like picking an unqualified movie star to the upper chamber."

    Reminds me of McCain's ad trying to compare Obama to a no substance celebrity like Paris Hilton.

    Comment by Margaret — December 18, 2008 @ 7:18 pm

16. Hey King:
    Can you say ARNOLD SCHWARTZENEGGER?

    Comment by Michael Fitz — December 18, 2008 @ 7:20 pm

17. And, besides much of the other comments, Rep. King, the Senate could use more women in it. It is too much of a good ole boys club. Being a senator is not rocket science, and an honest, intelligent person like Caroline Kennedy will do a lot better than King thinks.

    Comment by peter777 — December 18, 2008 @ 7:47 pm

18. I don't like dynasties, but she is probably more qualified than king.

    Comment by Lloyd Lee — December 18, 2008 @ 7:57 pm

19. I am a New Yorker, and I can assure you that if an election was to be held today and the candidate put forward by the Republicans was peter King I would vote for anything running against him.
    I find him to be absolutely the most divisive, and obnoxious political individual in New York. He is a blow hard and has all of the attributes that makes outsiders despise New Yorkers.
    I am not in favor of Miss Kennedy's appointment, but she would be much more desirable than Peter King. He is scum.

    Comment by New Yorker — December 18, 2008 @ 8:00 pm

20. ian't he the same one who attacked hillary with the same terminologies when she was running for the ny senate seat ? history repeats itself .lol.

    Comment by shoemaker — December 18, 2008 @ 8:12 pm

21. When families instill certain principles in their children, the children often follow in their parent's footsteps. There's nothing wrong with that.

    Comment by sue — December 18, 2008 @ 8:24 pm

22. I supported Obama, too, and donated. What do I get for it? Boy will that be infuriating if Obama gets Caroline Kennedy a Senate seat but doesn't get out of Iraq pronto and doesn't get a healthcare reform that makes insurance affordable for everyone.

    Comment by K. Tekir — December 18, 2008 @ 9:10 pm

23. The fact that Caroline Kennedy asked for an "appointment" to a senate seat is an incredible expression of arrogance. Even the Bush brothers - the poster boys of political privilege and nepotism - were actually elected to public office. I could not, would not, will not vote for a son or daughter of a president or a senator or labor leader.

    Comment by Peter Jensen — December 18, 2008 @ 9:26 pm

24. I think someone getting a senate appointment on the basis of her family is sad. However, I'm not a New Yorker and maybe there are no qualified candidates whh live there.

    Comment by Charlie — December 18, 2008 @ 9:38 pm

25. For the love of Pete, here's a list of a few people that had the same "lack of qualifications":

    - Al Franken: comedian, talk show host, and book author, may become next senator of MN.
    - HRC: first lady, lawyer;
    - Fred Thompson: actor;
    - John Edwards: trial lawyer;
    - Bill Bradley: Former Basketball star;

    All of them are just as qualified as Ms. Kennedy. She's a lawyer with magnificent credentials in Constitutional Law (hello! isn't this the biggest hurdle people face when entering public service in the Legislative branch?), philanthropy and education, and has a deep understanding of the level of sacrifice public service implies, having experienced it first hand.

    Comment by shockedwoman — December 18, 2008 @ 9:49 pm

26. Walter, how old are you? 12? Greta Garbo was a bit more than an "Academy Award-nominated actress of the silent movie era of the 1920s and when films started to use dialogue in the 1930s." Are you serious?…she's considered one of the greatest film actors in the history of the medium. Hmmm…maybe Peter King's on to something. I guess Caroline Kennedy's potential for greatness in the Senate is truly tremendous.

    Comment by Jim P — December 18, 2008 @ 9:54 pm

27. This Irish Catholic, 50 year old woman will vote for anyone other than Ms. Kennedy. She does not have the moxie, know-how or personality of a Senator from New York.

    Comment by MK Miller — December 18, 2008 @ 10:05 pm

28. Hey we picked an unqualified movie star to be president, and Shirley Temple made a pretty good senator. So will Al Franken.

    Comment by Owen Findsen — December 18, 2008 @ 10:17 pm

29. . . . perhaps New York "moxie, know-how or personality" is not required in the Senate.

    Comment by Malby — December 18, 2008 @ 11:35 pm

30. Representative King is only unaware of any qualifications Caroline Kennedy has for the job because he doesn't WANT to know of any. Anyone can google her easily and see that she's been in there fighting for good causes, her whole life. So she's not previously held an elected office. Neither had HRC before she was elected Senator from NY. It's in no way a requirement. King isn't the only Republican with their head in the sand over this issue. They don't want to admit she's eminently qualified, because they know if she gets appointed, they'll never beat her in 2010. That's the bottom line.

    Comment by Bill — December 19, 2008 @ 12:23 am

31. Garbo than Palin anyday

    Comment by billyboyy — December 19, 2008 @ 12:35 am

32. Rep. King is a turkey who just voted for an early Christmas.

    Comment by G DeWolf Shaw — December 19, 2008 @ 2:31 am

33. I'm tired of dynasty politicians. Yes, that's great, she's written books and has a law degree. That doesnt make her a good leader, and the only reason she is being considered is because she is a Kennedy. There are plenty of other candidates that are at least as smart as her, but she is the only one we hear about because SHE IS A KENNEDY. I'm sick of neoptism in politics. Bush was an ivy league scholar and the son of a president… See where that got us. Quit defending her

    Comment by Justin — December 19, 2008 @ 3:39 am

34. Where are all those who laughed at Sarah now? When did payback become the new politics? Enough of Warren and Kennedy. At least we knew what Hillary stood for.

    Comment by Andrew O'Donnell — December 19, 2008 @ 4:31 am

35. Okay, let me get this straight: A first-term governor of Alaska is a great pick for vice president, about the second most powerful person in the world, but a woman lawyer who is a member of a family famous for their participation in the Senate is a bad choice for senator?

    Comment by Travis — December 19, 2008 @ 4:57 am

36. Greta Garbo would make a better President than the one we elected. Caroline Kennedy has a clean record. In a state that elected Eliot Spitzer, Jimmy Walker and Boss Tweed, she could run for Sainthood.

    Comment by Jason Paz — December 19, 2008 @ 7:20 am

37. Caroline is a compassionate, honest, intelligent person…aren't you people sick of dishonesty, cheating, total disregard for the common man for the last 8 years.

    Comment by colleen — December 19, 2008 @ 7:50 am

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