The Hill’s Blog Briefing Room » NYT’s Dowd Boosts Caroline Kennedy for Senate


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January 7, 2009

NYT's Dowd Boosts Caroline Kennedy for Senate

@ 12:11 pm by Walter Alarkon

The New York Times' Maureen Dowd used her Wednesday column to give Caroline Kennedy a boost in her bid for Senate.

"She�s smart, cultivated, serious and unpretentious," Dowd wrote. "The Senate, shamefully sparse on profiles in courage during Dick Cheney�s reign of terror, would be lucky to get her."

Dowd defended Kennedy from charges that she's inexperienced, inarticulate and that she's benefiting from her family's name.

"Congress, which abdicated its oversight role as the Bush crew wrecked the globe and the economy, desperately needs fresh faces and new perspectives, an infusion of class, intelligence and guts," Dowd wrote.

"People complain that the 51-year-old Harvard and Columbia Law School grad and author is not a glib, professional pol who knows how to artfully market herself, and is someone who hasn�t spent her life glad-handing, backstabbing and logrolling. I say, thank God," Dowd added.

Dowd, a booster of President-elect Obama and a critic of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) during the presidential primaries, suggested that Kennedy might have the courage that Clinton didn't.

"Anyhow, it isn�t how you say it," Dowd wrote. "It�s what you say. Hillary Clinton is a great talker, but she never stood up in the Senate to lead a crusade against any Republican horror show, from Terri Schiavo to the Bush administration�s dishonest push to war."

Archived under: Campaigns, Congressional Campaigns, News
Tags: Caroline Kennedy, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Maureen Dowd

2 Comments »

The Hill welcomes comment from anyone and will almost always post it whether it is favorable or critical, as long as it is substantive and advances debate.

Maureen Dowd's argument amounts to "Meh, you could do worse."

Comment by Mo MoDo — January 7, 2009 @ 2:41 pm
Whether there are people with more legislative experience than Caroline Kennedy, or not, it reamins that she is a Constitutional scholar and has written books about the Constitution and the Bill of Rights — both of which were reviewed favorably when they came out and have come out again in subsequent editions.

Since the last administration — and many before it, though more subtly — decimated the Constitution which is all that actually makes this a nation, it would be handy — even beleficial — to have her in Congress.

I know of no scandals in her background, no unseemly sexual leanings, her personal privacy is a nice change from the screaming headlines we see dai;y about many of our politicians in Congress.

Yes, we could do worse, and if we could do better, fine. People come to jobs in many ways and while everyone is accusing her of trading on her family name, she can hardly escape it, can she?

It fascinates me that so many are so vociferous about this Senate seat when Sonny Bono (a performer) held one and after his death his wife (was she qualified? maybe, maybe not) was appointed. I don't think anyone cared. WHy now? WHy Caroline Kennedy?

This is not a royal move. Ted Kennedy has worked for decades without mention of his famous and tragically dead brothers. Caroline looks to be humbly famous.

Comment by betsy — January 8, 2009 @ 2:28 am

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January 7, 2009

NYT's Dowd Boosts Caroline Kennedy for Senate

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