In their desire and efforts to break away from Britain, the founding fathers held several principles dear. One particularly important aspiration was to break away from the old monarchal aristocracy that had ruled over Great Britain for so long. This was to be accomplished by adopting a democratic system of election, in which the public would decide those candidates who were best suited to come into power. Yet, the founders weren’t completely ignorant of the elite’s still potential power over policy either, for President John Adams, whose son John Quincy Adams was ironically elected president in 1825, once said, “Birth and wealth together have prevailed over virtue and talent in all ages.” This certainly seems to be the case and provisions were put in place, within our system of government, to combat the effects the social elite might have, which was believed, by people like John Adams, to be an inevitability of the human condition.
We can clearly see its affects throughout American political history, from the Adams’s themselves, to Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, Edward “Ted” Kennedy, George Bush, and George W. Bush. A pretty sound argument can be made that Adams was indeed correct and it is truly an inescapable factor all men need to be wary of and take into account. However, all the people previously mentioned were elected by the public, so in these particular contexts, I myself have no qualms.
The Kennedy’s are the greatest example of this truth, and in the race for the senate seat of New York, we may indeed see it come to pass by the eventual appointment of Caroline Kennedy into the vacant spot left by Hillary Clinton, after Clinton herself was appointed to a prominent position within the Obama cabinet. Caroline Kennedy has no political experience, but is certainly a talented woman, of this I concede, for she did graduate from Columbia Law School and co-author two books on civil liberties, which are no small tasks. Yet, I can’t help but think; would she really be considered for the senate seat if she wasn’t a Kennedy? I don’t see any reason why she would and I feel troubled that due to the stigma her last name has, she is able to waltz into a senate seat without any legitimate election.
That being said, I would have no complaints concerning her winning an election and gaining the seat through, what I would consider, more proper channels. Even she herself has stated her appointment wouldn’t be the “traditional path.” Yet, within our system of government the path is “traditional” because it is how it was designed in the first place and our officials need to adhere to the original archetype. With Clinton being called to service by the President elect, it is true that these are fairly difficult circumstances and I know it is a huge, costly deal to have a special election. However, this doesn’t nullify the fact there are other, extensively qualified people with more political experience that can be of great service to the State of New York.
One of these is Andrew Cuomo, who is currently the Attorney General of the State of New York, but his privileged birth and ties to the Kennedy’s cannot be ignored either. His father was the famous New York governor Mario Cuomo, and the Attorney General, until a couple years ago, was married to Mary Kennedy, a daughter of Robert Kennedy, the famous New York senator. I am seeing a little bit of a trend here, but again all these people were elected into office. However, Andrew Cuomo being given the senate seat might not end the issue either though, for then we would have to debate who got the Attorney General spot, which Caroline Kennedy might be a shoe in for too. It may not be realistic, but I would advocate that nobody be able to leave an elected position for any appointment, because I believe they are elected under the pretense that they stay the duration of their term.
Privileged birth or class status is indeed inevitable. It has happened in the past, is happening today and will continue to be a factor throughout time. It is something we should be on our guard against in the political spectrum; especially when it concerns those people who have not been properly vetted by the voter pool, but rather appointed by someone else in a high status position. In this case with Caroline Kennedy, the final decision will be made by David Paterson, the current Governor over New York, who was sworn in following the resignation of Eliot Spitzer after the New York Times reported Spitzer had solicited the services of a prostitute.
The Kennedy’s are no doubt a force to be reckoned with in the world of politics, for they are a sneaky group with many ties. California has its connections to the Kennedy’s through first lady Maria Shriver, wife of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who is the daughter of Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the sister of John F. Kennedy. Is it really any wonder they are referred to as “America’s royal family?” Let us all just hope the Baldwin’s never decide to go into politics.
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