Just Asking, Caroline

by John J. Cox
resident of Woodside


In a country whose very creation is attributed to a distaste for divine monarchies and aristocracies, and whose history supports the idea that no person is entitled to preference by virtue of birthright, it is not surprising that the efforts of Caroline Kennedy to be appointed to Hillary Clinton's soon-to-be vacant Senate seat have caused some annoyance. But despite a few instances to the contrary, the news media in general continue to treat Ms. Kennedy (aka Ms. Schlossberg) with kid gloves. In fact, at least one major New York daily has already endorsed her.

It is nevertheless curious that the qualifications Ms. Kennedy cites in favor of her appointment have gone largely unchecked. Repeatedly, she has listed these qualifications: she is a lawyer, a constitutional scholar and author, a philanthropist, and, as a Kennedy, a person of unusual access and influence.

A moment's reflection may suggest that, if anything, such a background thoroughly disqualifies her as a Senator. Be that as it may, since Ms. Kennedy evidently believes otherwise, let us examine her boasts more carefully.

With respect to her being a lawyer, so what? There are already too many lawyers. And too many laws. The last thing we need in the Senate are more lawyers and laws. But since Ms. Kennedy insists that this is an important attribute it is only fair to inquire of the prospective Senator who her past clients have been, the firms she has worked for as a lawyer and for how long, and the cases in which she has appeared as the attorney of record. Are there any?

As an author and scholar, she has co-authored--emphasize CO-authored--a couple of books on constitutional law (and edited a few harmless collections of poetry--which amounted to selecting some poems and stamping her name on the volume). As a lawyer myself, I have looked through
her co-authored books on law and can say that they are rudimentary tracts almost any law graduate could write, and with the right connections and editorial support, publish. Trouble is, most law graduates lack the time to write books. They have to work--usually as lawyers.

And certainly philanthropy is no guarantor of political success. If that were so, Bill Gates would be president, perhaps even dictator. Just look at Mayor Bloomberg. His most important initiatives, such as congestion pricing and the West Side redevelopment, failed miserably, despite all the loot he has given away. Though, as an aside, it was enough for Bloomberg to circumvent term-limits and perhaps set himself up as dictator. Are you watching, Bill Gates?

That leaves us with the Kennedy name. I'll leave aside questions regarding why Ms. Kennedy has suddenly dropped her married name, Schlossberg; why the press won't even touch that subject; and why she thinks it's okay to abandon the name her own children bear. Heaven knows what eruptions such questions might cause. Suffice it to say that Ms. Kennedy has stated that because of her name she may have to work even harder than others to become Senator. "If my last name weren't Kennedy," she also is quoted as saying, "maybe I would have run for office a long time ago."

Maybe. But that certainly hasn't stopped lots of other Kennedys. Then again, why bother running for office when you can be annointed by just asking.

Add Another Politician to the Mug Shot Book

Ah, 'tis that special time of year. Children await Santa. Parents scramble to put presents beneath the Christmas tree. The streets are lined with holiday lights. Good cheer fills the air.

Unless the air you're breathing is inside Queens Democratic headquarters where there are this morning fits of choking. It seems that Senator-elect Hiram Monserrate (D-Queens), handpicked by Queens political boss Joe Crowley to replace long-serving John Sabini as State Sentor, has joined the ever-expanding list of politicos whose mugs now appear in police photo books. The thuggish Monserrate, a City Councilman with a history of questionable behavior whose passion for the victims of domestic violence is matched only by his apparent willingness to inflict such violence himself, is out on bail after bashing his girlfriend in the face with a broken drinking glass. This is alleged to have happened late at night inside Monserrate's Elmhurst pad, after attending a party hosted by none other than Crowley himself. As blood gushed from his girlfriend's face, from a wound that required 20 stitches, Monserrate rushed the victim, not to Elmhurst Hospital which is seconds from Monserrate's doorstep, but to Long Island Jewish Medical Center in Nassau County. Who said chivalry and honor are dead? After all, Monserrate is an ex-Marine (that is, he is a Marine since once a Marine always a Marine).

We hear today, though, that it is all a mistake and that the girlfriend doesn't want to press charges--a syndrome only too common and well known to prosecutors of domestic abuse crimes.

But Monserrate's own colleagues are not so sure. At least one of them is quoted as saying that it was only a matter of time before Monserrate, a notorious hot head and gas bag, would publicly implode. Which brings us back to Joe Crowley, who pushed a dedicated Sabini aside to promote Monserrate in an effort to woo Hispanic voters. This proves one thing about Crowley: Quality and experience take a back seat to political expediency. When it comes to New York Democrats
some things never change.