Caroline Kennedy

It's hard to know what to say about Caroline Kennedy's quest for Hillary Clinton's Senate Seat. I have always had a great respect for her and her family. Their loss, her loss, I have felt deeply. I have always been impressed by her courage and her resilience. When she came out and endorsed Barack Obama it was a tremendous thing, made more significant by the fact that Caroline Kennedy is a woman who has never sought out the spotlight.

But. I am troubled by her decision to put her name in contention for Hillary Clinton's Senate Seat. It's not so much that she wants to be the Senator from New York, but the manner in which she has made her interest known.

She has hired an image maker to help her make her case. It's the same guy who helped Joe Lieberman win it in Connecticut last year. She has made calls to all the New York heavy hitters, stating her interest, and asking for their support and she certainly seems to have gotten it. It is as though she wants to steamroll the Governor into a position where he has no choice but to choose her.

And about that support. If you are a Democrat, how can you vote against a Kennedy?

It reminds me of conversations with friends back in early 2008 when Hillary Clinton was considered the shoe-in for the Democratic Nomination. "Why?" we asked ourselves, "were New York politicians so vocal in their support for her. Surely they didn't have to support her solely because she was the Senator from New York." We questioned African American politicians' allegiance to her and I remembered a conversation with an African friend who had decided to put his might behind Hillary only because he didn't think there was another choice, that Hillary was going to win, so for him, it was a no-brainer to put his money on the winning ticket even if, in his heart, he liked the African American with the funny name.

I have the greatest admiration for Caroline Kennedy. But for her to win this seat based purely on her last name is nothing more than nepotism. At a time when we all profess to be shocked shocked by the "pay to play" mentality of politicians, it would be nice if the person to take Hillary Clinton's seat in the Senate earned that seat on merit alone. That is the kind of change we need in Washington.