Forgive me if I don't find the anti-dynastic stylings of Ross Douthat (among others on the right) to be entirely convincing. I find the "new blood" argument insipid, for one, as I don't think these folks have thought through the implications of their argument. Why shouldn't someone whose parents were politically successful have a shot at public office? It seems discriminatory otherwise. Of all the arguments against Hillary Clinton in the primaries, the dynasty one was least convincing: I was much more compelled by superior arguments. And that's the point: the reason why someone should or shouldn't be appointed to the Senate is because they would be the most effective possible Senator. I admit that there is some doubt as to whether Caroline Kennedy would, in fact, fulfill the one criteria, but it appears that most New Yorkers like the idea and that she would be able to handle the fundraising hurdles. Honestly, that's not too bad a start.
I'm not sure that I buy this whole line of reasoning since Douthat didn't seem to mind the idea of Jeb Bush running for the Senate from Florida. He didn't write anything critical about it that I recall. Why not? Well, because there's every reason to believe that Bush would be effective. Now, Bush is a more credible candidate for the Senate, to be sure, but if one were to actually believe in the "new blood" argument, or worries about too much power being concentrated in one family, then surely a family that has produced two Presidents of the United States, as well as a Governor of Florida, is a problem as well? Especially when you consider the sorry state of the Kennedy dynasty today: Teddy is ailing, his son Patrick is a congressman from Rhode Island more known for DUIs than laws, RFK Jr. is an idiot. Teddy still has great power and influence, but otherwise there's not too much going on there. The Bushes are far more powerful in the GOP relative to the Kennedys in the Democratic Party. Is there any reason why these sentiments aren't standard-issue conservative resentment of the Kennedys? And unless Caroline pays off David Paterson for the seat, I think the Blago reference is a red herring.
