Ooh, this is just so frustrating for Andrew Cuomo.
From 1990 to 2003, Cuomo the Younger was married, Montague-and-Capulet style, to Robert F. Kennedy's daughter Kerry-and was close friends with Caroline's brother John Jr., from 1988 to his 1999 death. The marriage ended in a bitter divorce after Cuomo reportedly discovered his wife had an affair with a polo player....I didn't follow the divorce hijinx, but if it's true that Kerry cheated on Andy, then it's only fair that Andy should be Senator.
"Incestuous, intermarrying with one another to take over the crown and consolidate power," is how one Nassau pol described the Kennedy-Cuomo relationship....
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55 comments:
You really don't know about this. This was front page news for months. The Kennedy bimbo was just as big a hosebag as her uncle Jack.
Of course Cuomo is a scantimonious prick so anything bad that happens to him is karmic justice. Tough on the kids though to see their mom in a bikini on her lovers boat on the front page of the paper.
The American Century is ending with a whang .... a bang and a whimper.
If one of them is going to flaunt their cleavage, I’d rather it be Caroline, but hey, that’s just me.
Can we stop with using 'incestuous' to describe things that clearly are not incest?
I see this Senate thing as the last gasp of Kennedy clan. The only qualification of Mrs. Schlossberg is that she is not a POS or a dullard like the other third and fourth generation Kennedys. None of the rest will rise above their present level of mediocrity and their offspring will not even rise that high.
We as a nation appear to be in a political dynastic bubble and we all know what happens to bubbles.
Please let it be so, TosaGuy. I'm tired of the star-bellied sneetches.
As an American I have never been sadder than now when a person with no experience but with a famous name may become the senator of the state in which I currently reside.
Could anything be more pathetic than Caroline Kennedy's brief "upstate tour" the other day?
Caroline: "Hey, I should get to know my subjects a little bit before I ascend to the throne."
I am thoroughly sickened by this situation.
*
A polo player....!?
Hey so I've googled Kerry Kennedy-man I want to shoot me-and ummm, she's been brunette, blonde with short hair and blonde with long hair....
Oh ya-and she wrote a book as-
Kerry Kennedy Cuomo-entitled-
Speaking Truth to Power....
[I guess that means gettin' drunk on Holidays and tellin' the relatives what you really think.]
I don't know that he (the other man) was really a polo player--but definitely a horseman. I used to board my horse at his family's farm.
"Cuomo the Younger was married, Montague-and-Capulet style, to Robert F. Kennedy's daughter Kerry"
"A plague on both your houses!"
I think Carolyn might be the unfortunate recipient of Kennedy fatigue.
While the President-elect could barely walk, Camelot was tragically brought to an end. To anybody under 40 Camelot had real knights.
Restoration has been marred by one scandal after another.
If only her brother were alive.
Wait, Caroline is not dead yet, she is only mostly dead.
http://tinyurl.com/6fmm7m
Well, at least Cuomo has held a job and has been elected to a public post...
Can't they both lose?
A polo player?
That pretty much comes with the territory with the Kennedys. What did Andrew think he was getting, other than another attractive narcissist?
As to Caroline, her "candidacy" is a joke. Andrew Cuomo on the other hand is not a joke, but a demagogic threat.
I think the Governor should appoint himself. He would be better than either of them.
Perhaps there is a way that Caroline Kennedy could then become Governor of New York?
Ha, just kidding.
The absurdity of her as a governor should remind everyone of how absurd it is to think of making her a Senator.
All hail the next tax and spender, whoever he/she may be.
A pox on both these houses!
With the exception of a courtside seat at the US Open, I doubt that stringy Caroline has set foot in the outer boroughs, never mind upstate.
MAybe Paterson can appoint Al Franken. He used to live in New York.
I don't care at all for the Kennedys or their politics, but, hey, if Obama is qualified to be president, Caroline is qualified to be senator. If Hillary was qualified to be senator, Caroline is qualified to be senator. Heck, if Obama was qualified to be senator, Caroline is qualified to be senator.
Ah Zeb, you weren't suppose to notice.
**snippets**
Ask anyone in the world to name a polo player, and the most likely name they will come up with is Prince Charles.
Anybody see the irony that this is all about replacing a Clinton? Maybe they should just pick Chelsea.
Meanwhile, in Florida Jeb Bush is gearing up his Senate run (which will position him to eventually be the third Bush to run for President). At least this year the GOP didn't nominate Duncan Hunter, who (like a number of current members of Congress) was elected to the seat his father bequeathed to him.
If Jeb Bush is successful then he will join a Senate containing two Udall cousins, Tom and Mark, who will both be sworn in on the same day (though their other cousin, Gordon Smith, won't be joining them as he was beaten this year by a non-dynastic guy named Merkely). The Udalls already know how to work together, having served two of the four "four corners" districts in Congress for years. Another Udall was nearly elected some years back to a third of those districts, and of course it all goes back to Grandfather Mo.
The new Senator from Delaware, some guy named Kaufmann, was reportedly chosen so he could keep the seat warm for Beau Biden, who can run for his dad's Senate seat when he gets back from Iraq.
Also still in the Senate is Lisa Murkowski, who was appointed to her job by the former Governor (her father.)
Here in Arizona, our junior Senator is John Kyl, who as he put it once "grew up in Congress," as his father was a Congressman from Iowa who rarely actually went to Iowa.
Mark Udall's Colorado colleague won't be Ken Salazar, who will become secretary of the interior but his younger brother, congressman John Salazar is a leading candidate for the seat.
Meanwhile in Congress, the Hispanic caucus will be losing a member if John Salazar moves up, but not to worry because it is well stocked with a pair of Republican brothers (the Diaz-Balart brothers) from Florida and also a pair of Democratic sisters (the Sanchez sisters) from California.
And we haven't even touched Illinois yet.
To my knowledge, none of the 20 some grandkids of Joe Kennedy ever served in the military. None of Mario's kids did, either.
Nor any of the Pritzker kids, the Jesse Jackson kids, or the kids and brothers of other "important state figures, plutocrats, celebrities" also in the mix for consideration of dynastic appointment to the Senate seats in Colorado, NY, and Illinois.
Qualified or unqualified, I think that just pure appointment based on hereditary lineage grates on people more as an undue privilige - than a Kennedy princess or a brother of a famous guy running and winning office on their own.
In this whole appointment process, I hope the question is asked more and more by the public - "Why not an appointee who is a just a top-level Joe or Jill with a distinguished military service or significant national/state accomplishment in other areas?"
Then here in Maryland my congressman is John Sarbanes, eldest son of recently retired Senator Paul Sarbanes. Friends who worked with him at his former law firm tell me he is a good guy, but I found his acceptance speech when elected two years ago reeked of entitlement.
It's fun to get all cranked up about dynastic stuff, but how did that John Adams dynasty work out? How about the Roosevelts?
kimsch said...
Well, at least Cuomo has held a job and has been elected to a public post...
Yeah, he was the HUD boss under Clinton, pushed the CRA and sued banks for billions when they didn't loan enough sub-prime stuff in underserved communities. He was the strong arm side of the community organizer ban greenmail scam
It's fun to get all cranked up about dynastic stuff, but how did that John Adams dynasty work out? How about the Roosevelts?
JQA, like his father, seems to have been a very good man who was unfairly treated.
Both Roosevelts were pretty detrimental to the union.
Jeb Bush was by all accounts an excellent governor. At least, James Carville speaks highly of him. Too bad that his older brother probably scotched any chance he might have had.
If I never saw another Kennedy, Cuomo, Bush, Biden, etc, etc, it would be too soon. Unfortunately, Patches Kennedy is my US rep, thanks to the blue hair constituents who really do believe he has a hereditary entitlement.
Ken and John Salazar's family helped found Sante Fe, I hear. Pretty aristocratic.
You neglect to mention that Nancy Pelosi also continues a political dynasty. She held the Bible for her dad, Tommy D'Alesandro, as he was sworn in as mayor of Baltimore.
The Drill SGT said... Yeah, he was the HUD boss under Clinton, pushed the CRA and sued banks for billions when they didn't loan enough sub-prime stuff in underserved communities. Here's the details on that little story.
So Cuomo's bad judgment is documented. Kennedy's, not so much.
Reading this thread, one might be forgiven for thinking that only Dems took advantage of family connections.
I'd be happy to never see another legacy pol.
I think Paterson ought to toss a dart at the map of NY state. Wherever it hits, get the phone book and rip out a page. Barring any felony convictions, appoint the 12th person in the second column on the even numbered page.
Enoug of this aristocrat dynasty chat. FYI We have our own little dynasty here among the Althousian commentariat. We stick together somewhat like any dysfunctional family.
Screw the Kennedys and the Cuomos. I say Althouse should organize a gift campaign to get a new dog for RogerJ.
I will send her some some Xmas cheer to buy a new dog for Roger. What about the rest of you?
Sounds like a good Idea AJ.
Althouse just posted about a dog.
But only if Roger agrees to name the dog "Marie Antoinette."
Even more than money, what the rich and the powerful leave their children is a secure sense of status and social confidence. It's not just them; it's you. You have the feeling that you should defer to their judgement, and they have the feeling that they should be in charge. It's all as sub-verbal as sexual attraction but it is a current that runs through human relations....."Wittgenstein, put down that poker," is the phrase that Bertrand Russell will probably best be remembered for. Wittgenstein had gotten into some kind of argument with Karl Popper. As is the wont of logical positivists, Wittgenstein attempted to convince Popper of the empirical validity of his position by crowning him with an iron poker. Russell, who was witnessing the debate, sharply told Wittgentstein to put down the poker. Wittgenstein complied. Russell was able to exert authority over the situation not because of his superior reasoning powers but because he was born a titled lord in a country where both Wittgenstein and Popper were refugees. They deferred to him, and he expected them to defer to him....If three of the pre-eminent philosophers of the 20th century deferred to status and privilege, what chance do you have of defeating Chris Dodd in the next election.
Guys . . . seriously . . . I think it's really insensitive to joke about how it would be so easy for someone to just go out and purchase a new best friend.
I'm sure no one meant it in a bad way.
You're all decent folk, I'm sure.
I'm just saying.
Okay. We'll rename Caroline Kennedy, "Marie Antoinette."
For better or worse, people DO end up purchasing or otherwise adopting new pets when an old one dies.
Unlike with human beings, that is part of the way we interact with animals.
We've all known people who found it hard or even unthinkable to attempt to replace a lost, beloved pet, especially a dog. Many of us have been in that position ourselves. But many people eventually move on, and seek out a new life to share.
It's never the same, but the lives of any of God's creatures are never the same. Nothing will ever quite fill the sense of loss, but once one realizes that the relationship will not be a repeat of the last, a healthy sense of the continuity of life may help fill the void.
We're planning to get a dog for the family in a few months. It was going to be a male, and now I have the perfect name for him:
"Louis."
I think you’re a great guy, Theo, and I think you're one of the great Althousians.
I want you to know that.
Best wishes to you and yours.
So far Cuomo is winning this poll by a two to one margin. Did Rush Limbaugh voiced his view on the matter last week?
This was front page news for months.
Well, I live in not-New York, and I don't read the tabloids and their slick cousins (like People). So I managed to never hear about it, either, or at least not often enough that it penetrated my disinterest in whatever is the latest Kennedy relative kerfuffle.
William - Russell was able to exert authority over the situation not because of his superior reasoning powers but because he was born a titled lord in a country where both Wittgenstein and Popper were refugees. They deferred to him, and he expected them to defer to him....If three of the pre-eminent philosophers of the 20th century deferred to status and privilege, what chance do you have of defeating Chris Dodd in the next election?
Cromwell managed. So did the Revolutionaries against the status and privilege of George III.
Things just haven't gotten bad enough yet for Americans to rebel against the princes and princesses of Our Imperial City or the Imperial Courts that manipulate law to force social control as they see fit despite what voters want.
They just haven't gotten bad enough yet for a 3rd American Revolution..Not yet..
Aw, thank you Bissage.
I want you to know you're my perennial nominee for Best Commenter EVAR!
(at least the funniest)
The same to you and yours. And although it may be a little chilly in any of our climate zones just now, in the words of the old song: "Rain on your herbs, and may all your weeds lack dew."
Plus he is so wonderful.
And garage mahal goes without a tag.
Well, here at least.
Yes, Trooper, life is so unfair.
It's one thing for a famous name or a wealthy person to run in an election using a significant advantage.
It's another thing for a wealthy, famous person to petition an electorate of one for a completely undeserved appointment to a very high office.
I've got nothing against Caroline K. She seems like a fine human being. But Cuomo's paid his dues. This round goes to him. She can run against him in two years.
The point about just replacing a beloved pet with a new one is well taken, but I would hardly characterize AJ's suggestion as "insensitive". That is to say, I don't think he was joking, and I think it was very thoughtful.
Trooper, here in Illinois we have had so many "legacy" pols, I have lost count. We have a hereditary system here. John Stroger (Cook County President), rebuilds and renames Cook County Hospital John Stroger Hospital (but it's after his son, not him or so he says) suffers a stroke before the primary, refuses to bow out, wins the primary, then bows out and replaces himself on the ballot with his son. Emil Jones, Jr. (Illinois Senate President) wins his primary, decides to retire just after the deadline for the November election. Dem machine names his son Emil Jones, III (Threemil) to replace him. Richard J Daley is Mayor of Chicago, his son Richard M. is State's attorney, then Mayor of Chicago himself. Michael Madigan is Speaker of the Illinois House, his daughter is IL Attorney General. Alderman Richard Mell's son-in-law is the current Governor. Mell's other daughter just won Rod's old State Rep seat and is going to run for Rahm's Congressional seat (which also used to be Rod's).... And that's not the half of it.
All the eligible citizens of NY State should be able to participate in a lottery. Just anybody at all would be amusing at least, instead of politics as usual.
It would put some new blood into the Senate.
It's fun to get all cranked up about dynastic stuff, but how did that John Adams dynasty work out? How about the Roosevelts?
You're comparing the context then to the context now, and JQA to Caroline Kennedy? (Or the Adamses over successive generation to the Kennedys, over successive generations, as quasi-royalty? Wow.)
As for the Roosevelts:
FDR was related to TR, it's true. They were 5th cousins. Now, Eleanor was TR's niece: that's true also, as is the fact that TR was present at their marriage.
Still, all this still strikes me as rather different then what we're seeing now and across a whole bunch of families (and with diminished-branch-shoots-leaves talent, to boot).
I've said this before and I'll say it again. The Kennedys have created their own social strata - the lumpen aristocracy.
Governors ought to change the model for these appointments.
Model 1. Appoint a retired esteemed politican to the post as a caretaker Cuomo Senior for example.
Model 2. Surely NY has a world class mind in another area that could contribute to the Senate for 2 years? A Doctor who runs medical missions to Africa? A Scientist who is an expert in Acid rain? Hell, a Nobel prize winning Economist like Krugman? He's an ass, but he's a smart ass and not an empty pants suit. Effectively go back to the model that the Founders expected with citizeb legislators once in a while instead of another f'ing rich lawyer.
Caroline just came out in favor of gay marriage. Good enough for me. She'd make a great Senator.
And she's smart too. Harvard and then Columbia Law.
Downtownlad,
Not nit-picking, but the current President attained an Ivy League education. Yale undergraduate and MBA from Havard.
The facts are not in question but the relevance is.
From the dynastic point of view, it's a tie:
Andrew is a male heir.
Caroline has a male heir.
(Born of Mario, the Cuomo dynasty hails from Nocera Inferiore, Italy, where the current nobiliary law incorporates male succession. Caroline, meanwhile is fourth generation Irish (John, Joseph, P.J., Patrick). In Ireland, every man's a king.)
Is New York so political bankrupt that they have nothing new to offer but reruns and offspring? The French are correct maybe, as Americans we are in decline!
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