Comments on: She Doth Promote Too Much: Kennedy Strategy Appears to be Backfiring

By: james

james — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 01:45:49 +0000

Where was she when there was a real heated battle going on over privacy and retroactive amnesty for the telecoms?

Hear a peep out of Ms. Schlossberg during that time period? I sure as hell didn’t.

By: NealDeesit

NealDeesit — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 21:43:55 +0000

She’s qualified to be a senator, but she’s not the MOST qualified, the best pick for the post.

A similar observation about affirmative action: The candidate in the Promoted Group meets the minimal requirements for the position, but others contenders are BETTER qualified, but, in effect, excluded because they are NOT in the Promoted Group.

Affirmative action: in minoritiy admissions, allegedly a remedy for past discrimination against a class of people; in legacy admissions, allegedly a catalyst for intergenerational ties between ivied academe and families with the means, if no longer quite the brains, to matriculate.

Appointing CK is seen as promoting her over more qualified contenders, as a political “legacy admission.” Unfortunately for her, the most recently prominent serial legacy admitee [Andover, Yale, Harvard Business School, the “awl bidnesss” et al.] has taken the shine off this peculiar institution.

By: oldgold

oldgold — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 21:14:35 +0000

Yes, I know, but in my opinion it wasn’t a persuasive rebuttal. In fact, the excessive hyperbole involved in the comparison acted to destroy the point.
All that being said, looseheadprop, I really enjoy the legal analysis you do here. It is first rate.

By: looseheadprop

looseheadprop — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 20:51:53 +0000

As youcan see from the remainder of my comment, I am no supporter of Bork’s. But he did have academic chops, and he did have a demonstrated history of forgoing the big bucks of private practice in favor of public service and academia.

My point being that you can prove your “chops” by either depth of resume or by getting elected.

She has done neither, AND she wont tell the voters what her positions are.

By: looseheadprop

looseheadprop — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 20:48:44 +0000

There already IS a law for a special election. The new Senator will have to run in 2009 and again in 2010. This is just an appointment until the special election

By: dugsdale

dugsdale — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 20:48:37 +0000

Well, I hope we lowly voters get to scrutinize all these potential candidates (and perhaps weigh in on them in some meaningful fashion, though I can’t imagine what it might be) before Gov. Patterson appoints one of them. I might not have a quarrel with Ms. Kennedy’s qualifications if I knew what they were; I completely agree with Hugh@38 that Ms. K went about all this in exactly the wrong way, and I put it down to a kind of inexperience I’d expect from someone making their maiden run for a county board of supervisors or state assembly seat, not a run for the US Senate. She might turn out to be average, or better, if appointed–but I’d prefer for my state and my interests not to be used as a “learning experience” no matter by whom. Nadler and Cuomo, at any rate, are known quantities, and have at least been bench-tested in the legislative arena.

Oh, and californiarealitycheck: Nadler’s is the 8th district.

By: looseheadprop

looseheadprop — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 20:47:35 +0000

It was the “star quality” argument that Congressman Ackerman was rebutting with his J-Lo comment

By: richardCA

richardCA — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 19:58:34 +0000

You are correct.

However, don’t NYer’s expect higher standards for the Jets as well as their senators wrt past and current achievements?

By: oldgold

oldgold — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 19:44:59 +0000

Considerably better than last year!

By: gbsavatar

gbsavatar — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 19:40:29 +0000

“For example when Robert Bork was proposed for the SCOTUS, one of the arguemtns in his favor –and I found it to be a compleling argument–was that almost his entire career was spent in gov’t service or academia –exccept for e very brief period when his wife had cancer and he went into private practice so he could pay her bills, when he could have made a ton more $ in private preactice.

The notion being he had EARNED it. he had the chops. –both in terms of expertise and in terms of having given back to society and therby demosntrating his committment to the public welfare.”

The most corrupt scumbag ever proposed for SCOTUS until W had the power. Never met a decision he couldn’t take for his friends and masters. Justice never entered his heart or mind.