Is Caroline Kennedy more or less qualified than Liddy Dole?

[ColbertWatcher]

Poll question: Is Caroline Kennedy more or less qualified than Liddy Dole?

[malaise]

1. While I understand those who oppose her candidacy for

the Senate on the grounds of dynasties, she brings a breath of fresh air to Washington. She is no Washington insider

She is more qualified than Liddy Dole, but how hard is that.

add.

[ColbertWatcher]

5. "She is more qualified than Liddy Dole, but how hard is that." LOL!

The people who are saying she is a dynasty see her name and shut their minds off soon thereafter.

You're right, she's not a Washington "insider." But, for me that's not a good thing, especially since she's going in halfway through a very important term. Being a Senator is a big deal, doubly so, since it's for New York, a populous state.

Nonetheless, someone is going to have to fill the seat, so why not her? She has the name, which is a benefit as far as contacts go, but her lifetime outside politics may give her the perspective many fear she doesn't have due to her last name.

[EFerrari]

13. How much more inside can you get than being a friend of a sitting president?

:)

If you mean an outsider in the sense of a stranger to K Street, that's a huge plus. Not for sale.

And in her case, her name signifies a tradition of public service, not generations of bilking the public.

[ColbertWatcher]

21. I think what makes one a Washington insider should be the subject of another thread ...

... oh, look!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=4656907&mesg_id=4656907

[Recursion]

2. What "qualifies" one to be a Senator?

Does the job require skills? Don't we just want somebody honest and capable of learning new things?

[ColbertWatcher]

9. The teevee keeps telling me Caroline Kennedy is J-Lo.

So, I decided to see what DU might think of her.

[11 Bravo]

64. Must have attained 30 years of age, must have been a US citizen for 9 years, and ...

must be an inhabitant of the state for which chosen when elected. She's qualified.

[mikelgb]

3. Qualified for what?

to be Senator from New York?

Caroline Kennedy

to wipe asses?

Liddy Dole

[foxfeet]

56. Liddy's not getting anywhere near my ass.

[sandnsea]

4. Running the Red Cross

is a pretty big job, say what you will about the Red Cross itself. I don't know that Caroline has that kind of experience.

[ColbertWatcher]

7. I seriously doubt Liddy "ran" the Red Cross.

I think she was more a figure head than anything.

It wasn't like she was a manager or anything, wasn't she just President? And wasn't there some kind of scandal during her tenure?

[sandnsea]

24. I think she did

She was President & CEO from 1991 - 1999. Like Bernadette Healey and everybody else who has been the head of the Red Cross and took the heat when things didn't go right. The only scandal I remember is the same one there is after every disaster, they didn't distribute all the money to Oklahoma City victims. There may have been others, it was 8 years after all.

Anyway, here's her bio. Will probably surprise you, it did me.

http://www-cgi.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/1996/conventions/san.diego/players/hanfords/

[ColbertWatcher]

28. Very impressive, thank you for the link.

She has done quite well for a woman during that part of history.

Maybe she shouldn't have entered politics? It sounds like she did much better in the private sector--lobbying did allow her to meet her husband Bob.

Being Transportation Secretary under Reagan is nothing to brag about, considering all that union busting.

[sandnsea]

37. If you're against unions it is

She's got a great resume for a Republican and that was the question. She was more than qualified to run for Senate. She was more qualified to be VP than Sarah Palin was, that's for damn sure. I'm not saying a Dem Governor should appoint Dole over Caroline Kennedy, but Dole does have more relevant experience.

[Lex]

35. There was a big 'tainted blood' scandal while she was there.

Her tenure in charge of it was a trainwreck.

[ColbertWatcher]

42. But wasn't her response in tune with the GOP position on gay people? n/t

[sandnsea]

45. Oh yeah, I remember that

I think she inherited that problem, in fairness. But did a horrible job of fixing it. Do people still donate their own blood before surgeries? I don't know but I know people did then.

[TreasonousBastard]

51. The Red Cross has its institutional problems, like...

local chapters being VERY independant and the Board being factious-- none of which any Director has been able to deal with properly. The charter makes it difficult to run and makes you wonder why it works at all.

Be that as it may, Liddy Dole's resume is a damn good one, even if she did do a lot of work for the other side and now votes for them. She's never been accused of lax management or poor judgement that I know of and has been scandal-free, even during the criminal cabinets of the Nixon and Reagan days.

And she did it all on her own, without a family dynasty pulling strings.

She's the kind of person we should try to work with, not hate with a kneejerk.

[ColbertWatcher]

53. "She's the kind of person we should try to work with"

She was voted out, I'd like to think it was because of this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLkazmjpcIs

[ColbertWatcher]

54. But, it might have been due to this ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzhUOfgxg2c

[malaise]

31. The Red Cross is one big racket

It is way more political than most people realize and sadly aligned to some very right wing people and groups.
I'd trust Caroline Kennedy 1000 times more than Liddy Dole.

[KamaAina]

38. New Orleanians still have tales of the RC selling bread after Hurricane Betsy

That's right, selling bread. :grr: :banghead:

[malaise]

44. I could tell you amazing stories about them after hurricanes and

floods in this part of the hemisphere. Donations sent to help people after a major flood in one Caribbean country were stolen by the politicians and the rest allocated to supporters of his party. Of course his wife was in charge. I don't give them a dime. Their decent days have long been over.

[EFerrari]

40. The American Red Cross is a huge racket. n/t

[sandnsea]

48. I didn't say anything about trust

The question was about qualifications. There is a huge difference.

[Captain Hilts]

6. What do they have in common other than falopian tubes? Why THIS comparison?

[ColbertWatcher]

8. I was trying to think of someone who became a Senator based primaily on name recognition. n/t

[Captain Hilts]

33. MANY: Lincoln Chafee, Robert Kennedy, Rep. Jack Kemp, Hillary C, JohnWarner ...

Margaret Chase Smith, Ted Kennedy, John Kennedy, Claiborne Pell, almost Eleanor Roosevelt, Bill Bradley, Jim Bunning...

[ColbertWatcher]

43. Okay, and I went with Dole, Thank you! n/t

[onenote]

52. and a whole lot of others who got their start in politics because of their names

Long tradition of it, including Al Gore, Evan Bayh, Russ Carnahan, Mary Landrieu, John Dingell, Doris Matsui (that's just Democrats -- there also are plenty of repubs who have gotten their start by being part of a political family).

[TreasonousBastard]

41. A Buckley, a Clinton... n/t

[supernova]

10. Don't know about more qualified

but I would expect Caroline to be more competent.

:P

Liddy could have chosen to be competent with all the different positions she has held, but she has chosen the fluffball path every time.

[ColbertWatcher]

12. Good point.

I love this commercial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLkazmjpcIs

[JDPriestly]

11. Liddy Dole was better qualified. She had worked in the White House

under Kennedy (I think, possibly Johnson). She started out as a Democrat. I'm unaware that Caroline Kennedy has worked in any government, much less political, jobs. Did she work as an attorney in a law firm? What has she done in her life other than write books?

I have the impression she was a lawyer but didn't practice that much.

I think that originally she studied art history.

[ColbertWatcher]

16. "Did she work as an attorney in a law firm?"

According to Wikip*dia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caroline_Kennedy#Professional_life) she did a little more than what you've so flippantly posted:

Kennedy is an attorney, editor, writer and member of the New York and Washington, D.C. bar associations. She is one of the founders of the Profiles in Courage Award,

(...)

From 2002 to 2004, Kennedy worked as chief executive for the Office of Strategic Partnerships for the New York City Department of Education. During this time, she helped raise more than $65 million for the city’s public schools.<3> She currently serves as the Vice Chair of The Fund for Public Schools, a public-private partnership founded in 2002 to attract private funding for public schools in New York City. <5>

[JDPriestly]

27. She is a fundraiser and social maven. That does not qualify

her for the position of senator.

She is an attorney, but what did she do with her law degree? Did she ever practice law?

I do not think that she is at all qualified to be senator. But then it is up to the people of New York. They should hold a special election.

[Nikki Stone1]

55. I agree with you, JD. Dole was also Secy of Transportation before she ran for Senate

Caroline Kennedy, as fond as we are of her family, is not as experienced as Liddy Dole. That said, there are inexperienced Senators out there. Caroline Kennedy is not a bad choice for junior senator. Not the best, but not bad. And she might be able to sway a few people because of her family ties. On the other hand, she might not win reelection against a more experienced Dem in a primary.

[CTyankee]

62. Tell me, what do you think about Al Franken's candidacy for the Senate?

Is he better qualified than Caroline Kennedy?

[EFerrari]

19. She's working in government right now funding raising for NYC schools

and she interned with Teddy. She's a member of the NY and DC bar.

[dmallind]

14. Bout the same really

Liddy Dole had run a large organization before becoming a Senator, whereas Kennedy's work had more been on the fundraising and advocacy side, but of course neither would have all that much of a chance without their name.

[Vinca]

15. Qualified for what? Liddy's got it all over Caroline for parts

in movies about elderly aliens. (Aliens as in extraterrestrial beings.)

[cali]

17. strictly in terms of resume, Kennedy is less qualified

In every other way, she's more qualified.

[ColbertWatcher]

18. Good distinction. n/t

[onenote]

20. I'm no fan of Dole, and I support Caroline Kennedy, but Dole was quite qualified to run for senate

Dole served in both the Johnson and Nixon White Houses and was appointed to a seat on the Federal Trade Commission in 1973 -- before she married Bob Dole. She later served in two Cabinet posts -- secretary of transportation (Reagan) and secretayr of labor (bush I).

That being said, from the perspective of a Democrat, the only qualifications that I care about are two that Caroline has: she'll support the Democratic agenda and she's electable.

edited to change treasury to transportation

[ColbertWatcher]

22. I thought she was Transportation Sec under Ronald "Screw the airlines" Reagan? n/t

[sandnsea]

26. And?

Just because you don't like someone's politics doesn't mean that they don't have qualifications.

[ColbertWatcher]

29. Being GOP means not being qualified. n/t

[onenote]

34. my bad: my brain said transportation but my hands typed treasury

Damn "T" words.

I've edited my post. Thanks.

[ColbertWatcher]

49. LOL! n/t

[stillcool]

23. No one is less qualified than..

Caroline Kennedy. The problem is she is a Kennedy, and therefore totally unacceptable. Although, I'm not sure if it's all Kennedy's or just Caroline that is an insult to the good Democrats of DU. I live in MA, so I don't have that problem. I wish she would take over her uncle's seat here..if god forbid it is vacated. I hope New Yorkers are pleased with whoever they get, and I really hope it's not Caroline. All that ugliness. Who needs it?

[ColbertWatcher]

25. How is her being a Kennedy "totally unacceptable"?

What do you mean by

All that ugliness.

???

[stillcool]

32. I've read my eyeful....

of Caroline's being awarded the Senate seat as a 'political plum', and only because she is a Kennedy. Seems that being a lawyer, author, being involved in the New York Public School system, as well as an advocate for many causes and Democratic ideals is not relevant. All the ugliness is what I've already read.

[ColbertWatcher]

36. Are you saying the ugliness is what other people are saying about Caroline, and not ...

... anything she herself has been involved in?

[stillcool]

47. Yes. I haven't read one word...

about anything Caroline Kennedy has actually done, by those who are adamantly opposed to her occupying that seat. Either good or bad.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

30. Observing most senators, the qualification bar is very, very, low.

Although, heaps of money does help most to overcome their lack of qualifications to be other than ordinary crooks.

[LanternWaste]

39. Looking at the qualifications-- it seems about equal...

Having looked at the the qualifications for a New York Senate seat-- it seems about equal...

"...a senator must be 30 years of age, a citizen of the United States for 9 years, and must reside in the state he or she represents at the time of election."




As for the rest of our own, personally-imposed curricula vitae qualifications, I imagine they're all pretty subjective both in scope and nature.

[ColbertWatcher]

50. Touche. n/t

[Iggo]

46. More.

Since she was not rejected by voters like Dole just was.

[depakid]

57. Qualified or not, Dole was a backbencher

who never distinguished herself in the Senate.

[ColbertWatcher]

58. True, so perhaps her "qualifications" didn't necessarily translate to competence? n/t

[depakid]

59. Or initiative.

Circumstances granted her the opportunity to stand up and be a leader in some of the most trying times her nation (and her state) had seen over the past 40 years.

Yet she didn't rise to the occasion. In a way, it's rather sad.

[ColbertWatcher]

61. Excellent point. n/t

[GoesTo11]

60. Liddy Dole disqualified herself

Her lying anti-Atheist crap tirade shows that she thinks there should be a State Religion. For rejecting her responsibility to uphold the constitution, she is not qualified to serve (as the voters of North Carolina correctly determined). Just by showing up with her head out in the open air, CK is more qualified.

[saltpoint]

63. I'll take a liberal Senator over a perfume-drunk Far Right Senator any day.

Go, Caroline.

[Chemical Bill]

65. What about "Fuck Liddie Dole"? n/t