Records show Caroline Kennedy failed to cast her vote many times since 1988

[Freddie Stubbs]

Source: NY Daily News

By ERIN EINHORN and DAVID SALTONSTALL
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS

Updated Thursday, December 18th 2008, 11:37 PM

Caroline Kennedy wants to be the next senator from New York, but her voting record is already spotty, the Daily News has found.

City Board of Elections records show Kennedy has failed to vote in many elections since she registered in the city in 1988 - including votes for the Senate seat she hopes to fill and numerous Democratic faceoffs for mayor.

"It doesn't speak to a deep-felt commitment to the electoral process," Baruch College political scientist Doug Muzzio said when told of Kennedy's ballot breakdowns.

Records show Kennedy did not pull the lever for any of her fellow Democrats in city primary races for mayor in 1989, 1993 and 1997 and 2005, which Republicans went on to win three out of four times in the general election.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2008/12/18/2008-12-18_records_show_caroline_kennedy_failed_to_.html

[aquart]

1. Now that's funny.

[fed_up_mother]

70. I personally think she has the qualifications to do the job, but I think she'd have trouble...

winning an election. The Kennedy name only goes so far, and I don't think it will help her overcome the fact that she is an utterly uninspiring speaker.

She's smart, she has a great education (undergrad and law), and she has connections, but even with the Kennedy name, I think she has a real enthusiasm deficit for anyone who isn't enthused about a Kennedy in office.

[bottomtheweaver]

2. Let the swiftboats roar.

When did she shoot herself to get a purple heart I wonder.

[Freddie Stubbs]

5. Is it 'Swiftboating' if it is backed up by facts?

:shrug:

[bottomtheweaver]

6. You mean the swiftboaters were lying?

Funny how the media neglected to point that out.

[karynnj]

7. the print media actually eventually did

and yes they were lying - It never was Kerry's story vs the SBVT - it was the official Navy record vs the SBVT. They had no one scrap of evidence and they challenged an official record.

[onenote]

23. its swiftboating if the facts are distorted

Despite the alarmist tone of the story, the actual text indicates only one general election in which she didn't vote (in 1994). Moreover, she apparently voted in around half of the primary elections.

I'd be curious to see the primary voting record of some of the other contenders.

[SharonAnn]

3. That didn't hurt Bill Frist any. He didn't vote at all before running foroffice.

[karynnj]

8. Didn't hurt John Edwards either.

[Muttocracy]

4. oops

"Records show she also took a pass on the 2002 gubernatorial primary as well as the general election, when Democrat Carl McCall took on incumbent Republican George Pataki."

[madrchsod]

9. a lot of people do not vote in a primary

if one does`t want their party affiliation known they do`t vote in a primary. she had her reasons not to vote in the primaries and it`s presumptuous of this political scientist to say she did`t have a deep-felt commitment.

[Muttocracy]

10. the whole article gives examples of general election too

but more of the missed votes were in primaries.

[onenote]

21. only one. in 1994

The article says that of the 38 contested elections since 1988 (almost two per year, which seems a bit odd), she voted in about half and that the ones she missed were almost all primary elections.Only one example of a general election being missed in given.

[karynnj]

44. The only general election one she missed was not the least bit close

Moynihan got 55% of the vote, Bernadette Castro 44% of the vote, others got 3% - from the American Almanac of politics

[Muttocracy]

63. governor 2002 - Pataki won. nt

[Tyrone Slothrop]

28. As a New Yorker, I have to say that

I don't want a Senator who "doesn't want their party affiliation known".

She's a Kennedy, for crying out loud! And she didn't want people thinking she's a Democrat????

Ridiculous...

[AngryAmish]

30. Caroline KENNEDY did not want her party affiliation known?!?

That is about the stupidest thing I have heard in a long time.

Occam's Razor says that she simply could not be bothered to vote. How hard is that to understand?

[KamaAina]

51. JFK's daughter wouldn't want her party affiliation known?!

I'd think it'd be about as obvious as Blagojevich's toupee. :shrug:

[mdmc]

61. it is a matter of public record in NYS

you are listed in the party you enroll in... if you don't want to be a dem, then you don't enroll in the party.. If your in, it is a matter of public record..

[Oregone]

11. Well, it can be said she definitely didn't vote for the 'wrong' person those years.

:)

[firedupdem]

12. She said she wasn't inspired until now...

Maybe thats why. I don't know how this is going to go over with New Yorkers. I'm sure the media is going to splash this information everywhere.

[CreekDog]

15. That's a poor answer for a wannabe Senator

There are many elections I'm not inspired, but it's my job as a citizen to vote.

I have to vote in school board elections, boring judicial races, local tax measures, etc.

Inspiration is nice, but being a good citizen requires *motivation*.

[No Elephants]

17. Sorry, but there have been times that I have not been able to bring myself to vote for

either clown. Caroline has been an outstanding citizen though. She's written two books, headed the Profiles in Courage project and raised tons of money for the public good. I am not by any means belittling voring, but it requires a couple of hours once every year or two. She's put tons of hours into public issues throughout her life. Besides, given her personal history and that of her family, I can see why the entire subject of politics raises emotional issues for her in a way that the rest of us cannot begin to imagine.

[AngryAmish]

31. Politics raises her emotions, perhaps being in THE US F'N SENATE, might hurt her delicate emotions?

And do you want this precious hothouse flower, who cannot be bothered to vote (because that is for little people) to fold every time Bill Frist looks at her sternly?

[Bake]

37. Voting is the FIRST responsibility of ANY citizen.

This bothers me. But I'm not a New Yorker, so it's not my call.

Bake

[closeupready]

54. Well, I am, and it bothers me, too.

n/t

[joeglow3]

45. What a fucking pile of steaming dog shit

This is not about single races. How many ballot initiatives did she not vote on? How many amendments to the state constitution did she not vote on? How many spending levies did she vote on? You can vote on all of these and not vote in the race you can't bring yourself to pick someone in. Sorry, but if your logic is true and she could not bring herself to vote on the hundreds of issues and races she missed out on, she has NO business being a Senator.

[karynnj]

46. In 2004, the same thing was said of Edwards

and I think you supported him for President.

[CreekDog]

47. No I didn't. You must have me mixed up with another poster.

And I think people have a duty of citizenship to vote in every election no matter who they are. I don't think it's disqualifying if you don't vote, but it's not a good thing.

[No Elephants]

16. That is almost what I was going to post. However, she said that no politician had inspired

her as her father had inspired so many, until Obama. She's been plenty inspired. She's written books, rasised huge sums of money, headed the Profiles in Courage Project, etc. She's been very involved in public life, just as a private citizen who wants to contribute to the public good, and not as a wannabe office holder...until now.

[Cha]

59. That's an excellent point..thanks for

reminding. I think there's a strong clue in her endorsement of Obama..

<snips>

"Sometimes it takes a while to recognize that someone has a special ability to get us to believe in ourselves, to tie that belief to our highest ideals and imagine that together we can do great things. In those rare moments, when such a person comes along, we need to put aside our plans and reach for what we know is possible."

We have that kind of opportunity with Senator Obama. It isn’t that the other candidates are not experienced or knowledgeable. But this year, that may not be enough. We need a change in the leadership of this country — just as we did in 1960.

Most of us would prefer to base our voting decision on policy differences. However, the candidates’ goals are similar. They have all laid out detailed plans on everything from strengthening our middle class to investing in early childhood education. So qualities of leadership, character and judgment play a larger role than usual."

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/27/opinion/27kennedy.htm...

[EFerrari]

13. Does she live in a "safe" district? I have to force myself to vote

because I do. Only local elections are real contests here.

[Freddie Stubbs]

22. She did not vote in the 1994 General Election, when Mario Cuomo lost for Govnernor

Which is pretty ironic, as she was related to him by marriage.

[onenote]

24. yep, and if she had voted, Cuoomo would have only lost by 123,726 votes

not 123,727.

You (and I) have no idea what reason she may have had for not voting in the 1994 GE. I'm more inclined to think that someone who votes in every other General Election in a 20 year period but one missed the one for a valid reason (illness, family issue?) rather than as evidence of a lack of interest in poltics.

If, over a twenty year period, voting in every general but one, and half of the primaries, is a basis for criticizing a candiate, then we're going to have to start closely studying the records of all candidates and disqualifying those with similar records.

You really want to go down that path?

[EFerrari]

36. Oops.

[JDPriestly]

14. This information supports my sense that Caroline Kennedy

is interested in being a senator, but is not really interested in politics. If you are interested in politics and policy, really interested, you vote in as many elections as you possibly can. I seriously doubt that she spends as much time thinking about or acting in politics as the average DUer. She is not the best choice for the Senate. All she really has to offer is her name and a lovely personality. That might get her an appointment, but it will not win her an election.

[No Elephants]

18. Huh? She has been involved in politics literally since she was in her mother's

womb. She has been a member of one of the most political families in American history. That is often used against her, but you cannot have it both ways. She has lived and breathed politics her entire life. (Iron-fisted Rose Kennedy, daughter of Boston's mayor, used to make all her kids come to dinner ready to discuss a news event of the day and she also raised them for service. That training never left the family--even in Caroline's generation)

As a young woman, Caroline interned with Senator Ted Kennedy. She also interned with the New York Daily News. Obviously, she did neither for the intern's salary.

She has written two books, one on the entire Bill of Rights and one on just the right to privacy. She has edited "A Patriot's Handbook and "Profiles in Courage for Our Time" (as well as editing a number of poeetry books that are not political, except that they relate to her family).

She is an advisor to the freaking Harvard Institute of (wait for it) POLITICS. She is a member of the board of directors of the Commission on Presidential Debates and of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. (She is also on the boards of many non-political charities.)

Even though her own children understandably attended private schools, she was director of the Office of Streategic Partnerships for the New York City Department of Education, working for $1 a year. During her tenure, she raissd $65 freakin' million dollars for NYC public schools. After that, she became co-chair of the board of directors of the Fund for Public Schools, which she helped found to attract private funding for NYC public schools.

In 1989, she helped create the Profiles in Courage Award, given to a public official or officials at the federal, state or local level whose actions best demonstrate the qualities of politically courageous leadership in the spirit of John F. Kennedy's book, Profiles in Courage. She has chosen each recipient and given each of the awards. She is also currently President of her father's Presidential Library.

Finally, throughout her life, she has represented her family and/or America at public events from ship christenings to funderals of heads of state.

She is a very smart and conscientious woman. There is less than no reason to assume that her involvement in any of the above activities was superficial or less than excellent.

Less involved in politics and less time than the average Du'er? ROFL

[JDPriestly]

62. And she couldn't be bothered to vote. Maybe it's because she doesn't

believe in voting, in democratic policies. Maybe she thinks voting is for the "little people." She seems to think she can avoid the process all together. Noblesse oblige. After all, she was born into it. She learned it at her father's knee. By that logic, I guess teachers' children shouldn't have to do student teaching, minister's kids shouldn't have bo be ordained or serve as student ministers, and doctor's kids -----?

One thing is for sure, she has quite a bevy of public relations advisers posting on blogs like DU. I guess that comes with the money and the social prestige.

She is a nice person, but in spite of all her honorary positions and scholarship, she is not a politician. Is she ready to have every aspect of her life and her family dredged up and put on display for the world to see? Did she every practice law or do anything that was really difficult other than raise children? Instinctively, I think it would be a mistake to name her. Especially if she hasn't cared enough to bother to vote. No. No. No. Very bad sign. She's a flake. A nice flake. But a flake.

[onenote]

50. do you know the voting records of any of the other possible appointees?

Do you know whether they voted in every primary? Or whether they missed voting in any general elections in the past 20 years?

I don't think a standard of "perfect attendance" is something we want to start setting for candidates.

[superconnected]

19. I'm amazed at how many people hate her. I have to wonder if it's because she's a woman, since she

doesn't seem to have dirt on her. Obamas inexperience didn't seem to bug dems even when he made senator.

[eilen]

20. I know, I really don't understand it.

She is qualified as are some others. She has no taint of misconduct, which is hard to find in politicians lately, probably because she is not a politician, she is a public servant. She is wealthy and has great connections--so is NYC's mayor and she is a New Yorker, something Hillary could barely claim when she ran for senator. She might not be an inspiring speaker yet but she is more than halfway intelligent and can improve. It was great seeing her walking and talking with our mayor. Perhaps she might even be able to help upstate NY, we are often ignored in favor of the more exciting NYC metro area. Gov. Paterson has to pick somebody and while I like Andrew Cuomo, he is doing a great job as Attorney General and I'd hate to lose him and the arguments about family legacy doesn't favor him either. I'd be happy with either individual representing NY in the Senate.

[robcon]

25. I haven't seen one word of "hate" on DU for Caroline Kennedy.

I think you're just a little too sensitive about criticism.

[superconnected]

48. I separate the critism kennedy gets from the critism I get. I'm sorry to find you don't in your mind

Hopefully it's not a consistent inability to keep the facts straight.

[closeupready]

27. Well, when you have nothing else, fall back on the sexism argument.

n/t

[superconnected]

49. And when you minimalize it to the point of insulting someone who suggests it, guess how

it makes you look. I'm removing your posts from my sight. Eww.

[Marie26]

32. I don't hate her

But I don't like her either. I'm sure she's a very nice woman & had done a lot of good. But I don't like the expectation that *anyone* can gain power w/o first gaining the approval & votes of the people they'll be representing. Almost everyone else has at least run for & served in a lower political office.

[NashVegas]

40. Some May Be Terrified of Her, I Suspect

I predicted the other day that if she takes this, and runs and wins next election, she'll be our first female president. I suspect some other, perhaps more influential, people believe the same and are already fighting it tooth and nail.

Or maybe they just have someone else in mind they'd rather see.

At any rate, I think those *who have no dog in this fight* and repeat the arguments of those who do are total stooges.

[Name removed]

43. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[sandnsea]

67. I absolutely adore her

I would go way way way out of my way just to shake her hand.

She is NOT, however, the best choice to be appointed to the Senate.

[Malidictus Maximus]

68. I hate the idea

the same way I hate the idea of the boss's son coming in and being promoted over people who have paid their dues for decades.
It;s disgusting; I'm not a New Yorker it's none of my business. But it sickens me to think that there are people who have slaved for decades, gone through the progression of jobs, punched their ticket for years learning every detail of the organization, and then someone with the 'right' name comes along and pops in to the top of the pyramid. Seen it in business, seen it in local politics, but seeing it at the senatorial level is disheartening. WE are the ones pushing equality and yet here comes someone of privileged birth who starts at the top? Well whatever the pedigree, I don't care how much talent ANYONE has, start at the very bottom and pay your dues on the shit work regardless of your name.

[Kingofalldems]

26. Records show some people love to post bad things about Democrats

right here on DU. :shrug:

[Freddie Stubbs]

29. If you want only good news, you may want to try Parade Magazine

[ryanmuegge]

33. No more Kennedys, Clintons, Rockefellers, or any other American dynasty.

No more of these fossilized relics. This country needs a real change in direction.

[Haole Girl]

34. Go ahead, Repugs... keen on diggin'

You're not going to accomplish anything.

[hedgehog]

35. I , for one, am very impressed at her appraisal of the sorry state of

the Democratic Party in the Empire State. We've had some stars like Cuomo and Moynihan, but in general it's be harder to find a sorrier group of opportunists anywhere.

As proof I submit this sorry example:

For the first time in about 150 years, the Democratic Party controls both the upper and lower houses of the NYS Legislature. Finally, an opportunity to pass a progressive agenda, you say? About a dozen of the Sate Senators have made it known that unless they get the goodies they want, they're switching to the Republican Party. Oh, and by the way, remember how we all worked to elect Democrats so the same-sex marriage bill would pass? Well, fuggedaboutit!

[fla nocount]

38. I hear what you're saying Freddie, but....

my objections are based on political royalty, cronyism and name recognition. I've no doubt that she would not have voted for FISA though, there's no handles or levers on this girl to tug and pull on. She's wealthy like her family, she can afford altruism and wouldn't worry about her voting record effecting her re-election.

[LeFleur1]

39. So...

You just want the seat left empty until voting time?
Anyone appointed now would not have the vote of the people. Voting would come at a later date.

This all sounds too much like the people on here who insulted Hillary and belittered her experience every chance they got. THAT'S why some wonder if it's because a woman might be appointed. People who have come through the civil rights wars get a hitch when they see unfounded criticism. That the criticism could be because she is a woman is not too far fetched in the USA, and certainly not on this forum.

Caroline Kennedy should not be discriminated against because of her name. Just as the Obama girls should not be discriminated against when they begin to consider being in the Senate or House. Just as Jesse Jackson, Jr. or Jeb Bush should not be discriminated against because of their famous names...please...look at what they have done, look at their record of public service, look at their ideals. But their names? Get a grip. There is plenty of actions to judge people on. Their name should be off limits.

[fla nocount]

42. I don't want anything.

Not knowing anything about the players I'm in no position to judge but halfway through my post I think I talked myself into advocating for Caroline. We could count on her to vote to the left of BO, maybe even to the left of Robt. Byrd.

I have a grip on dynastic families and name based fame...no thanks, we've already had a Bush for Gov. here and don't want a Gropenator.

[Freddie Stubbs]

55. Would she have supported No Child Left Behind like her uncle Ted did

He can afford altruism and doesn't need to worry about his voting record effecting his re-election.

[fla nocount]

57. I truthfully don't know. I'm not familiar with the actors nor the stage. n/t

[NashVegas]

41. Gosh, Conservative Mort Zuckherman's Daily News Sure Is Creating Controversy and Polarism

Or is it just my imagination?

[onenote]

52. Anthony Weiner had a worse attendance record in congress than 336 members out of 435

Weinter missed more votes last Congress than 336 of the 435 members. Carolyn Maloney missed more votes than around 330 members. And Jerry Nadler missed more votes than around 305 of the 435 members. Should that disqualify them?


PS - I don't think so, because I don't think that not voting in one GE in 20 years (and skipping half the primaries in that period) doesn't disqualify Caroline. But if did, being in the bottom half of attendance as an actual member of Congress should be disqualifying too, shouldn't it?

[sarcasmo]

53. Why isn't there a fair run off election? No legacy appointments.

[Freddie Stubbs]

60. Why? Because New York State law empowers the Governor to make an appointment

[dkofos]

56. BFD

[customerserviceguy]

58. She's probably a nice person

but I really do hope Gov. Paterson appoints someone who has substantial governmental experience for this position. We're going to need every trained mind that we can get into a position of power to get us out of the mess that Bushco has sunk us into.

I just don't see that sort of experience in the resume of Caroline Kennedy. There are many New Yorkers who do have the rigorous background needed to do the political horse-trading that gets deals done in an ethical and fair manner.

[MadMaddie]

64. So What?

Last time I checked Americans have the free will to do as they please. If they want to vote great if they don't that's their business.

This is bullshit....

[Danmel]

65. Civically engaged people vote

I live in NY where many elections are foregone conclusions. I always vote regardless of the perceived pointlessness. Voting is never pointless- it is your voice.

In 30 years as a voter, I have missed ONE, count em, ONE election- back when Hugh Carey was Governor and I didn't apply for an absentee ballot on time ( I was in college)

There is no excuse for someone like Caroline Kennedy to not vote. None.

[Infinite Hope]

66. Really grasping for straws....primary votes? The vast majority of Americans don't vote in primaries.

n/t

[cstanleytech]

69. And of course this matters *huge eyeroll*

Really if thats the best dirt the media can dig up on her thats just pathetic.