Caroline Kennedy's marriage

PlanetAlbany's high standards of pompous harrumphing, and its lack of solid sources among the Manhattan glitterati, mean you will not read here now all about the Gawker rumor of a dual-celebrity affair. (Our standards of taste are so high that we put off even running this item until after Christmas Day.) Still, in our previous foray into lese majeste, we made gentle fun of two pro-Caroline columnists, Michael Daly in the Daily News and Alan Chartock in The Legislative Gazette, who rested part of the case for their heroine on her family-woman status. "She is a mom, a loving wife, a rock of Gibraltar in the Kennedy family," quoth Chartock. Daly related a conversation from when Caroline and her husband visited a pub in Ireland, and an old lady asked her: "So, girleen, how are you?" Then, according to Daly, the old woman "eyed Caroline's husband, Ed Schlossberg. 'It's a fine big man you got with you.'  After they left, all agreed that it was also a fine woman."
But Schlossberg and the kids have been notably absent from Caroline's Senate campaign, not trotted out for any photo op. Other Kennedys have had famously rocky marriages. That includes Caroline's father and uncles, and her cousin and current supporter Kerry. Kerry's affair ended her marriage to Andrew Cuomo, who now may be Caroline's main rival for the Senate seat. Since Caroline's supposedly solid marriage is cited in contrast to all that, and as one of her (few) qualifications for office, it is a matter of legitimate inquiry.

Comments

[Mary Cafarelli]

Glad you waited 'til after Christmas to cast aspersions on Caroline Kennedy. I think the bigger issue is: What are her qualifications, other than her name? Will the movers and shakers in the Senate welcome her? Doesn't NY State want some serious clout in the Senate? I'd like to know your pick! mec

[Molly]

I think the conventional wisdom is that Chuck Schumer has enough clout in the Senate to make up for any lightweights. I agree with you though, that it would be nice if NY state would pick someone with some qualifications for the empty seat. It smacks of elitism, family legacies, and an aristocracy of entitlement rather than merit.

Maybe Caroline Kennedy would make a wonderful senator. But it sends a bad message to pick someone simply because she's well liked, and her dad was president.