Caroline Kennedy: A President Like my Father

[flpoljunkie]

January 27, 2008
Op-Ed Contributor

A President Like My Father
By CAROLINE KENNEDY

OVER the years, I’ve been deeply moved by the people who’ve told me they wished they could feel inspired and hopeful about America the way people did when my father was president. This sense is even more profound today. That is why I am supporting a presidential candidate in the Democratic primaries, Barack Obama.

My reasons are patriotic, political and personal, and the three are intertwined. All my life, people have told me that my father changed their lives, that they got involved in public service or politics because he asked them to. And the generation he inspired has passed that spirit on to its children. I meet young people who were born long after John F. Kennedy was president, yet who ask me how to live out his ideals.

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.

Senator Obama has demonstrated these qualities throughout his more than two decades of public service, not just in the United States Senate but in Illinois, where he helped turn around struggling communities, taught constitutional law and was an elected state official for eight years. And Senator Obama is showing the same qualities today. He has built a movement that is changing the face of politics in this country, and he has demonstrated a special gift for inspiring young people — known for a willingness to volunteer, but an aversion to politics — to become engaged in the political process.

I have spent the past five years working in the New York City public schools and have three teenage children of my own. There is a generation coming of age that is hopeful, hard-working, innovative and imaginative. But too many of them are also hopeless, defeated and disengaged. As parents, we have a responsibility to help our children to believe in themselves and in their power to shape their future. Senator Obama is inspiring my children, my parents’ grandchildren, with that sense of possibility.

Senator Obama is running a dignified and honest campaign. He has spoken eloquently about the role of faith in his life, and opened a window into his character in two compelling books. And when it comes to judgment, Barack Obama made the right call on the most important issue of our time by opposing the war in Iraq from the beginning.

I want a president who understands that his responsibility is to articulate a vision and encourage others to achieve it; who holds himself, and those around him, to the highest ethical standards; who appeals to the hopes of those who still believe in the American Dream, and those around the world who still believe in the American ideal; and who can lift our spirits, and make us believe again that our country needs every one of us to get involved.

I have never had a president who inspired me the way people tell me that my father inspired them. But for the first time, I believe I have found the man who could be that president — not just for me, but for a new generation of Americans.

Caroline Kennedy is the author of “A Patriot’s Handbook: Songs, Poems, Stories and Speeches Celebrating the Land We Love.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/27/opinion/27kennedy.html?hp=&pagewanted=print

[dailykoff]

1. What an awesome tribute.

Score for the good guys! :thumbsup:

[neutron]

40. Robert Kennedy Jr. supports Hillary Rodham Clinton

Hate to say this, but he has a little more credibility than the
hyper wealthy lady of leisure.

[dailykoff]

42. I expect that will change.

Soon.

[avaistheone1]

57. No, he came out for Hillary Clinton on Air America.

I heard him discuss it on his show.

[dailykoff]

141. He can change his mind after she drops out

and that should be right around February 6.

[formernaderite]

45. i'm no kennedy enthusiast but that's a really bitchy comment

her endorsement was very touching, because of "what" she said more than who she is...and as far back as I can remember this lady of "leisure" has always worked....regardless if you think she needed to.

[neutron]

46. sorry to disrupt on your "Oprah" moment but

Rich women who don't work annoy me.

[tammywammy]

47. You should read up on her

before you continue to spout off.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

55. Why just rich women? What about rich men who don't work? nt

[neutron]

56. Because historically, women in a certain class

did not work. It's a tradition that one would hope, a Kennedy would have broken.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

58. Depends on what you consider "work"

I'm guessing you have some pretty specific, and gender-based, criteria for that.

[Horse with no Name]

69. You just sound stupid

Obviously you have no idea what Caroline Schlossberg does. A little reading and researching might not hurt you.:eyes:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caroline_Kennedy
Kennedy is an attorney, editor, and writer. She is one of the founders of the Profiles in Courage Award, given annually to a person who exemplifies the type of courage examined in her father's Pulitzer Prize-winning book of the same name. The award is generally given to elected officials who, acting in accord with their conscience, risk their careers by pursuing a larger vision of the national, state or local interest in opposition to popular opinion or powerful pressures from their constituents. In May 2002, she presented an unprecedented Profiles in Courage Award to representatives of the NYPD, the New York City Fire Department, and the military as representatives of all of the people who acted to save the lives of others during the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.<3>

Kennedy is currently President of the Kennedy Library Foundation, a Director of both the Commission on Presidential Debates and of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and Honorary Chairman of the American Ballet Theatre. Kennedy is also an adviser to the Harvard Institute of Politics, a living memorial to her father.

In addition, Kennedy has represented her family at the funeral services of former Presidents Ronald Reagan in 2004 and Gerald Ford in 2007, and at the funeral service of former First Lady Lady Bird Johnson in 2007.

Caroline Kennedy also represented her family at the dedication of the William J. Clinton Presidential Center and Park in Little Rock, Arkansas in November 2004.

Works published

Kennedy and Ellen Alderman have written two books together on civil liberties:

* In Our Defense: The Bill of Rights In Action (1990) and
* The Right to Privacy (1995)

On her own, she has edited these New York Times best-selling volumes:

* A Patriot’s Handbook
* The Best-Loved Poems of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
* A Family of Poems: My Favorite Poetry for Children
* Profiles in Courage for Our Time

She is also the author of "A Family Christmas" a collection of poems, prose and personal notes from her family history.

[RoveRage]

85. Ouch, the horse just handed the cat his own liver.

[neutron]

89. if I go to college, can I be a dowager?

it's my dream.

[neutron]

99. the pampered rich go for the chic candidate

Those of us who work our asses off tend to look a little closer
under the hood.
Clinton raised my standard of living. Clintons have a track record.

It pisses me off that elite who don't live in the real world are inflicting
us with a guy in a "romantic, novelty" wrapper. Their Teacup pet
with endearing ears.

You ought to stop and wonder why CNN, MSNBC and all the msm are
going after the Clintons. The way they Swiftboated Kerry, and
made Howard Dean the laughing stock.

[Hailtothechimp]

130. So much to say about your posts....

let's just leave it at "laughingstock" is actually only one word.

[totodeinhere]

87. Give me a break.

It's not her fault that she is rich. She along with other members of her family has worked tirelessly to help the poor and has donated millions of dollars to charity.

[kestrel91316]

121. She works plenty.

Exerpted from Wikipedia:

Work
Kennedy is an attorney, editor, and writer. She is one of the founders of the Profiles in Courage Award, given annually to a person who exemplifies the type of courage examined in her father's Pulitzer Prize-winning book of the same name. The award is generally given to elected officials who, acting in accord with their conscience, risk their careers by pursuing a larger vision of the national, state or local interest in opposition to popular opinion or powerful pressures from their constituents. In May 2002, she presented an unprecedented Profiles in Courage Award to representatives of the NYPD, the New York City Fire Department, and the military as representatives of all of the people who acted to save the lives of others during the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.<3>

Kennedy is currently President of the Kennedy Library Foundation, a Director of both the Commission on Presidential Debates and of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and Honorary Chairman of the American Ballet Theatre. Kennedy is also an adviser to the Harvard Institute of Politics, a living memorial to her father.

In addition, Kennedy has represented her family at the funeral services of former Presidents Ronald Reagan in 2004 and Gerald Ford in 2007, and at the funeral service of former First Lady Lady Bird Johnson in 2007.

Caroline Kennedy also represented her family at the dedication of the William J. Clinton Presidential Center and Park in Little Rock, Arkansas in November 2004.


Works published
Kennedy and Ellen Alderman have written two books together on civil liberties:

In Our Defense: The Bill of Rights In Action (1990) and
The Right to Privacy (1995)
On her own, she has edited these New York Times best-selling volumes:

A Patriot’s Handbook
The Best-Loved Poems of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
A Family of Poems: My Favorite Poetry for Children
Profiles in Courage for Our Time
She is also the author of "A Family Christmas" a collection of poems, prose and personal notes from her family history.

Children
They have two daughters and one son:

Rose Kennedy Schlossberg, born on June 25, 1988 in New York City, New York (named after her grandmother Rose Kennedy)
Tatiana Celia Kennedy Schlossberg, born on May 5, 1990 in New York City, New York (named after Edwin's grandmother and his former colleague, the lithographer Tatiana Grossman)
John Bouvier Kennedy Schlossberg, born on January 19, 1993 in New York City, New York (named after his maternal grandfather and his maternal grandmother's maiden name)

~~~~~~~~~~~

Feminist I may be, but raising three children also qualifies as "work" in my book. My own sister has a successful PART-TIME career as a pharmacotherapeutics specialist pharmacist, and raised two kids while doing it. She is hardly a woman of leisure either.

[JerseygirlCT]

117. Yeah, really. Attack her opinions if you must

but attacking her person b/c you don't like her opinions?

That's just ridiculous.

[cali]

67. She in not a "lady of leisure" and sorry his endorsement doesn't

even come close to the importance of this one.

[Yurovsky]

83. totally sexist comment....

you should be ashamed. What's next, calling Obama the "N" word???

[Midlodemocrat]

90. What an unbelievably shitty thing to say.

:eyes:

[Name removed]

100. Deleted message

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

[GoldieAZ49]

111. There isn't a "good hardworking woman" running

so good luck with THAT

[Name removed]

128. Deleted message

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

[grace0418]

153. Well, I'm a good, hardworking woman and if you didn't "mean to offend" then using

the term "squealing ladies" says otherwise. What a ridiculous, backhanded and sexist apology for making ridiculous, sexist statements. You're a piece of work. And for the record, I'm not necessarily voting for Obama, but your comments made me so sick I just had to reply.

[book_worm]

118. what does that have to do with this?

also it is heavily speculated that one reason he came out for HRC is because he wants to be appointed to her Senate seat if she's elected.

[kestrel91316]

120. "Lady of leisure"???? What an incredible insult to this writer,

attorney, woman, and American of character and depth.

This may come as a shock to you, but women have as much right to express their opinions publically as men do.

[cali]

2. That is beautiful

and brought tears to my eyes. Thank you, Caroline.

[usregimechange]

3. Oh my God!

[malaise]

4. Wow

Nice tribute indeed

[panader0]

5. Wow! Cool! Rec.

[usregimechange]

6. K&R!!!

[mzmolly]

7. Wow, a fabulous endorsement!

:toast:

[usregimechange]

8. This is huge!

[Olney Blue]

9. Wow!!!!!!!!

[GoldieAZ49]

10. BEAUTIFUL!!!!

God Bless her, JFK, RFK, MLK and Obama!!!

[Kittycat]

11. Outstanding!

[EV_Ares]

12. And Uncle Ted to come soon. Great words for the good guy, eom.

[saracat]

19. "Uncle" Ted has chosen NOT to endorse anyone. He is not on the Obama bandwagon.

[totodeinhere]

22. Ted will tirelessly work for Obama during the general election campaign.

[saracat]

35. If he is the nominee, so will most people. And your point?

[totodeinhere]

44. I hope you're right, but...

as bitter as this primary campaign has been so far, I worry that some supporters of the loser might take a pass.

[EV_Ares]

132. Ted Kennedy endorsing Obama

Source: Boston Globe

WASHINGTON -- Senator Edward M. Kennedy will endorse Barack Obama for president tomorrow, breaking his year-long neutrality to send a powerful signal of where the legendary Massachusetts Democrat sees the party going -- and who he thinks is best to lead it.

Kennedy confidantes told the Globe today that the Bay State's senior senator will appear with Obama and Kennedy's niece, Caroline Kennedy, at a morning rally at American University in Washington tomorrow to announce his support. That will be a potentially significant boost for Obama as he heads into a series of critical primaries on Super Tuesday, Feb. 5.

Kennedy believes Obama can ``transcend race'' and bring unity to the country, a Kennedy associate told the Globe. Kennedy was also impressed by Obama's deep involvement last year in the bipartisan effort to craft legislation on immigration reform, a politically touchy subject the other presidential candidates avoided, the associate said.

The coveted endorsement is a huge blow to New York Senator Hillary Clinton, who is both a senatorial colleague and a friend of the Kennedy family. In a campaign where Clinton has trumpeted her experience over Obama's call for hope and change, the endorsement by one of the most experienced and respected Democrats in the Senate is a particularly dramatic coup for Obama.

<snip>

Read more: http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligen...

[Ken Burch]

155. Wrong. The Senator is endorsing Senator Obama tomorrow.

Didn't read the news before you posted that?

[jasmine621]

13. I am a Hillary supporter but that was a beautiful statement.

I hope that Obama proves deserving of it.

[usregimechange]

14. Kick!

[MS Liberal]

15. Her endorsement really helped John Kerry.

[politicasista]

16. You wouldn't be saying that if she endorsed Hillary n/t

[politicasista]

17. delete. dupe n/t

[cali]

20. She's never endorse in a primary before. You may not like it but this

is genuinely heartfelt and whether or not it helps him is almost beside the point. Live with it.

[tammywammy]

23. When did she endorse Kerry in the primary?

Link?

[usregimechange]

29. eh what?

[grantcart]

38. gee I thought Kerry got the nomination

[usregimechange]

18. kick!

[Laelth]

21. JFK ran and governed as a moderate.

Albeit a moderate with an uplifting message, like Obama. It took JFK's assassination to get some strong liberal legislation out of Congress. Let's hope Obama and Kennedy are not quite that similar.

:dem:

-Laelth

[Connonym]

96. I can't be the only one who holds that fear for both Hillary and Obama

n/t

[City Lights]

24. What a moving tribute! eom

[democrat2thecore]

25. Beautifully written * Powerful * NY Times * What more could you ask for? -nt

[otohara]

26. Chills

all over my body.

[usregimechange]

27. Kick!

[usregimechange]

28. I will kick this all night!

[WillyT]

30. Beautiful !!! - K & R !!!

:patriot::kick::patriot:

[rasputin1952]

31. I am not supporting any candidate at this time...

but I can certainly kick this eloquent piece up a notch.

:kick:

On edit: I find it a wonderful experience to read something that has no venom in it, rare indeed these days.

[usregimechange]

32. kick!

[sandnsea]

33. articulate a vision and encourage others to achieve it

and make us feel like we are important enough to contribute to the fabric of the country too. That's it exactly. I want to live in the country Barack Obama sees.

[Name removed]

34. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[dailykoff]

36. Short but oh so sweet.

A beautiful thing to behold!

[Barack_America]

37. Inspiring. Thanks very much for posting...n/t

[angie_love]

39. Touching

So beautiful and touching. I forgot who it was that said to Obama "I knew Kennedy and you are no Kennedy", Obviously that person looks like a fool now that his daughter said such beautiful and heartwarming things about him.

[Barack_America]

48. True that....

Did somebody say that about Obama? I hadn't heard. Of course I remember it being said about Quayle.

[SoxFan]

41. Kick!

:patriot:

[Stephanie]

43. That is really moving.

I choked up when I read that.

[FrenchieCat]

49. !

:cry:

Camelot in technicolor, here we come!

[ShortnFiery]

50. Que Bonita! Si Se Puede!

:thumbsup: :patriot:

[usregimechange]

51. Kick!

[usregimechange]

52. kick

[calteacherguy]

53. Beautiful. nt

[loveangelc]

54. :)

[Egnever]

59. Wow nice letter there

[usregimechange]

60. kick

[Radical Activist]

61. We're seeing the start of an avalanche.

The endorsements are going to roll in now that people realize Hillary can be defeated.

[mnhtnbb]

62. Caroline's drunk the Kool-Aid. Too bad.

[FrenchieCat]

63. By the time it's done, you'll be all alone!

[mnhtnbb]

65. No, I'll be in Panama Frenchie and y'all can watch this country go down the toilet

under another Repub president.

[FrenchieCat]

68. Shouldn't you have left like 8 years ago?

I mean....honestly? :rofl:

[tammywammy]

64. Wow, way to be dismissive and rude

Towards a remarkable woman because she doesn't support your candidate of choice.

[mnhtnbb]

66. I was a teenager when JFK was assassinated and glued to the TV

all weekend. I was alone watching the ceremonies, living in a Republican household. I grew up
hearing all the bad stuff about JFK and came to my own conclusion about him.

JFK was no saint. His election was disputed, due to shenanigans in Chicago. He did not unite the country.
I am a believer that Oswald did not act alone, but that he was taken out because he was about
to reverse position on Vietnam and pull troops out.

I think people are being swept up in nostalgia--many of them for a president they know nothing about
from first hand experience.

[FrenchieCat]

70. Yes, we are strange....Caroline, and Barbara Lee, and Ned Lamont

and John Kerry....You, on the other hand, who wants to go live in another country, although you've lived here throughout Bush's entire tenure, are perfectly sane. OK. :crazy:

[mnhtnbb]

72. Frenchie, I have always cast a critical eye towards all politicians.

I've been accused of being too negative--comes from having very critical parents. But I've also been right, a lot.

I was screaming about FL being stolen long before it was popular. I was screaming about Iraq being wrong
while plenty of Dems were going along. I was screaming about Bush being a pathological liar and sociopath
long before that was mainstream among Dems.

I have also been screaming that this country is headed down the path of fascism--and is eerily like
Germany in the 1930's. People had a chance to get out of Germany. Some did and lots wished they had.

Hubby and I are approaching retirement age. He's 65 and I'm 57. We have a son who is graduating high school this year. We have another 21 yo son who works in computers and has been laid off twice in 3 years. We are very concerned for their future.

The Bushies have caused enormous damage to this country, not just politically, but economically. The piper is going to have to be paid. It won't be pretty. We could be headed towards a very nasty recession--if not depression. Jobs have been sent abroad. Deficits are at record levels. Stock markets around the world are beginning to realize the US is in serious trouble. Printing money only causes inflation. Guns are everywhere. I believe we are only one disaster away from martial law.

People in this country are sheep. Look how they rallied around Bushie boy after 9/11. I believe
there was complicity on the part of the US govt in 9/11--whether they made it happen or let it happen, I don't think we'll ever know. There is no accountability. Pelosi takes impeachment off the table.

Obama wants to work with these people. I think he's incredibly naive--or else put up by the powers that be.

I only hope I'm wrong. I want nothing more than a real progressive Dem in the White House and a Congress
that will work with that person.

[FrenchieCat]

127. Well fancy that! I've been right too on all of the things that you mentioned!

So I guess that I'll utilitize my own good judgment to say that Obama is the best candidate that we have, bar none!

[mnhtnbb]

140. Great, so we come to different conclusions about how to approach

the job.

I'm an Edwards fan because I don't think the people who've been the power behind Bushie are going
to give up any of that power willingly. Please, tell me how Obama is going to accomplish
that. I'd seriously like to know how you think he's going to succeed.

If you haven't seen my threads about the fight we're having with our insurance and mortgage companies resulting from the fire that destroyed our home last August, please take a look. It's a micro example of
the macro problem.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x4203324

[H2O Man]

77. Wrong.

Even if Nixon carried Illinois, Kennedy won the election. It's pretty simple math, but an even simplier myth has caused some confusion.

[ecdab]

82. The fact that the myth of the 1960 election

gets repeated on a board like this is disturbing. One would think people would know the truth of this here. JFK won 303 EV's in 1960, Nixon won 219 EV's. Illinois was worth 27 total EV's. As H20 Man points out, the math is fairly simple once the facts are known.

The myth started because of how close the popular vote was - 34,220,984 for JFK and 34,108,157 for Nixon and how close Illinois was - with JFK winning by just over 10,000 votes. The myth was, of course, started by the GOP in an effort to take away from the legitimacy of the JFK presidency. Somebody that wishes to lecture about people not knowing about JFK should certainly be aware of this.

Thank you for your post H20 Man, myths like this one should not be allowed to stand anywhere, much less on a board like this one

[H2O Man]

84. Thank you.

When I read some of the "facts" about President Kennedy posted on DU, I am reminded of Mark Twain's saying that the problem in the country today is not one of ignorance, but rather of people knowing so darned much that just isn't so.

[ecdab]

86. Mark Twain's wisdom is priceless. n/t

[mnhtnbb]

145. My point is that there are some of us here old enough to remember

that accusations of stolen elections didn't begin with Gore in 2000. I mean, for God's sake, we're talking about LBJ days. There are people who believe that he was in on the Kennedy assassination. There was seriously bad blood between LBJ and Bobby Kennedy because of the brouhaha over the VP spot and Bobby
asking LBJ to decline it.

I'm not saying the 1960 election was stolen. I am saying there was a hell of a lot of controversy about the outcome and that the election WAS close. There was no landslide for JFK. He was not beloved by everyone
in the country.

[mnhtnbb]

143. It wasn't only Illinois. Texas was disputed, too.

Some Republicans and historians have alleged that Kennedy benefited from vote fraud, especially in Texas and Illinois, and that Nixon actually won the national popular vote despite the fact that Republicans tried and failed to overturn the results in both these states at the time--as well as in nine other states. These two states are important because if Nixon had carried both, he would have won the election in the electoral college.

Kennedy won Illinois by a bare 9,000 votes, even though Nixon carried 92 of the state's 101 counties. Kennedy's victory in Illinois came from the city of Chicago, where Mayor Richard J. Daley held back much of Chicago's vote until the late morning hours of November 9. The efforts of Daley and the powerful Chicago Democratic organization gave Kennedy an extraordinary Cook County victory margin of 450,000 votes, thus (barely) overcoming the heavy Republican vote in the rest of Illinois. Earl Mazo, a reporter for the pro-Nixon New York Herald Tribune, investigated the voting in Chicago and claimed to have discovered sufficient evidence of vote fraud to prove that the state was "stolen" for Kennedy.

In Texas, some Republicans argued that the formidable political machine of Lyndon Johnson had stolen enough votes in counties along the Mexican border to give Kennedy the victory there.

From Wikipedia scroll down to Controversies

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._presidential_election,_1960

[ecdab]

149. I think that Caroline

was making the point that Obama inspires people much like her father did - not that everyones will love Obama nor that everyone loved her father. JFK got people involved in politic that had not been. Obama is doing that as well. Edwards and Clinton are fine candidates, and they have their own strengths, but they are not bringing people into the party like Obama is. What ever concept you may have of Obama, what he doing for the future of the party by bringing in so many young people is amazing.

And please - enough with the controversy that the GOP created in 1960. JFK won by 84 electoral votes, the popular vote was close but the actual electoral count was not. It was bad enough having to listen to Republicans trying to undermine JFK back then, we don't need Democrats trying to do so decades later.

[Baby Snooks]

148. Are you actually slamming JFK?

"I am a believer that Oswald did not act alone, but that he was taken out because he was about to reverse position on Vietnam and pull troops out."

And what a different world it would have been if he had. Your post seems to imply that JFK should not be honored or revered for the course he attempted to put America on finally. A course the was diverted by LBJ at the direction of the very people you, and quite a few others, believe assassinated JFK. Some believe LBJ himself knew and was a party to it.

Regardless of why he was assassinated, the point is he was. And LBJ served the very thing that Eisenhower warned us about that Kennedy refused to serve. The military-industrial complex - Democrats seem to forget for some reason that Halliburton enriched itself in Vietnam as a result of its ties to LBJ but also has enriched itself in Iraq as a result of its ties to George W Bush. Partisanship apparently blinds even the most intelligent of people to reality.

Ted Kennedy is many things. Not all good. But certainly not all bad. All that really matters in the end is that he has served his constituents well through the years as well as the American people. Both Republicans and Democrats. He has in great part been a single voice at times in the Senate. A voice of reason and balance.

He is really our sole voice of reason and balance at this point. Shame on a Democrat taking issue with him or his family. Shame on anyone really. Particularly anyone taking issue with his brother who again was a vision of a future that has yet to be realized.

"I think people are being swept up in nostalgia--many of them for a president they know nothing about from first hand experience."

For a president to continue to inspire a sense of renewed spirit in people who could find far more lucrative careers than the careers of public service they choose having been inspired by JFK to do so says quite about the man and the president and his legacy.

Shame on you. The Kennedys have spoken. The ones who matter. The two who matter.

Time to put the Democratic Party back on the course JFK put it on. It was diverted along with everything else in this country.

[mnhtnbb]

156. I am not slamming JFK. I am saying that he barely won a very close election.

He did not unite the country. Yes, he inspired a lot of younger people (Bill Clinton among them).
He also pissed off some very serious powers that control things; I have never believed that Oswald
alone killed him. I wouldn't put it past LBJ to have been involved.

People need to take off their rose colored glasses. They also need to be aware of history.

[Darth_Kitten]

103. Yeah, too bad........

She bought into the Camelot delusions.

[crud76]

71. Mr. Obama,

you're no Jack Kennedy.

And neither are you, Caroline.

[cooolandrew]

73. So his daughter is no authority on her father. Okay. " yes we can, yes we can" =) Ty Caroline.

[Island Blue]

74. K & R!

:dem:

[MH1]

75. Beautifully written!

[Girlieman]

76. You people are so deluded

Do you think anybody really cares what Caroline Kennedy thinks?

[dailykoff]

79. It's a hugely important endorsement.

I can't think of any living Dem with more credibility than Caroline K and sincerely comparing Obama to her father is about the greatest compliment anyone could give!

[H2O Man]

80. Her appeal

is likely limited to intelligent people.

[ecdab]

81. Like any endorsement

this one will be most important to people that have knowledge of, and respect for the author. This particular endorsement will also carry some weight with people that have knowledge of, and respect for JFK. It's also well written and was published in the Sunday edition of the New York Times, which gives it some extra punch.

Why be so negative? Why call your fellow Democrats deluded for taking interest in a well written endorsement? Why go out of your way to show disrespect for Caroline Kennedy?

[Midlodemocrat]

91. Yes. (nt)

[zanne]

95. Hell, yes! nt

[otohara]

142. I Care

so there!

[ecdab]

78. What a wonderful endorsement..

It is not built upon what is wrong with the other candidates and even concedes the quality of the other candidates. Yet in a very articulate manner it focuses on why the author believes Obama to be the choice for her. Imagine that - an endorsement that reads like an endorsement.

I tend to agree with Caroline that the base line goals of the three major candidates are similar (with Edwards showing the most difference, though not as large as some here would like to believe) and I also agree with her about the particular strengths that Obama brings.

Edwards, Clinton and Obama all bring their own strengths and weaknesses to the table. It is an enormous shame that so many people that post here are incapable of seeing or discussing that, but instead choose to focus on negative speculation and trivial issues that diminish the party as a whole.

[Imagevision]

88. Obama is the man -- Billary remind me of the Nixon bullsh*t era...

[mdmc]

92. GOD BLESS HER!

[Meshuga]

93. I saw the article this morning and it is awesome.

No matter what the Clintons do to taint Obama's image, a fresh face like his in the White House would be excellent.

[zanne]

94. I remember seeing JFK at a rally when I was ten years old...

There was such a huge crowd, my father put me up on his shoulders so I could see him. Even at the age of ten, I realized something big was happening. The adults around me were so happy and excited. The hope was infectious. His assassination seemed to be the death of hope.
Then I heard Barack Obama speak at the convention. Those old feelings from my childhood came back. All those years of doubt and cynicism just seemed to disappear. At first, I didn't dare say it out loud, because I was afraid of being called simple and naive. Now, I realize that it takes courage to hope again after so many disappointments in life. Fear of being let down again can keep us in our cynical mindset.
I'm so happy that Obama came along; not only because I want him to be our next president, but because he's made so many of us believe again.

[Seabiscuit]

110. When the "feel good" aura from Obama's speeches have worn off, and he's still

offered you absolutely no specifics about where he stands, what he'll do, and how he'll do it on any of the issues, then what?

This is the first campaign I've ever seen where the media has uncritically allowed a politician to ride a wave of popularity based solely on stealing speech themes from people like JFK, MLK, and Cesar Chavez.

[CaptJasHook]

122. You must not have lived long

I find it funny that you would dis Obama for using some of the most powerful themes in Democratic history (including his use of Edward's ideas).

Presidents lead by inspiration. That is what Obama's strategy is, giving people hope after a long season of despair.

By extrapolation, would you recommend JE to ignore the themes of JFK, MLK and Chavez. Should he pick up the themes of Adolf, Stalin and Raygun?

And if you want uncritical elections you have only to look back to 1980, 1984, 1988, 1996, 2000, and 2004. The MSM is full of shite.

[zanne]

152. I guess you just can't understand. nt

[athena]

150. Thank you for posting that.

It brought tears to my eyes. I wasn't alive to witness Kennedy's campaign and presidency. It's very inspiring to hear people who have lived through it compare Obama to him.

I agree that cynicism is very destructive. It's a self-fulfilling prophecy. One can't work for change if one doesn't believe it can happen.

[polichick]

97. This is an important and symbolic endorsement...

Especially since Caroline usually stays out of it.

[happygoluckytoyou]

98. GO'BAMA.... EDWARDS SHOULD BACK HIM NOW

[Darth_Kitten]

104. Why? Obama's a phony from the get go..........

:)

[cali]

106. bwahahaha

from the up is down and black is white kitten, that's beautiful.

[7horses]

101. Caroline Kennedy support is great...

and I congratulate Barak Obama, but I will still support Edwards.

[Darth_Kitten]

102. Jumping on the politically correct bandwagon, aren't we, Caroline?

:eyes:

[saltpoint]

105. This Edwards supporter, a life-long Kennedy Democrat, feels that any

candidate who would not seek or deeply value an endorsement from this absolutely outstanding woman

is very likely a fool.

Congratulations to Senator Obama on this endorsement.

[ToughLuck]

107. JFK's daughter endorses Obama..UNPRECEDENTED!!

This lovely daughter of JFK has stayed away from endorsements of candidates, yet, she not only endorses Obama, but makes the case with reference to her father. For what it is worth, authenticity is what this endorsement highlights for Obama. Barrack must be feeling quite pleased this morning!

[midnight]

108. I'm always interested in hearing from the Kennedy family.

However the stakes are higher for us Americans that will never attend Harvard, have a trust fund to live off of, and certainly the stakes are much higher for those of us who will most likely need medical care,but be told by the insurance co. that the treatment is not medically neccessary. Hoping that coropoate talking heads will follow laws or even behave in just ways is not now or going to happen via hope. People are starving and dying they are being told they are sinful, and lazy and other slogans that the haves tell those who don't have. I have to tell you that breaking the poverty cycle is not on the agenda of the elite. The Elite love hope, the working class demand action.

[CaptJasHook]

124. I totally disagree

The vast majority of voters have never responded to actual policy. It bores them. That is why we have had a succession of Presidents whose policies have fucked the poor (including the Clintons).

What we need is a leader who can inspire us to return to the most powerful messages of the Democratic party. Working together, working for our communities, working for our country.

John Edwards is inspiring and a great policy wonk, I would vote for him in a heartbeat. Hillary is... well just look at her husband's promises not kept... just look at NAFTA. I would vote for her as a last resort. So far, it has been Obama that has kept his eye on the greater picture of America. An inspired America, ready to dig in and become a humble and great nation again. I continue to lean toward him.

[Seabiscuit]

109. The Kennedy family seems to have become dysfunctional over the years.

Teddy endorsed Kerry early in the 2004 race.

RFK, Jr. endorsed Hillary early in this race.

Teddy has witheld any endorsement in this race.

And now Caroline endorses Obama.

If JFK and RFK were alive today, and I'm old enough to have voted for both of them, it's clear to me who they would endorse: JOHN EDWARDS!

And I think if JFK, Jr. were alive today he'd do the same.

[GoldieAZ49]

114. being old enough to have voted for them

does not equate to being able to discern who they would support 40 years later.

Maybe you could ask Shirley MacLaine for a "reading"

[CaptJasHook]

125. If JFK were alive today

he would be awestruck by the quality of all of the candidates. I am sure he would be withholding his endorsement in a race as tight as this.

[boston bean]

112. Well lets just hope if Obama is the nominee, that in the general it isn't as close

as it was for her father and nixon.

There was no unity in that race!

[1776Forever]

113. I found this part of the statement the most touching - Thank you Caroline -

I have spent the past five years working in the New York City public schools and have three teenage children of my own. There is a generation coming of age that is hopeful, hard-working, innovative and imaginative. But too many of them are also hopeless, defeated and disengaged. As parents, we have a responsibility to help our children to believe in themselves and in their power to shape their future. Senator Obama is inspiring my children, my parents’ grandchildren, with that sense of possibility.

Senator Obama is running a dignified and honest campaign. He has spoken eloquently about the role of faith in his life, and opened a window into his character in two compelling books. And when it comes to judgment, Barack Obama made the right call on the most important issue of our time by opposing the war in Iraq from the beginning.

I want a president who understands that his responsibility is to articulate a vision and encourage others to achieve it; who holds himself, and those around him, to the highest ethical standards; who appeals to the hopes of those who still believe in the American Dream, and those around the world who still believe in the American ideal; and who can lift our spirits, and make us believe again that our country needs every one of us to get involved.

I have never had a president who inspired me the way people tell me that my father inspired them. But for the first time, I believe I have found the man who could be that president — not just for me, but for a new generation of Americans.

:grouphug: :loveya:

[bagrman]

115. Why does anyone here think that there will be free and fair elections.

[CaptJasHook]

126. Hope for the best, Prepare for the worst, nt

[bagrman]

154. Crossing of the fingers, luck.

[toadzilla]

116. wow. beautiful.

I'll be voting for JE in the primary no matter what, but reading that just made me a little more excited about the probability of casting a vote for Obama in the general

[usregimechange]

119. Kick!

[CalebHayes]

123. kick

[realFedUp]

129. More sex scandels?

Gee haven't had enough of those?

[Hailtothechimp]

131. Remember how Bill associated himself with JFK?

He had this picture of himself as a teenager shaking hands with JFK. A moving image, which I first saw on the cover of a greeting card.

My guess is that people saw this picture and thought "OK, this guy can be the new JFK." So he got to claim the Kennedy mantel, so to speak.

But now, Obama has ACTUAL Kennedys endorsing him, and what does Hillary have???

[CaptJasHook]

133. She was a Republican back then, nt

[TheDeathadder]

135. Robert Kennedy Jr. supports Hillary Rodham Clinton

[usregimechange]

134. kICK!

[Clinton Crusader]

136. I am a HUGE Kennedy admirer but I think Caroline has gone mad

Obama couldn't hold JFK's shoes, let alone be a president like him. What a disappointment.

Jump all over me, I dont care anymore.

edited for typo.

[CaptJasHook]

137. OK. Jump, Jump, Jump

[Clinton Crusader]

139. thanks, it's always good to get the 1st one over with....

[CaptJasHook]

144. Ok, seriously now.

I was born post-Kennedy. I know we have a tendency toward nostalgia. I also recognize that Obama has never been tested in the way JFK was. JFK proved his valor before he was president and during. I do not intend to diminish his accomplishments.

That being said, from what I understand, the legacy of Kennedy was his optimism and his belief in a country united and working together. How does this differ from Obama's vision and rhetoric?

Secondly, hindsight is 20/20. What leads you to believe that Obama will not weather the storms of the presidency with as much courage and pinache as JFK?

Thirdly, and I mean this, how does Hillary compare on the JFK o-meter?

Finally, by calling Caroline mad you also demean a lot of DU community members. I am sure a couple of Obama supporters are in need of a rubber room, as are supporters of all the candidates. Please do not diminish the rationality of the rest of Obama's supporters.

[AtomicKitten]

138. This endorsement brought tears to my eyes.

Reminds me of what is not to be: :cry:

[jcla]

146. Caroline nailed many reasons to vote for Obama

It is a very touching endorsement.
JFK and RFK inspired many.
Shirley inspired us to hope.
Jimmy inspired us to change direction.
Barak seems to be doing it! Hope and Change!
Thank you, Caroline... you said it so well!

[suston96]

147. A President like Her Father? I hope not.

[FATCATs]

151. Go Democrats

Go out and kick some Fascist ass