A comparison that on second look does not fit

Some papers are raising the point that Senator Clinton acceded to her senate seat in a way similar to the route proposed by Caroline Kennedy. When she first ran, she moved into a state where she had little history and forced out her rivals. She then got the retiring senator to anoint her.

But there are many differences. Clinton, whether you agree with the value of it or not, had some real Washington experience. And she seems to have learned from that experience. The health task force was run poorly both on a policy basis and a political one. But in her roles since then she has shown an ability to learn from those early mistakes.

Kennedy's Wikipedia article describes her as an "attorney and author" although in the four paragraph summary of her career there is no evidence that she ever practiced law. Her initial career interest centered on photojournalism. She subsequently worked on a three day a week job to raise outside funding for the public schools. One of the four paragraphs in her career summary reads as follows: "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. She also represented her family at the dedication of the William J. Clinton Presidential Center and Park in Little Rock, Arkansas in November 2004." Gee that sounds like important experience.

Her political views seem to have been written as a Manhattan liberal, although both Wikipedia and the news media, suggest that they are not well known.

Clinton, on the other hand, has grown into the job. She began as a classic liberal democrat but has been described by many in the senate as an effective member of the body.

With the strong potential for a comedian to be elected to the senate, the prospect of adding an ingénue does not seem to be that outrageous. But both prospects seem to diminish the overall luster of what once was called the greatest deliberative body.