Palin is right about Kennedy. Sort of.

by

comment

If any of the right-wing dweebs who glom onto my column every week online are reading this, here's a warning, guys: don't faint. Here's why I say that: I pretty much agree with Sarah Palin. No, not about policy or caribou-killing or wardrobe choices. About Caroline Kennedy. On Monday, Palin told a talk show host that Caroline Kennedy's inexperience and nearly inarticulate speaking style aren't getting much scrutiny from the media because of "class issues." Now, there aren't many people who admire the Kennedys and their records as liberal reformers as much as I do, but at the same time ... why would Caroline Kennedy be entitled to be named to the U.S. Senate if she's never run for office, never set policy, never, well, done much of anything? Sorry, but fair is fair, and handing over a Senate seat to someone whose only qualification is her father's legendary status is not even close to fair. I don't think it's class issues that are keeping the media from jumping all over CK, however — it's "Kennedy issues," as well as our culture's addiction to celebrities. And, for the record, the Palins, with a quarter-million dollars in yearly earnings, don't exactly qualify as "working class" or even "middle class," so Gov. Barbie's-Got-A-Gun's attempts to portray herself as an "average hockey mom American" are B.S., too. Still, though, she's got a point about CK.