Who Will Be The Next Kennedy Idol?

Andrew Belonsky — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 04:45:21 EDT

In the wake of Ted Kennedy's death, many people are assuming the age of Camelot has come to an end. These people have obviously forgotten the family's fecundity, for there are plenty of Kennedy's to take the helm.

While certainly many of the Kennedy clan are in no position to keep the dream alive, there are quite a few who could, if given the chance, maintain the imaginary castle. We've picked out six finalists, all of whom have pros and cons. Who, oh who, has the chops, scandal, ambition and all-around gumption to take Teddy's place at the top of the sprawling dynasty?

Caroline Kennedy: she's JFK's daughter, grabs headlines left and right and loves liberal causes. She is, after all, on the board of the NAACP, which is all about black people. And, as you may recall, she threw herself into the political fray when she endorsed Barack Obama and then later allegedly tried to grab Hillary Clinton's Senate seat. Sadly for Ms. Caroline, that turned into a bit of a disaster. So, that said, we don't think she's got the chops — or the desire — to fill Uncle Teddy's shoes. " title=" Perhaps the most obvious choice would be Caroline Kennedy: she's JFK's daughter, grabs headlines left and right and loves liberal causes. She is, after all, on the board of the NAACP, which is all about black people. And, as you may recall, she threw herself into the political fray when she endorsed Barack Obama and then later allegedly tried to grab Hillary Clinton's Senate seat. Sadly for Ms. Caroline, that turned into a bit of a disaster. So, that said, we don't think she's got the chops — or the desire — to fill Uncle Teddy's shoes. " align="left" hspace="2" vspace="2"/>Maria Shriver. No, she doesn't have any explicit political experience, but her husband Arnie's totally the Governor of California. Plus, she knows how to work the media game — remember when she was a news woman? Sadly, she's not exciting enough to head up the clan. Plus, due to her mother Eunice's marriage to Robert Shriver Jr., Maria's lacking the necessary last name. " title=" Of course there's always Maria Shriver. No, she doesn't have any explicit political experience, but her husband Arnie's totally the Governor of California. Plus, she knows how to work the media game — remember when she was a news woman? Sadly, she's not exciting enough to head up the clan. Plus, due to her mother Eunice's marriage to Robert Shriver Jr., Maria's lacking the necessary last name. " align="left" hspace="2" vspace="2"/>Oh, Bobby! Robert F. Kennedy Jr, named after his slain father, definitely has the look to take over the family. But, then again, they all kind of look alike. Still, lil' RFK has two things that are tried and true for a Kennedy bellwether: scandal and service. He was arrested for heroin possession in 1983, an incident that cements his infamous family status. And then there's his environmental work: he even wrote a book trashing the Bush administration's assault on our dear mother earth. But, wait, there's more: he's intimated that he would maybe, one day run for Senate, but that was only if Clinton won the presidential election. Sadly for his Kennedy Idol odds, RFK's a pro-lifer, a stance that may not sit well with his liberal-leaning family. " title=" Oh, Bobby! Robert F. Kennedy Jr, named after his slain father, definitely has the look to take over the family. But, then again, they all kind of look alike. Still, lil' RFK has two things that are tried and true for a Kennedy bellwether: scandal and service. He was arrested for heroin possession in 1983, an incident that cements his infamous family status. And then there's his environmental work: he even wrote a book trashing the Bush administration's assault on our dear mother earth. But, wait, there's more: he's intimated that he would maybe, one day run for Senate, but that was only if Clinton won the presidential election. Sadly for his Kennedy Idol odds, RFK's a pro-lifer, a stance that may not sit well with his liberal-leaning family. " align="left" hspace="2" vspace="2"/>
Joseph Kennedy Jr. He's RFK Jr's brother, which means he's also RFK's son. And, like so many members of his family, he has spent some time in an elected position — he was a Massachusetts representative from 1986-1999. And, yes, he has a soft spot in his heart for the disenfranchised and shows it by running Citizens Energy Corporation, which brings heat to the poors. Now that Teddy's dead, some wonder if he'll take the vacant Senate seat. He's done nothing to dispel these rumors. But, that aside, we don't think he has the charm or charisma necessary to be the next Kennedy Idol. Sorry, Joe. " title=" Next up we have Joseph Kennedy Jr. He's RFK Jr's brother, which means he's also RFK's son. And, like so many members of his family, he has spent some time in an elected position — he was a Massachusetts representative from 1986-1999. And, yes, he has a soft spot in his heart for the disenfranchised and shows it by running Citizens Energy Corporation, which brings heat to the poors. Now that Teddy's dead, some wonder if he'll take the vacant Senate seat. He's done nothing to dispel these rumors. But, that aside, we don't think he has the charm or charisma necessary to be the next Kennedy Idol. Sorry, Joe. " align="left" hspace="2" vspace="2"/>William Kennedy Smith would appear to be a great contender for Kennedy Idol. The son of JFK sister Jean, William's an avid anti-landmine activist and has not once, but twice been accused of sexual assault. Sadly, he falls into the same trap as Maria Shiver. No "Smith" can saunter to the top of the Kennedy chain. Tough luck! " title=" William Kennedy Smith would appear to be a great contender for Kennedy Idol. The son of JFK sister Jean, William's an avid anti-landmine activist and has not once, but twice been accused of sexual assault. Sadly, he falls into the same trap as Maria Shiver. No "Smith" can saunter to the top of the Kennedy chain. Tough luck! " align="left" hspace="2" vspace="2"/>Patrick Kennedy. He seems to have it all. First, he's Ted's son. And, like his father, he's a known boozer and has at least once crashed his car while intoxicated. That's great for his odds. His drinking habits, coupled with his nearly 15-year tenure as a representative from Rhode Island, make him the best contender to live up to the Kennedy name. Do we have a winner?! " title=" Finally, there's Patrick Kennedy. He seems to have it all. First, he's Ted's son. And, like his father, he's a known boozer and has at least once crashed his car while intoxicated. That's great for his odds. His drinking habits, coupled with his nearly 15-year tenure as a representative from Rhode Island, make him the best contender to live up to the Kennedy name. Do we have a winner?! " align="left" hspace="2" vspace="2"/>

HuffPo Brings You News The MSM Was Too Afraid To Bring You Twice

Michael Weiss — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 10:43:21 EDT

Score one for speaking truthiness to power. Over at the Huffington Post, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Brendan Demelle have a column entitled "Unearthed: News of the Week the Mainstream Media Forgot to Report," which relies, in almost every instance of a supposedly ignored but worthwhile story, on articles that originated in such darkened regions of underground journalism as the New York Times, CNN and the Associated Press. How dare word of John Ashcroft's endorsement of waterboarding hide in plain sight like this? And if you had trouble sleeping Saturday, it must have been because no one bothered to inform you that gray wolves had returned to the Oregon wilderness.

Dan Mitchell writes to Romenesko in an act of media criticism criticism:

It's beyond bizarre. These men are not merely doubting reality — they are using reality itself to cast doubt on reality. Even more disturbing, their audience doesn't even seem to notice. The comments section is full of people lauding the writers' efforts to "unearth" these stories, with many of them decrying the "MSM's" ignoring them.

Mitchell also says his attempt to bring this embarrassing irony to the attention of the HuffPo comments section was rebuffed by moderators, evidently okay with fare like this:

StarkRavingNakedEmperor: "Obama should pick Bobby Kennedy as his VP. He is the greatest, most sincere and most rabid environmentalist we have today."

His undraped lordship should look up the word "rabid" sometime.

[Huffington Post]
[Romenesko]

Gawker: robert f. kennedy, jr.

Who Will Be The Next Kennedy Idol?

HuffPo Brings You News The MSM Was Too Afraid To Bring You Twice