Ted Kennedy, the "Lion of the Senate,"

[pnwmom]

had no legislative experience before he took his brother's Senate seat in a special election.

He was a so-so speaker in his early years.

Then there was the sad matter of Chappaquidick.

Who would have guessed the beloved and powerful leader that he would become?

From Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_kennedy

In 1960, John Kennedy was elected President of the United States and vacated his Massachusetts Senate seat. Ted would not be eligible to fill his brother's vacant Senate seat until February 22, 1962, when he would turn thirty. Therefore the President-elect asked Massachusetts Governor Foster Furcolo to name a Kennedy family friend Benjamin A. Smith II to fill out John's term (under the authority of the 17th Amendment to the Constitution, and state law). This kept the seat open for Ted.<13> In 1962, Kennedy was elected to the Senate from Massachusetts in a special election. He was elected to a full six-year term in 1964 and was reelected in 1970, 1976, 1982, 1988, 1994, 2000 and 2006.<2>

[BlooInBloo]

1. Sure, but he's white. Black people aren't electable, as the last election clearly demonstrated.

[pnwmom]

4. There are many more black people in the U.S. House, compared to their percentage

in the general population, than there are women in the House compared to their (majority) status in the U.S. There are 47 African Americans but only 74 women in the House, even though AA comprise 12% of the population and women more than 50%.

True, there are no U.S. Senators who will be black, now that Obama has left.

But Obama will be the first African-American President, and there still has never been a woman President, despite the fact that the majority of Americans are female.

I think it's a toss-up as to which group is more under-represented.

[orleans]

2. what is your point? caroline? i'm not sure what you mean n/t

[pnwmom]

3. Partly. But I had just heard the comment with regard to Tammy Duckworth,

that she shouldn't be appointed to the Illinois Senate seat because she lacked legislative experience. And I think that legislative experience is only one qualifier, and its absence shouldn't be a disqualifier.

[DCKit]

5. Agreed. Professional politicians hold no attraction for me....

and more and more, people are catching on to the fact that we need QUALIFIED Congresscritters, regardless of any other factors.

Personally, I'd like to see far more academics and (successful) business types being elected. 2010 and 2012 should be interesting.

[Occam Bandage]

6. See that "special election" thing there? Crazy, I know. nt

[pnwmom]

8. But many DUers here would have opposed him in the special election

because of his family name and because he had no legislative experience.

And it sounds as if the only reason he wasn't appointed before the special election is because he wasn't 30 years old yet.

[Occam Bandage]

10. And that would have been their right. And TK would have won the special election anyway.

As it turned out, he had phenomenal political skills. Which is wonderful. However, there's no particular reason to believe that either Caroline Kennedy or Tammy Duckworth possess such skills. Neither have been able to win a race for anything. Neither have demonstrated an ability to connect with voters, craft a message and an image, or successfully withstand the rigors of a campaign. Sure, with a bit of nurturing, they might turn out to be pure gold. And they might turn out to be pure lead, too.

I don't see any reason to throw a hail mary when you only need one yard. I'm sure such plays have worked in the past, but it's not a smart risk.

[pnwmom]

11. And there was no reason to suspect how strong a Senator that Ted would make.

But given her wide connections and her proven fund raising ability, I don't see appointing her to be a Hail Mary pass. It would be a practical move, not a desperate one.

[Occam Bandage]

12. "Connections" and "fundraising ability" aren't usually the first things I look for

when I'm thinking about what makes a good Senator. But I will admit that she has those in spades. So did Dubya.

[pnwmom]

13. But her connections are to people like Ted Kennedy and Obama.

The quality of the connections matters a lot. Dubya's connected to a lot of loathsome individuals.

[anonymous171]

7. He was elected by the people of Massachusetts. Big difference. nt

[pnwmom]

9. But he WOULD have been appointed instead of the family friend if he had been

old enough yet. He was only 29 -- too young to be appointed.