Please edumacate me: What makes Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg

[TheDebbieDee]

qualified to be US Ambassador to the UN? What has she done that would make her a good representative to the UN, other than be the daughter of a previous US President?

[Clovis Sangrail]

1. because she reminds me of stinky cheese

schloss ... mmmmmmmmmm

[RollWithIt]

2. Not a lot.... I'd prefer her as an Ambassador....

Probably to Britain.

[Ellen Forradalom]

3. Backing the winner

Ambassadorships are frequently doled out as rewards.

[book_worm]

4. from what the media has said she really isn't interested in a position.

[malaise]

5. Well for starters she has the certification

B.A. and J.D. Ambassadors are rarely experts on International Relations since they have a plethora of staff with that expertise, and we're not exactly appointing the Secretary of State here. After the past eight years, I think she will be a pleasant change. She may be able to push UNICEF back in the right direction. I'm supporting this appointment.

[ColbertWatcher]

11. Is this a serious?

A Kennedy at the UN!?

The world would so not hate us anymore!

[malaise]

14. BIngo

and she is more than qualified.

[ColbertWatcher]

18. Yes she is. More qualified than the GOP's perpetual nominee: Negroponte. n/t

[Lydia Leftcoast]

37. And a hell of a lot more qualified than Shirley Temple

who was one of Nixon's appointees to the American UN delegation.

[Trajan]

6. You know ? .... Maybe you should educate yourself ...

I am pretty sure I am not appreciating the tone of this post .... As if the qualifications of a Kennedy should be doubted automatically ....

She is a wonderful, erudite individual who absolute deserves to hold public office, and who is deeply involved in the Democratic party, AND the Obama campaign ....

If we could be so lucky to have her serve in public office ...

[malaise]

9. Looks like great minds think aliike

:D

[TomInTib]

16. I don't know, Trajan...

In my opinion, Amb to UN should go to someone with extensive diplomatic experience.

Maybe Belgium, Switzerland or somewhere were her name might carry her.

I think UN is just too critical.

Anyway, that's my penny's worth.

Tom

[Trajan]

20. You say this as if all she has is a name ....

Really ... DU is just pissing me the fuck off lately ....

This is an extraordinary woman .... Whether she has the perfect set of attributes that make for the absolute PERFECT UN Ambassador is open to question: Whether this woman is an outstanding, intelligent and respectable representative of the Democratic party and it's members is beyond question ...

She is outstanding IN SPITE of her family name ... not because of it ...

Fucking DU ...... Im getting tired of it ...

And yeah, I know where the door is .....

[TomInTib]

31. Calm down, take a deep breath, man.

I am just not aware of any real hands-on diplomatic experience in her background.

The UN gig always goes to someone with real-world experience.

In now way was I belittling her.

[TomInTib]

32. Calm down, man, take a deep breath.

I am just not aware of any real hands-on diplomatic experience in her background.

The UN gig always goes to someone with real-world experience.

In now way was I belittling her.

[Lifetimedem]

7. her last name

this would be the old identity politics if she gets that appointment

[Missy Vixen]

10. Whom do you think would be a better choice?

You might want to familiarize yourself with Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg before alleging this is the "old identity politics".

Julie

[Lifetimedem]

25. are you saying that no one else is as qualified or more qualified than she is

the old politics kept power in the hands of a few and there was always political pay offs for supporters..

i thought we wanted changed

[malaise]

26. To suggest she doesn't mean change is mindblowing

She has never held political office. She is change.

[RainDog]

38. "change" is an amorphous word.

"Hope" too, but I think it's easier to build a possible agreement about what that means.

I don't know about you, but Obama wasn't my first choice. I didn't really have a real dedicated choice until Obama, however. The reason I wasn't flat out for Obama initially is because I thought he was a little too conservative for my way of thinking. That didn't mean I didn't like him, but just that I wasn't in for Obama until Edwards dropped out.

Anyway, it's sort of pointless for each and every one of us, me included, to question every decision that is made on the basis of "change" that YOU like, or that I like, or that Joe the Plumber likes. Along with your version of change, and mine, there are plenty of others too. There are also people in Congress that Obama needs to work with in order see legislation that he thinks would be in the best interests of our nation. There are people who spent political capital in order to get Obama elected, and those people will be rewarded. That's the way the world works. Nothing is going to change that...and why should it, if people align themselves with you, politically?

Obama is NOT a radical and it's silly to think he will govern in some radical way. He never would've been elected if this was the case.

Don't misunderstand. This doesn't mean I'm not THRILLED with our new president. I am. I am so happy and proud to have been a part of this time in history. We'll see the substance of Obama's presidency as it unfolds. I trust that he will be as brilliant creating a presidency as he was creating a campaign.

whatever the case, objecting to C.K.S. as ambassador because she's not change is... silly. Ambassadorships are not usually life or death postings, either. They're generally political in nature.

[mondo joe]

46. When did Obama define "change" as being whatever you think it means?

[cherokeeprogressive]

49. How about a career diplomat who currently holds an Ambassadorship?

By my count, the US currently has around 67 ambassadors stationed around the world. Might it be possible that someone who HAS diplomatic exerience at such a high level be more qualified than Mr. Schlossberg?

Ambassador to the UN, in my opinion, is the penultimate post for anyone with diplomatic experience. What qualifies her, other than her name, to be hop-scotched over all of those people with current and past experience?

I would rather have someone who's been around the diplomatic block as Ambassador to the UN.

[ColbertWatcher]

13. "old identity politics" You say that like it's a bad thing.

As ambassador to the UN, what do you think the name Kennedy would say to the world?

[road2000]

33. Agreed.

And let me add, she's 50 -- just three years older than Obama. That's hardly a relic.

[Le Taz Hot]

63. Oh, around here it is.

Along with "geezer," "codger," "crone" and "I wish they'd just hurry up and die off." :mad:

[kestrel91316]

15. Guess you don't know a damned thing about the woman.

For starters, she wrote:

In Our Defense: The Bill of Rights In Action (1990) and The Right to Privacy (1995) and A Family Christmas (2006?)

She has a Juris Doctorate, so I would guess that she knows a little bit about the US Constitution and US history.

She also edited: 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

Oh, and this sums it up nicely:
Kennedy is an attorney, editor, and writer and is a member of the New York and Washington, D.C. bars. 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,<4> a director of both the Commission on Presidential Debates and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and Honorary Chairman of the American Ballet Theatre. She is also an adviser to the Harvard Institute of Politics, a living memorial to her father.

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.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Who do YOU think should be appointed UN ambassador? Joe the Plumber?

[kerry-is-my-prez]

23. She should have spoken out against Bush & his fascist takeover. It would have meant something coming

from her.

[Trajan]

24. And you know she has not ?

She has ALWAYS been behind the scenes ....

I am of the mind that you speak from ignorance of her extensive activities, and not from knowledge of her LACK of action ....

[kerry-is-my-prez]

41. If she would have spoken out loudly - it would have been all over the media.

Jimmy Carter spoke out very loudly and so did RFK Jr. and Teddy - and they suffered for it. So did many others.

[kestrel91316]

19. So, are you implying whites should be automatically disqualified???

If you did, I really don't think you'll like it here on DU.

[MrModerate]

8. She has a pretty good public policy resume . . .

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

And it's not like a degree from the London School of Economics is the be-all and end-all for the position. Typically the post doesn't go to a seasoned State Dept. hand, but rather to someone who can bring both symbolic and diplomatic capital to the job.

Bolton, of course, was an aberration on all fronts.

[book_worm]

12. True it is a rather symbolic appointment in many ways and socializing is actually a huge part

of being UN Ambassador--cocktail parties and the rest, but still I think Caroline would be first rate given her intelligence, education, etc if she were appointed and had to handle a delicate UN mission.

[customerserviceguy]

17. I just got done reading the bio at the post above

and while she'd be a great choice for an ambassadorship to a country that we have few diplomatic problems with, the UN Ambassador needs to be a top-level experienced individual, in my view. If Bill Richardson did not want the Secretary of State job, he'd be perfect for it again.

I know there are many Kennedy fans here, but she looks to me like she's famous just for being famous. Frankly, until she publically endorsed Sen. Obama, I'd pretty much forgotten about her, she doesn't seem to have been in the public eye other than the Profiles in Courage award, and that award doesn't make big news most years. It's fine to thank her for giving the blessing of America's second-to-the-last Democratic dynasty over the Clinton dynasty, but let's reserve the UN Ambassadorship to someone with practical experience in a job in the last twenty years that would directly be related to this important job.

[aquart]

22. No, she's famous for using her name for decent honest causes.

I am NOT the world's biggest Kennedy fan (although I like the way those rich children have a dedicated sense of public service) but I would take Caroline for the UN in a heartbeat. My other choice would be Bill Clinton.

We need to signal a huge sea change.

[customerserviceguy]

42. There's no question that her causes are good

I just question her ability to negotiate with the world on the tough issues we're going to face.

Right now, the country is trusting President Obama to be popular with the rest of the world because he replaces the cowboy. The Repukes will work hard to undermine that trust every chance they get. I'm old enough to remember the laughing and Johnny Carson jokes when Tricky Dick appointed Shirley Temple to be ambassador to Ghana. She had disappeared out of public life since the 1950's, and all of a sudden, this person that most people remembered as a cute little girl gets to be an ambassador.

It's not hard to see the same thing happening to Caroline.

[kerry-is-my-prez]

21. What a crock! Obama's going to appoint her? - or is this a baked-up DU thing?

There are plenty of people who have done a lot more than she has to qualify. She has shown herself to be totally uninterested in politics up until now.

[colorado thinker]

28. I believe it is not that she is not interested

in politics, per se, just that she was busy with her family, her work, her mother (while she was ill) and her brother, until his death, was front and center for JFK's family.

Now, she is the only one left. She didn't hesitate to come out in support of Obama when she believed he was the best candidate. None of that precludes her from the position of UN Ambassador.

[TheDebbieDee]

56. Her name has been bandied about for the position

speculatively, here on DU. I wanted to know more about her and why she should be considered for that job, that's why I posted this question.

[carlyhippy]

27. wasn't Bill Richardson up for that one?

Carly

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

30. I'd like him for Secy of State.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

29. She has done a great deal of work for NYC schools by being their chief

fundraiser. She is on several boards including the Kennedy Foundation and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. She is also an attorney.

She is brilliant and charming...2 things that can help when being an ambassador.

[customerserviceguy]

43. OK, then make her Secretary of Education

There's what I'm talking about, make the political job fit the person's experience. Otherwise, we go back to "politics as usual" and that's something Barack Obama got elected with a mandate to eliminate.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

60. I think her overall life experience qualifies her to be most anything she sets her mind to be.

She has had experience dealing with people from all around the globe.

She is articulate, thoughtful, brilliant and as I said charming.

[customerserviceguy]

61. You sound more like a career counselor

at a high school than someone who is being truly thoughtful about how to repair our reputation in the world without necessarily caving in to nations that may not have our best interests at heart.

I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one here who thinks this is a weird idea. As I recall, some folks here were a bit weirded out by her appointment to the Vice Presidential selection committee. The result of that work was to nominate someone who not only has put his foot in his mouth numerous times during the race, but is also NOT the future of the Democratic Party in 2016. His words about Obama being tested will come back to haunt this Administration if and when we do get some foreign crisis. And I really don't want Caroline Kennedy flitting around the UN trying to get everyone to sing Kum-Bah-Yah when it happens.

[Cetacea]

34. If you have to ask the price then you probably can't...n/t

[RainDog]

35. Caroline Kennedy is MORE THAN qualified

I cannot believe someone here would question that, frankly.

Beyond her intellectual, business, humanitarian and educational work, her endorsement of Obama in Jan. 2008 was a big factor in the primaries for a lot of people. She is part of the democratic political establishment of this nation. Her books were about the constitution and meant to help educate the general public.

She is very familiar with dealings of state and with protocols.

Symbolically, her grandfather was Ambassador to Britain and I'm sure Obama wants to be able to draw upon the positive reaction to her parents when they were in Europe -- she already has some "political capital" for the job.

People here seem like they're ignorant about politics sometimes. You should expect various appointments that appeal to various factions within the democratic party establishment. Obama is building a team.

Who knows, maybe she'll be our first female president.

[Trajan]

48. Well said ...

A breath of fresh air in a rather dank forum of late ...

You would think everyone would feel enlightened and everything, after such a delicious election win ....

But no: It is more the opposite ...

THANKS for the insight .... too bad it is so rare ....

[Midlodemocrat]

53. THANK YOU!!!! Glad to see someone gets it.

Caroline would be an amazing choice and Obama knows that.

[TheDebbieDee]

57. So, you're saying she's qualified to represent America at the UN

because Europeans were fond of her parents and her Grandfather was a symbolic Ambassador to Great Britain?

Sounds like you need to ride the time machine into the 21st Century. Yes, there may be some wrinkles in the relationship with our allies in Europe but that can't possibly compare to the gaping holes that * has blown in our relationship with middle eastern countries.

Did the Kennedys ever associate with the Iranians or the Pakistanis or the Russians or any of the other dozens of non-European countries that hate us now?

The fifth paragraph of your post reveals that you are completely ignorant regarding US relationships with countries outside of Europe. It was that type of limited thinking that led the US and the * admin down this self-destructive path for the last 8 years.

Obama said that he wanted to change the mindset and thinking that has given us the last 8 years - maybe he was talking about people that think like you.

The world is a lot bigger than the US and Europe.

[RainDog]

64. LOL

no, actually my post shows that I misread what was written initially, but thanks for your reply. When I read the post, I was thinking about Ambassador to Britain. It's been a long week.

However, I had hoped that the level of incivility, bitchiness and the constant displays of assholes would be lessened after the tension of the elections were over.

Obviously that's not the case.

You might want to question whether or not the neo-cons were ignorant about other nations beyond Europe. The issue for them was approach. They openly called for creating a U.S. empire and were backed by other conservatives around the world. Bolton was also openly hostile to the UN. This is typical republican "humor" - appoint people to positions who claim to hate those positions and then watch them screw up.

I can see how my post could have led you to think that my approach was euro-centric, because of my misunderstanding, but the idea of political capital is still true.
Kennedy's scholarship into U.S. Constitutional issues and the ideology behind it is still true. She does come into a position with the legacy of her family behind her. Whether or not she had anything to do with the cuban missile crisis, for instance, this moment is still associated with a legacy of liberals who do not shoot first and ask questions later.

But no matter. I don't care what you think, honestly. Your post indicates to me that you would be one of the last people who should attempt to tell anyone about diplomacy or dealing with others who may have a different opinion.

To equate my misreading with the Bush administration is simply another flame-baiting piece of... worthless verbiage - is this the change you believe in? Are insults the way you plan to change the world into a better place? good luck with that.

you're also kidding yourself if you think Obama is going to remake the political world.

If you think the Kennedy or any other ambassador is going to represent the U.S. as John Bolton has, that's ridiculous. If you think Kennedy is any less qualified to be Ambassador than Andrew Young, that's ridiculous. Looking back at previous Ambassadors to the UN, Kennedy obviously doesn't align herself, politically, with Jeanne Kirkpatrick or George HW Bush or Negroponte or Holbrooke.

All of them, btw, were well aware of the world beyond Europe. The problem was the ideology that informed their knowledge.

and now I'm done with you. poof. you've disappeared!

[bigtree]

36. the Kenndys are well loved in many countries

. . . not so much by the op, I understand.

[PBS Poll-435]

39. ...

:-)

[bigtree]

50. spelled that wrong, didn't I?

Kennedy Kennedy Kennedy

[PBS Poll-435]

51. No...It was your very quick and very precise assessment

:-)

[TheDebbieDee]

67. You understood incorrectly...................

Apparently, many of my fellow DUers are STILL in primary mode. I now next to nothing about the Kennedys, except that JFK was assassinated and Jackie Kennedy married Ari Onasis and JFK, Jr and his wife died in a small plane crash.

I simply asked my fellow DUers to show why/how Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg was qualified to be US Ambassador to the UN. That fact that her family is loved in many countries does not make her qualified to be US Ambassador to the UN.

[pnwmom]

40. You don't need policy credentials to be an Ambassador,

just personal credentials.

[curse of greyface]

44. She is educated and has the right temperament. She would make a fine ambassador. nt

[mondo joe]

45. She's an educated, well acquainted person who has authored books on civil rights, and

is well known to the Obama administration.

[susanwy]

47. Given her health

I don't think she would be interested. She had battled rheumatoid arthritis for many years, which IMHO is in part why she has kept a low profile during the Bush years. I would suspect that this campaign was hard on her physically. I would much rather see her go back to supporting her charitable causes. Plus, her family has given enough.

[UTUSN]

52. I'm with you, but she's an ICON (for somebody) n/t

[Hekate]

54. You could try googling her bio and c.v., you know. Here's part of it...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Work

Kennedy is an attorney, editor, and writer.

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 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.<1>

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.
http://www.answers.com/topic/caroline-kennedy-schlossberg

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It's classist and sexist to assume that she has done nothing with her life because she is a woman born to money and prestige. She's a Kennedy, f'god's sake, not some damn Bush.

Hekate

[muriel_volestrangler]

65. But not much there relevant to the UN

Diplomatic experience? No. Political experience? No. International experience? No.

It's not that there's something wrong with appointing a Kennedy - Ted Kennedy is massively qualified for it (though his health rules it out, I guess). But she's more qualified to be Attorney General than UN ambassador. If she is to have a diplomatic career, then the UN isn't the place to start; an ambassadorship to a friendly country where the job is mainly public relations (eg the UK) would be better - the UN is a serious job, with real negotiation (at least when given to someone decent - unlike that idiot Bolton).

[Hekate]

66. My point is that, unlike what some here seem to think, she's not an airhead...

She's chosen to live her life as privately as is possible for the daughter of Jack and Jackie Kennedy; however she's as accomplished as Michelle Obama -- more so, given that she is years older.

I forgot to add: her stepfather was some Greek guy.

Hekate

[opihimoimoi]

55. She is of age and is a citizen...thats all ya need I think...

[ContinentalOp]

58. What do they even do? They just schmooze right? I'm sure she can handle it.

:shrug:

[Thothmes]

59. "Kennedy"

the name alone is sufficient to give her magical powers. The cult of personallity around the Kennedy clan is alive and well.

[LibertyLover]

62. I used to work at the Metropolitan Museum of Art,

at the same time Caroline Kennedy Scholossberg worked there, before she got her JD. I worked in the office of the VP and Treasurer and she worked in the American Wing. I spoke with her a number of times, usually on budget problems or travel, but occasionally just pleasantries. I found her to be extremely intelligent, well spoken and interested in people (or at least able to fake it really, really well), qualities that I deem important for any ambassador. Additionally, she knew when to ask questions and when to listen to the answers, again, qualities important for an ambassador. Finally, her ability to interact well with just about anybody, from the janitorial staff on up to Museum trustees and donors was legendary, again something I think is a critical skill for any ambassador, not just one appointed to the UN. Obama could do worse than to ask CKS to be our person at the UN.