The Senate, it seems, is becoming the place to be in Washington. The New York Times has a very interesting, thought-provoking article about it here.  So, what do you think?

The question, of course, is forefront in my mind because of Caroline Kennedy. I don't claim to know much about New York politics, so I'm not going to sit here and say she should or shouldn't be hunting down the nomination. Kennedy can throw her name in because, well, anyone can call Gov. Paterson's office and ask to be interviewed. What I find curious about her seemingly sudden interest is that Kennedy has, for years, lived in New York City and remained, for a Kennedy, off-radar. That's impressive enough, what's moreso is that the press actually granted her wish to remain a private citizen. In earlier interviews, Kennedy has expressed a desire for public office because of the events of September 11, 2001, to extend the legacy of her father, former President John F. Kennedy, and her work on behalf of the President-Elect compelled her to do so...she just chose to "wait for the right time" to run.

Fair enough. But, what about qualifications?

In a Democratic primary season spent hashing out whether or not a candidate was not only likeable enough, but also experienced enough, a sentiment that extended well through every debate where John McCain pointed out his many friends in the audience, the new political buzzword (pardon the pun) seems to be 'experience.'  And, as the state of Minnesota has recently pointed out, even if the Vikings can't win a playoff game (Go Birds!!), Al Franken can at least (finally!) be elected to the Senate.

More bizarre, I recently discovered on Facebook, someone created a group called "1,000,000 Strong for Caroline Kennedy for President" come the next (after, of course, Obama's two full terms) presidential election.

What?!

I'm not sure when celebrity, whether it's through the name your family has or because Oprah finally gets involved in politics and tells you who to vote for or Sarah Silverman's blissfully funny "The Great Schlep", became so important to American politics.  And why celebrity and not, say, the state of your household's economy or whether or not your family is going to have a house or medical insurance, is that which propels us to care or to vote or to turn on the news reveals much more about us, I think, than it does about celebrity.  Maybe celebrity matters because they're the better talkers.  More often than not, they're familiar to us--we see their faces when we turn on the television; they make us laugh, cry, and sometimes give us free stuff that we'll complain we have to pay taxes on later. Yet, for better or worse, they are who we turn to when we try to forget, if even for a moment, how crappy our lives are out here in the real world.

But if that's even part of the reason why we like them so much, how can we ever expect them to understand exactly where we're coming from?  These days, what does Oprah know about not being able to pay both your utility bill and your grocery bill? While Caroline Kennedy raises plenty of money for the New York City public school system, what to her children know about being educated in one, and what does she, as a parent, know about actively supporting an urban school system that your child attends?  And, if celebrities don't know much about what it's like for the day-to-day of the have-nots, why do we trust them?

Caroline Kennedy seems to be latest installment of our obsession for celebrity in our political lives. I hope that if New York Gov. David Paterson selects her, she does right by the citizens of New York.  The name "Kennedy" may get her in the door initially, but it's the people who will ultimately decide if she's fit to stay.