What's This Dynasty Crap Anyway?

I’ve just come back from a vacation to Vancouver, BC. The hotel where I stayed provided me with a free newspaper every morning, which I enjoyed fully. Not only was the local news interesting, but Canadians’ views of US news were highly entertaining.

For example, the news of Sen. Edward Kennedy’s death. The Canadian press were respectful, but they couldn’t refrain from commenting on how the US press treated the Kennedys as if they were royalty, and how much the US media mourned the death of a political dynasty. The Vancouver Sun even printed a piece that speculated about which political family might replace the Kennedys: the Clintons? The Bushes? The Obamas?

Fighting back nausea, I turned to the opinion page, where I was happy to read commentary pointing out that, for a Democracy, the US sure has a strange love of aristocratic forms (i.e., “the political dynasty” bullshit). Oh, they are so right.

But there’s more to Kennedy worship than that. Most Americans believe we live in a meritocracy, where anyone can succeed with a lot of hard work, perseverance, brains, confidence, etc. The Kennedys were representative of that “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” philosophy in most people’s minds.

But what many Americans forget is that it also takes a great deal of luck and/or connections to make as much money as Joseph Kennedy Sr. did. The political success of his children is proof that money can open doors and create opportunities that aren’t available to, say, a homeless street kid who never graduated from middle school.

Amazingly, the Kennedys seemed to understand that. Old-style Democrats, they knew that folks often need a helping hand to climb the ladder out of poverty, and so they supported social service programs that other politicians (including most Democrats these days) sought to dismantle. They had a self-awareness that most politicians—and nearly all media personalities—lack.

So before we start talking about a dynasty to replace the Kennedys, let’s acknowledge that it’s not a particular political family that we’ll truly miss. It’s a strong and credible champion of the poor: someone who believes in equal access to education, universal access to healthcare, affordable housing, programs to address domestic violence, and services for people with disabilities.

We’re waiting.