Choosing a U.S. Senator to Represent New York Is All About Democratic Principals

ALBANY, NY (01/21/2009)(readMedia)-- You have to feel sorry for Governor David Paterson. It seems everyone who is anyone in the Democratic Party has an opinion about the appointment that only he is empowered to make to replace Hillary Clinton in the United States Senate.

The majority of those who have weighed in on this critical choice are betting that Paterson can be bullied, cajoled, flattered, threatened and out-maneuvered to make Caroline Kennedy New York's next junior Senator. But as her political credentials are inspected New Yorkers are discovering she hasn't voted in any number of elections, has yet to reveal her financial background, has the disquieting habit of presenting her ideas in half-sentences peppered with "you know," and has hardly ever contributed to even New York Democrats. In short, her primary credential seems to be her family's history and the media's frenzied interest in the next chapter of the Camelot saga.

In other words, it's Democratic politics as usual. Entitlement. If anyone else dared presume that lineage alone entitled one to one of New York's seats in the U.S. Senate they would be roundly greeted by a well-deserved Bronx cheer. Even Hillary Clinton sought a Senate seat with far more impressive credentials, and she had to be told the Yankees play in the Bronx.

There remains an underlying principle of the Democratic Party that punishes those who work hard and succeed on their own merits. Work hard and the Democrats ensure you will be taxed from the moment you rise until the day you are dead. Just look at the latest Paterson budget with its blizzard of more than one hundred new user fees and extra taxes placed on everything from Ipods and taxi rides to movies and beer. If it moves, tax it. If a recession blasted New Yorker gets enjoyment from something, tax it double. It may be the most regressive tax plan in the state's history. No wonder it's a Democratic document.

Merit, hard work, commitment, professionalism, self-initiative, all the forces that have defined this nation's strength, are irrelevant as the Democrats seek to position Caroline Kennedy as Mrs. Clinton's heir apparent. She may be privately gracious, but those who seek to launch Caroline Kennedy's political career are only confirming what the working people of New York are beginning to recognize: the Democrats will victimize personal success, as evidenced by an avalanche of new taxes or by ignoring the genuine political professionals whose hard work in the political vineyards gives them a real claim to a seat in the U.S. Senate -- and anoint a name.

Political pundits keep chiding, "When will the New York Republicans define themselves?" In the wake of this double shot of Democratic political arrogance, the answer is quite simple. We are the party that stands for the working Joe and Joan where personal success and hard work mean something. Where your last dime isn't taken as a tax and where your family name is about what you accomplished - not your father, or your uncles or your cousins. It's about a political party where personal responsibility is rewarded, not punished or victimized or taxed. That still means something in this country and it is the Republican platform that will be left standing long after this latest mess is cleaned up and disposed of. Will Caroline inherit a seat in the U.S. Senate? Only if the Democrats stay true to their principles.

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