The recent nomination of Mrs. Clinton to the position of Secretary of State has had the effect of creating turmoil in the Democrat Party while giving many pundits and journalists the opportunity to do some work until the President-elect is sworn in to office on January 20, 2009.

The turmoil created has been the result of the jockeying by the pols in New York for the soon to be vacated seat of Mrs. Clinton as junior Senator.  But the whole process was thrown for a loop by the interest and intention of Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg to seek the seat.

The falling down prostrate at her feet by many seasoned pols in New York to endorse her reflects poorly on the Democrat Party as a whole (as if that could be any more possible). 

What this really shows is the magic of the name based on the mythology of those who went and served so many years ago.  Their legacy seems to be that whoever follows and shares their last name can only be as good as them and will return the people to the unfinished glories of Camelot.  Nothing could be further from the truth.

Is she 'qualified'? There is no real litmus test for being qualified.  However, her leap to the front of the pack of possible candidates is a true slap in the face of the those who have been in politics for many years and served their constintuencies faithfully.  Is her being 'qualified' based on her maiden name and the legacy attached to it??  If that is her only qualification, then the Democrats have sold their soul (again) to chase Camelot.  It demeans their platform and it demeans the person seeking the seat as well.

Unfortunately, we see this more and more in politics--the coming monarchists.  That the family business is nothing but politics, and that it is only because of their continued service the public will be glad to continue to vote them again and again to the seat.  It has become an entitlement. 

This entitlement of a 'legacy seat' by many public officials, whether Republican or Democrat flies in the face of a 'government by the people'.  What happens is the slow process of less representation by a wide variety of people being replaced by a smaller group of more powerful people who feel that their seat in Congress has become part of their family inheritance.  This is a problem.  There are a lot of examples of this happening and this current issue in New York is just the newest example.

The best thing to come out of this election is that no one named Bush or Clinton will be in the top two spots of our government for the first time since 1981.  But, it doesn't mean that the coming monarchists have slowed down in their mission.  The monarchists can do their work from the Congress over a longer period of time than in the Presidency.