The Kennedy Name Returns to the Ballot

Jack Schlossberg is running for Congress In New York's 12th district, the seat Jerry Nadler, the incumbent, will vacate at the end of his term. According to the Associated Press. Slossberg said the district deserves a representative who can harness the creativity, energy and drive of this district and translate that into political power. In Washington, the New York Times Morning dad sketches the 32 year old as a media savvy provocateur who who built a following by sparring online and leaning into absurdist humor. She did a major lengthy profile of him in today's New York Times. You may want to check it out. He says, quote, I'm not for everybody. He admits pitching himself as a Democrat who can break through the noise and speak to younger voters. Nadler, who served 17 terms, suggested months ago that a younger lawmaker can maybe do better because Nadler getting up there pretty much close to 80. Slussberg's resume is mixed. He has a Yale degree, an emergency management EMT going out in ambulances. He's done shifts there. He has a law degree from Harvard, an MBA from Harvard, but he's never actually practiced law. And he has a talent for viral posts he once described as serious and insane, just like me. Now comes the test. Can Camelot's air convert clicks into votes on the Upper East, Upper west side and midtown of Manhattan? Okay, so what's the real message here? JFK. JFK. What's the real message here? JFK's grandson, his only grandson, is running for Congress. And like it or not, when people say they've had enough of Bushes and Trumps and Clintons, there's still a magic associated with the Kennedy name. So he's going to get a lot of attention like he did the day he announced with front page stories and coverage in the New York Times. What is different about him is he's not just resting on his name. This guy is a fantastic communicator. He's funny, he knows social media. He already has millions of followers on some social media and he's not afraid to ruffle feathers. He's even attacked his uncle, RFK Jr. That's going to make him an interesting candidate. Does it make him a winner, necessarily? Well, no. This is a very competitive, highly coveted seat. But it does mean he's going to get attention every day of the campaign. Let's dig a little deeper here. So this is an interesting district. Full disclosure, I've lived in this district more than 30 years ago. I worked for the member of Congress representing this district in Washington, D.C. it was before Jerry Nadler took that seat, it was when Ted Weiss was the longtime incumbent. So it's, it is a seat that is fixed, filled with massively rich people, massively successful people, a lot of famous people and a lot of very media savvy. It is simply different than most congressional districts. There's going to be a lot of money in this campaign. So money, name ID alone isn't going to do it. Money alone isn't going to do it. There are going to be a lot of well funded candidates. Now interestingly about Jack Schlossberg is that he's not afraid to poke fun of himself, say a lot of politically incorrect things, say things that some have deemed sexist, racist, crude. He's certainly not afraid to ruffle feathers. Not only has he attacked his own uncle as other Kennedy clan have done, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. He's also attacked family members who refused to denounce Robert F. Kennedy Jr. So he can be a very polarizing figure. In traditional times. You would say that doesn't make for a political, a good political candidate. Well, we don't live in traditional times. There are some who see a parallel to this young 32 year old Kennedy family member and Donald Trump who rose to fame through being provocative in the media, always getting attention. This guy got a lot of attention in the last few years because of his social media and it wasn't just because he was a famous person or had a famous last name because a lot of people are famous. They put out videos and it gets, instead of three views, it gets 30 views. He, he's had millions of views because he's funny and he's not afraid to attack. Well, that's gold. That's liquid gold in the world of social media and politics. So that's why I think he has to be considered a very serious kid. There's no doubt he'll be able to raise a lot of money and there's no doubt he'll be able to get a lot of attention. And there's no doubt he's intelligent. I mean, you know, nepotism can get you a slot as a freshman at an Ivy League college just being rich. And if you don't believe me, just look at Jared Kushner, whose father bought his way into Harvard, but you don't get to graduate with a Harvard law degree and a Harvard MBA being a dummy. So I have no doubt that this guy's got some decent IQ and is intelligent and savvy. He also is someone who by some respects is seen as well disciplined, doesn't go out to nightclubs, he doesn't drink alcohol. He's not a big party guy. He seems to be someone who, though he doesn't have a serious career now, he never became a practicing lawyer. He does seem to be passionate about certain issues, communicating, and he may be a sign of the times. Now, there have been many people who thought, oh, we just need this magic of the Kennedys. I remember when his mother, Carolyn Kennedy, was this close to being announced to filling the United States Senate seat vacated by Hillary Clinton when she became Secretary of State. What happened? Well, she gave an interview where she said about 20, 52 times in three minutes. I'm exaggerating, but only slightly. And it was a case where it was such a disastrous interview that it quickly became obvious to people she's not going to make it as a senator. And if she does get appointed, there's no way she'll be able to hold the seat her party. So this is a disaster. We can't nominate. So the governor at the time of New York quickly decided, let's pick someone else. And that's when Senator. That's when then Congresswoman Kristen Gillibrand was selected to be the US Senator, not Jack's mom, who was Carolyn Kennedy. So just having a famous name doesn't mean you're good at communicating. It doesn't mean you're funny, it doesn't mean you're good with social media. But this guy does have those things, and that's why I think it's going to, he's going to merit and receive a lot of attention.