Maria Shriver appears set to inherit Kennedy mantle

[Kadie]

Shriver appears set to inherit Kennedy mantle

Carla Marinucci, Chronicle Staff Writer

Saturday, September 5, 2009

After the deaths last month of Sen. Edward Kennedy and his sister, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, California first lady Maria Shriver took to the airwaves to debunk the notion that the passing of her uncle and mother spells the end of America's most formidable political dynasty.

"I think the goal for each human being, whether your name is Kennedy, Shriver, Lawford, Smith, Gregory ... is to live the life that you choose, that's in your heart, that's about something bigger than yourself," Shriver told "Meet the Press" host David Gregory. "One of the things I think is so great about Mummy and Teddy is the duration of their fight," she said.

With Ted Kennedy, the "Lion of the Senate," buried and his memoirs due to be published next week, a chapter of the Kennedy generational saga has ended - and Shriver has emerged as the one most likely to take up the mantle of social activism and leadership in the famed political family.

While her cousins Patrick, Joe and Caroline, and Shriver's brother Bobby Shriver, have pursued or explored political careers, the wife of GOP California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger may not need to. She has established what many of her East Coast cousins lack - a personal connection to millions of average Americans.

She's a 'natural'

"She's better than any of them - and it's natural," said Barbara O'Connor, professor of political communication at Cal State Sacramento. Despite Shriver's aristocratic background, O'Connor said, the former TV journalist and mother of four is the "one in a million" in public life who can connect with "the every-person experience."


Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/09/05/MN0B19GD5O.DTL#ixzz0QFGJujC2

[Cirque du So-What]

1. To be taken seriously in her bid for Kennedy clan matriarch

she'd do well to dump the dummy. Let him return to whatever roles he can scrounge up in Hollywood (or the San Fernando Valley), full-time misogynist & Nazi fantasizer.

[Dan]

3. I agree

[PA Democrat]

11. Seriously. Hasta la vista, Schwarzie.

[lunatica]

2. She'd have to represent the Kennedy traditional values to do that

Maria Shriver doesn't stand for what the Kennedy 'mantle' symbolizes.

[kestrel91316]

4. IMHO Ms. Shriver displayed extraordinarily poor judgement in her choice of a spouse.

She can keep doing the Special Olympics thing, but I don't trust her as a politician.

[stevedeshazer]

5. I just want to hand her a sandwich.

[lumberjack_jeff]

6. A cheese sandwich. n/t

[saltpoint]

7. I can't explalin why she married the lunkhead she married but Maria

Shriver is a class act.

[Booster]

8. I totally agree. And if she could convince Arnold to switch parties,

I think she'd be a shoe-in for any position she chose. I don't really think Arnold is stupid (a little dumb) and he must know his political career will end as Governor. She gave up her career for him and it's his turn to return the favor, if he can just overcome his enormous ego, and that will be really hard for him.

[pipi_k]

9. she may be a class act, but

so was Laura Bush. So, apparently, is Cindy McCain. And there are some other politicians' wives who are class acts, on both sides of the aisle...

But being a class act doesn't mean someone is going to be a fighter in the political arena.

There are lots more political wives who aren't considered "ladylike" and "classy", but then again, I don't think they would take any shit from anybody.

[saltpoint]

10. I'm sticking with Maria over Cindy and Laura.