American politics and family dynasties: value in a name or trivial pursuit? ... by gimleteye

It's Friday in the dog days of August. So here's a point to consider. On network news last night it soaked up two minutes of precious air time: which of the Kennedy children would step into the US Senate seat held by the late Ted Kennedy. Granted, it is an easier question to toss in the air for a couple 'o minutes than probing why the stock market goes up when the economy is bad. Worried about your portfolio value? We have a tropical depression stirring off the Bahamas. There is nothing inherently wrong with siblings, nephews, nieces, cousins or even spouses jumping into elections for seats held by relatives. We have our own examples in Miami and Florida. Every political consultant knows the value of name recognition. What does it say about our democracy that political districts and seats are passed along from father or mother to son or daughter? Of course, if your name is Smith or Diaz, it is not such a big advantage. But if it is Diaz de la Portilla, Diaz Balart, Bush, Meek, or Kennedy, Shriver, Chafee, Murkowski or Sununu, Taft, Udall, Romney, Rockefeller or Harriman; that's another story. Is it happening more frequently these days, or, is it just my imagination?