Quite a few people, including Gerry Ferraro are questioning whether Caroline Kennedy is ready for the Senate.  That doesn’t matter if Democratic Gov. David Paterson decides to pick her. Of course it will matter a great deal to Caroline Kennedy if she’s not ready and not tough enough and gets battered, bruised and virtually eaten alive by the wily, battle scarred old political pros and the hungry, aggressive press hounding her every move and particularly any missteps. Instead of launching a political career, she might be short circuiting one, by not going through the normal testing period of campaigning among the people, honing her skills and toughening her hide along the way.

David Gergen pointed out, on CNN that people said the same thing about Ted Kennedy when he was running for his first election. I remember he was particularly pained and I believe even teared up when someone said if his name were Edward Moore, instead of Edward Moore Kennedy, his candidacy would be a joke and he would be a laughing stock. And the fact is, he wasn’t ready.  He’s spent decades in the Senate now.  And at some point he became ready.  Then he went on to become an outstanding senator. But there’s no denying there’s a learning curve in political office.  Even Bobby Kennedy, who spent his adult life as JFK‘s political operative had an emotional learning curve to go through.  He went from being a political tough guy, poking his finger in other polls’ chests and telling them they would do what he wanted for his brother.  As he grew in office he began to show a softer more thoughtful side, transforming himself into the presidential advisor who counseled against a preemptive bombing of Cuba in the Missile crisis as “Pearl Harbor in reverse. As he traveled through Harlem and the Appalachian mountains, he began to identify  deeply with the poverty stricken and disadvantaged families and communities.

The problem for New Yorkers is that we are in a financial crisis now.  New York is our country’s prime target for terrorists now.  Some question if it’s wise to give an inexperienced candidate time to grow in office rather than pick an experienced legislator who can hit the ground running.

In CAROLINE SLAP – New York Post, Geraldine Ferraro gave a thumbs down to Caroline Kennedy’s bid for the Senate yesterday – even as the Camelot daughter won her biggest endorsement for the job….

Ferraro, the first woman nominee for vice president, sent a letter to Gov. Paterson urging him to instead appoint one of New York’s six sitting female Congress members to replace Hillary Rodham Clinton in the Senate.

At the same time, Brooklyn Democratic Party head Vito Lopez, who leads the biggest county party in the city, issued the first formal endorsement for Kennedy.

Ferraro said it’s not time for on-the-job training while New York faces a fiscal crisis.

“You can’t send someone down there who doesn’t know the issues,” Ferraro told The Post. “If you send someone down there who doesn’t know the legislative process, they’ll get chewed up alive.”

“Our senator should be ready on Day 1,” added Ferraro. “Just knowing people down there [in Washington, DC]? It’s just not enough.”

Meanwhile, a top adviser to a Kennedy rival seized on news that Kennedy didn’t vote in a string of elections, mostly primary races.

“Not voting is an issue. She comes from a family that prides itself as part of the leadership of the Democratic Party,” said Bill Lynch, an adviser for Rep. Carolyn Maloney, who’s angling for Clinton’s seat.

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