世襲政治家 アメリカの名門家系

チェイニー元副大統領の長女エリザベスさんがワイオミング州の上院議員に立候補を表明しました。（同性愛者をカミングアウトしていのは次女のメアリーさんだそうです）。先週のTimeでは現職候補の言葉が紹介されていましたが、今週は名門政治家一家という視点からの記事がありました。個人的には下記の写真ではwwouldとタイポの方が気になってしまいました（笑）




ケネディさんが駐日大使になったこともあり、我々日本人にとっても興味深い話題かもしれません。In the past six presidential elections, four candidates for President--Mitt Romney, George W. Bush, Al Gore and George H.W. Bush--were children of prominent political figuresとあるようにアメリカでも日本の世襲議員と状況はあまり変わらないようです。（政治が機能していないことも似ていますが（汗））

Political Dynasties Return
Never mind the U.S. Constitution's prohibition on American political royalty. Family dynasties still rule
By Zeke Miller Monday, Aug. 05, 2013

2000語ない記事ですので、これくらいの長さは一息で読めるようになって欲しいです。

Words checked = [1814]
Words in Oxford 3000™ = [83%]

アメリカの名門政治家と現在の世襲議員の多さに触れているところです。

As a result, the Cheney candidacy is shaping up as the latest test of dynastic power in American politics. And the odds are not exactly against her. The U.S. Constitution reads clearly, "No title of nobility shall be granted by the United States," but in a nation that forswore kings, the people have long shown a demonstrable preference for princes and princesses. Legacy candidates have dotted the American political landscape for centuries with names like Adams, Harrison, Taft, Long, Lodge and Kennedy. Even modern political history can be drawn in family trees: the Bayhs of Indiana, the Browns of California, the DeWines of Ohio, the Landrieus of Louisiana, the Pryors of Arkansas and the Udalls, a family with current elected leaders in Colorado, New Mexico and Oregon.

In 2008, when Barack Obama came from nowhere to defeat the Clinton family, there was reason to believe that dynasties were moving out of favor. But Obama proved to be the exception, not the rule. In the past six presidential elections, four candidates for President--Mitt Romney, George W. Bush, Al Gore and George H.W. Bush--were children of prominent political figures. A fifth, John McCain, was the son and grandson of four-star Navy admirals. And 2016 could well turn out to be a battle between former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, 24 years after her husband became President, and former Florida governor Jeb Bush--the son and brother of Presidents. Senator Rand Paul, son of three-time presidential candidate and former Representative Ron Paul, is a likely contender on the Republican side, and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, son of former governor Mario Cuomo, could seek the Democratic nomination if Clinton decides against running. On July 24, Obama announced his intent to nominate Caroline Kennedy, the daughter of President John F. Kennedy, as the next U.S. ambassador to Japan. "After a good dose of fresh faces for hope and change, I think the pendulum may be swinging back to a greater voter appetite for continuity and experience," said Mark McKinnon, a strategist for the 2000 and 2004 Bush presidential campaigns.

大物議員の家系は、名前が売れているだけでなく、小さい頃から政治に触れてきたという経験の違いも大きいと指摘しています。

Heredity can act as a handy shortcut around the high barriers to entry of the modern campaign. The financial costs of running a ground operation, hiring consultants and airing television ads have skyrocketed. The increasingly celebritized nature of politics has turned politicians' families into stories in their own right. And the advantage of name recognition may be surpassed only by the political networks of high-powered supporters that come with it. There is also the advantage of experience. These candidates start young, dragged to county fairs and Fourth of July parades from their earliest years, and grow up knocking on doors and passing out yard signs. "From someone who had to walk in my first parade at 4 and had to go door to door with my mother, you either completely embrace it or completely shy away from it," said Wyoming-based political consultant Bill Novotny III, the son of a county clerk.

この記事では、名門の出身はスタート地点が有利になるだけで、人物の本質がこれから問われるというもっともな指摘で終わっていますが、果たしてどうなるでしょうか。来年の選挙まで注目されそうです。