Question

If Ted Kennedy were to die tomorrow (God forbid), how would that affect Caroline's senatorial prospects? (As John Judis says, the Kennedy dynasty is fundamentally different from other political dynasties in that to some extent the American people feel like they "owe the Kennedy family something for their service" -- a feeling that obviously would be enhanced by any further Kennedy tragedy.) As I've said before, I don't believe the heretofore rather reserved Caroline would have thrown herself into the spotlight as she's done if her uncle were not in very dire condition indeed.

Something else that Caroline has going for her is the fact that no matter what one feels about her, nobody would argue that she is interested in enriching herself through high office. This tends to be true for most American political dynasts (because they generally have plenty of money already, but also because it is easier to picture them as products of a noble and hereditary ideal of public service, rather than of blind ambition or greed), but especially for the Kennedy clan. At the current juncture of Blago/Madoff media saturation, a candidate of extreme personal wealth (e.g. Bloomberg - has he been mentioned for Hillary's replacement?) or a noble pedigree forged in blood, or both, becomes a very attractive candidate.