Pelosi lambasted for endorsement of JFK's inexperienced grandson for congressional seat

Atlantic writer Jonathan Chait implored in a new article that the Democratic Party should not rally around another member of the Kennedy family after former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi endorsed John F. Kennedy's controversial grandson.

Political novice 33-year-old Jack Schlossberg is running in the crowded Democratic primary for New York's 12th Congressional District — which comprises Manhattan's Upper West Side, Upper East Side and Morningside Heights, among other areas.

Schlossberg recently shared an endorsement letter from Pelosi in an Instagram post in which he called Pelosi the "backbone of the Democratic Party." In the letter, Pelosi said, "This moment calls for leaders who understand the stakes and how to deliver for the people they serve." 

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Jack Schlossberg, grandson of President John F. Kennedy, speaks on Day 2 of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., August 20, 2024. (Reuters/Elizabeth Frantz)

"How that describes Schlossberg, a 33-year-old social-media personality, is difficult to understand," Chait responded in his op-ed. "As a Kennedy, Schlossberg has been a lifelong celebrity in the traditional definition of the word—a person who is famous for being famous."

"To suggest that he has failed upward would give him too much credit because failing requires having been entrusted with some responsibility in the first place," Chait added, calling Pelosi "normally shrewd" before ridiculing her choice.

Chait also mocked Schlossberg’s past writings after a brief stint as a Vogue "political correspondent" and alluded to his "edgy" social media postings, which have included bizarre videos like one where he mused about having a baby with Usha Vance.

"Schlossberg now stands a plausible, perhaps strong, chance of winning the Democratic primary (and thus the general election)." He suggested that "by virtue of his attention-grabbing lineage and Pelosi’s endorsement, [he] now has a giant advantage over a long list of genuinely accomplished rivals." 

Also running in the race are ex-Republican George Conway, state lawmaker Micah Lasher and school shooting survivor and advocate Cameron Kasky. 

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Jack Schlossberg, grandson of President John F. Kennedy, takes a photo as then-U.S. President Joe Biden departs for Michigan from the South Lawn of the White House in Washington on Sept. 6, 2024. (Annabelle Gordon/Reuters)

Even so, Chait argued that while there may be a few Kennedys seen as martyrs on the national stage, many of their lineages have been controversial to the point that "if you had to pick as your member of Congress a Kennedy male or a random person living in the district, you’re probably safer with the latter."

"The trouble is that although Democrats like Pelosi apparently continue to see membership in the Kennedy clan, symbolized by the martyred president and his would-have-been-president brother, as a positive signal of judgment and reliability, it is in fact a strongly negative one," he wrote.

Chait mocked what he called "affirmative action" in the Democratic Party in the aftermath of the assassinations of John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy in the 1960s that inspired fruitless searches for worthy heirs to Camelot. 

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"No Kings" protests have filled the streets amid President Trump's second term in office. (Ringo Chiu/AFP via Getty Images)

Chait argued it was ironic that Democrats rally around the idea of "No Kings" and yet appear to continually try to rally around a specific lineage descended from a former leader.

"The Democratic Party is divided between a wing that holds ‘No Kings’ rallies and a wing that holds anti-oligarchy rallies," he said. "Perhaps one thing both can agree on is that the party doesn’t need its own royal family."

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Both Chait and Schlossberg do have one thing in common: disdain for the latter's cousin, Robert F. Kennedy Jr, the Trump administration's Health and Human Services secretary.