- Despite endorsing Obama in 2008, JFK’s daughter Caroline now considers Obama a “liar,” according to a family source in Edward Klein’s new book on Obama called “The Amateur.”
- Caroline’s past support for Obama, which was mirrored by the late Sen. Ted Kennedy, caused a riff in the family. In fact, Klein writes of an incident where Bobby Kennedy Jr. got in his uncle Ted‘s face over Ted’s support for the president.
- Some of the Kennedys’ diminishing support for the president is due to the Obamas snubbing several members of the Kennedy family on multiple occasions — one that sent Ethel Kennedy on a furniture-turning rant.
- But despite the tension, both families know the Kennedys have no one else to support, and that “really pisses [Caroline] off.”
Back in 2008, Caroline Kennedy — the only surviving child of former President John F. Kennedy — delivered a rousing endorsement of Barack Obama. “I have never had a president who inspired me the way people tell me that my father inspired them,” she wrote in the New York Times back then. “But for the first time, I believe I have found the man who could be that president — not just for me, but for a new generation of Americans.”
But if you believe the explosive new book on Obama by Edward Klein, “The Amateur,” that sentiment has given way to pure animosity.
According to the book, the Kennedys used to be split about their support for Obama. The case for him was championed by the late Senator Ted Kennedy along with Caroline. Those opposed, and who supported Hillary Clinton, included Robert Kennedy Jr. (Bobby), son of the former Attorney General, and his sisters — Kathleen Kennedy Townsend and Kerry Kennedy
“There had always been tensions at Kennedy family gatherings — fist fights and overturned tables were not unheard of — and this event was no exception,” Klein writes in an advanced copy obtained by The Blaze. That “event” was a meeting in 2009, which featured a who’s who in the Kennedy family, including Ted. The family figurehead, a family source tells Klein, tried to propose a toast to Obama twice, and Caroline joined in. But not everyone was happy about it: the night included a finger-pointing argument between Bobby and Ted, and Bobby even got so angry he broke his fluted glass after squeezing it too hard.
That scene is significant if only for its juxtaposition with what’s happening now: the Kennedy family’s support, Klein writes, isn’t as pronounced now. Caroline, for example, has undergone a transformation after several snubbings by the Obamas. One in particular — where a vacationing Obama refused to meet with her despite her home being in the vicinity near Martha’s Vineyard — “had turned into an insult.”
Klein then quotes a family member who notes the transformation:
“Through these [spies that the Kennedy family has in the Obama administration] and other people, Caroline heard back that there was a lot of nasty shit being said about the Kennedys by the president and Michelle,” the family member continued. “There were catty remarks about how badly the Kennedy women dressed, and how their houses were shabby and threadbare. Caroline got the impression that most of this negativity was coming from Michelle, who didn’t want the Kennedys to be part of the administration for fear that they would have too much influence over the president.”
That same family member continues in the book:
“Gradually, Caroline began to change her tune and side with Bobby and Kathleen [Kennedy Townsend] against the Obamas. Unlike Jackie, who was completely a-political, Caroline is a liberal with a capital L. When Obama didn’t raise taxes to balance the budget, Caroline marked him down. In her eyes, he‘s a mess because he doesn’t follow the liberal bible on politics. More important, Caroline discovered that the Obamas didn’t give a damn about her support. […]
Then comes the money quote:
“It really annoyed Caroline when comparisons were made by the media between Michelle and Jackie. Caroline had a word for such comparisons; she called them ‘odious.’ She really got annoyed. And when she began to fall out of love with the Obamas, love was replaced by outright scorn. Now she says things about Obama like, ‘I can’t stand to hear his voice any more. He’s a liar and worse.’” [Emphasis added]
Ethel Kennedy, “the matriarch of the family,” similarly felt scorned, according to Klein. He tells a story of her invitation — extended to the First Family — being ignored by the Obamas. She got so upset “that she went on a rampage inside her house, cursing the president and turning over furniture.”
And to top it all of, Caroline, the family source tells Klein in the book, believes “that as a loyal Democrat, she has nowhere to go, no one else to possibly support except Obama.”
And guess what: “the Obamas know that she has nowhere else to go, so they see no point in being nice to her.”
That “really pisses her off.”
You can read the entire chapter devoted to the Kennedy-Obama feud in Kleins’s new book, “The Amateur,” which will be released Tuesday.
Obama is probably a very good Golfer since that is all he does … Oh and spend our money free willy nilly!
I don’t believe a word of this.
Like in any barrel of fermentation, the political barrel is no different, the dregs always come to the surface.
Do you seriously think anyone really cares about what you have just written….? this is pure sensationalism and to be honest, pretty boring…sorry thumbs down.
It would be a safe bet this little spat did not effect Obama’s golf score, and I’m sure this little spat was devised to sell books. Actually Obama looks like a petty good golfer, and I would be curious to know what his handicap is? Does anyone know?