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Kathleen
Kennedy Townsend, two-term lieutenant governor of Maryland and Robert
Kennedy’s oldest daughter, is one of two women seriously mentioned as
Al Gore’s running mate.
When
her uncle, John F. Kennedy, was assassinated, Kathleen Kennedy Townsend’s
father wrote her a letter that now hangs on the wall in her home. “Be
kind and work for your country,” Robert Kennedy wrote, “As the eldest
of the Kennedy children you have a special responsibility now.” It appears
Townsend has taken her father’s words to heart.
Though
Townsend’s politics have always been more progressive and her signature
issues very different from those dominating the more centrist Democratic
party of Bill Clinton
and Al Gore, she just might be Gore’s ticket into the White House.
Townsend’s
View of Life
Kathleen Kennedy Townsend was born July 4, 1951, at 10:00 pm in Greenwich,
Connecticut, when the progressive and social sign of Aquarius was on the
Ascendant. Her view of life is colored by a heightened sense of her social
role as an individual. From the Aquarian perspective, it is inappropriate
to conduct life solely for the purpose of bolstering personal security
and power—something larger than the individual must to be considered.
It is Townsend’s natural inclination to act in accordance with what she
feels supports and improves the condition of mankind as a whole.
Additionally
Uranus, the planet most associated with Aquarius, is conjunct her Cancer
Sun, revealing an individualist (Sun-Uranus conjunction) who is (Sun)
electrified (Uranus) by her hope and her vision of a new future (Uranus).
The
prevailing theme of her politics is civil engagement. During her political
career she has promoted character education in schools and led a crusade
to make community service a requirement for high school graduation. She
talks of politics as a means of “unleashing the enormous power that exists
in each person to make a contribution.”
Echoing
her uncle John, Townsend’s politics “ask not what your country can do
for you, but what you can do for your country.”
Gore’s
View of Life
Gore’s view is almost 180 degrees removed from that of Townsend. Gore
has Leo on the Ascendant. His view of life is far more personal. Gore
is not so much focused on the betterment of mankind as on his own need
to be seen as a special individual. Gore’s instincts are to listen to
the pollsters, reinvent himself daily and act in accordance with what
might garner the most votes.
The
addition of Townsend to the Democratic ticket would spark interplay between
these two opposing views. Townsend’s authenticity
would broaden Gore’s perspective and promote a more enlightened social
agenda for the Democratic party.
The
Nation’s Nurturer
Townsend
has five planets in Cancer (Mars, Uranus, Sun, Moon and Mercury). You
could say her primary mission in life is to take care of people. Dominated
by Cancer energy, Townsend is rooted in the habits and traditions of her
heritage. But hers is an unusual heritage. The Kennedys are instilled
with a dedication to family, country and public service. Their politics
have always been progressive and focused on the disadvantaged members
of our society.
With
her Moon (emotions) in Cancer, the sign of deep, heartfelt connections,
Townsend lives in a world of feelings and easily connects to and is touched
by the emotions of others. This is quite different from Gore, whose Moon
is in Capricorn, a sign that manages and controls. Capricorn is the sign
opposite Cancer. It flattens Gore’s emotional response, and he appears
stoic, unaffected and out of touch with the needs of the general public.
Once again, what Gore lacks, Townsend could offer. She would offset Gore’s
stiffness with her soft sensitivity and connect him to the feelings of
the people.
The
Nation’s Alpha Male
Gore
wants to be the leader, which is appropriate for a man with an Aries Sun,
since fiery Aries is the first sign of the zodiac. And though his Aries
Sun certainly indicates the potential to be a pioneering visionary and
lead America and the world into the new millennium, it appears he has,
for the most part, been unable to actualize the potential
revealed in his chart. Once again, Kathleen Townsend could
compensate. She has expansive, optimistic Jupiter in Aries, very close
to the same degree as Gore’s Aries Sun, indicating her presence would
stimulate and expand Gore’s Aries boldness, vision and pioneering spirit,
and perhaps pull him out of the quagmire of political traditions and rhetoric
that continue to bog him down.
Will
Opposites Attract?
Gore
says he has two requirements of his running mate. Number one: The candidate
would be able to assume the presidency. Number two: The president and
vice president should be able to get along. Astrology reveals that while
Townsend would compensate for many of Gore’s weaknesses and instill him
with the confidence to to embrace his Aries Sun and bring much-needed
freshness to the White House, she and Gore will likely disagree on issues.
But their ability to present each other with or challenging
views can only serve to create a leadership that would better serve the
needs of the entire country.
As
each political party panders to the middle, it is becoming increasingly
difficult to find any real differences between Republicans and Democrats.
Kathleen Kennedy Townsend is a refreshing voice that echoes the vision
of Camelot and should appeal to the untapped idealism of young voters,
as well as to those of us who still remember that utopian dream.
As
for her ability to be president, the art of politics and the vision of
Camelot live on in her blood and in her horoscope.
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