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Nepotism is favoritism granted to relatives regardless of merit.^[1] The word nepotism is from the Latin word nepos, nepotis (m. "nephew"), from which modern Romanian nepot and Italian nipote, "nephew" or "grandchild" are also descended.

Types of nepotism[link]

Nepotism gained its name after the church practice in the Middle Ages, when some Catholic popes and bishops, who had taken vows of chastity, and therefore usually had no children of their own, gave their nephews such positions of preference as were often accorded by fathers to son.^[2]

Several popes elevated nephews and other relatives to the cardinalate. Often, such appointments were a means of continuing a papal "dynasty."

For instance, Pope Callixtus III, head of the Borgia family, made two of his nephews cardinals; one of them, Rodrigo, later used his position as a cardinal as a stepping stone to the papacy, becoming Pope Alexander VI.^[3] Alexander then elevated Alessandro Farnese, his mistress's brother, to cardinal; Farnese would later go on to become Pope Paul III.^[4]

Paul also engaged in nepotism, appointing, for instance, two nephews, aged 14 and 16, as cardinals. The practice was finally ended when Pope Innocent XII issued the bull Romanum decet Pontificem, in 1692.^[2] The papal bull prohibited popes in all times from bestowing estates, offices, or revenues on any relative, with the exception that one qualified relative (at most) could be made a cardinal.

Coincidentally, the Church of the East from the 16th to the 19th centuries made the Patriarch a hereditary title, being passed down from Patriarch-uncle to nephew; however, this move was initiated in the face of Timur's destruction of Nestorian Monasteries throughout Asia (monks being the key source of priests and patriarchs for the Church), in an attempt to guarantee the existence of a patriarch. This proved to be a catalyst for the schism that exists today between Chaldean Catholics and Assyrian "Nestorians."^{[citation needed]}

Political[link]

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October 2009)

Nepotism is a common accusation in politics when the relative of a powerful figure ascends to similar power seemingly without appropriate qualifications. The British English expression "Bob's your uncle" is thought to have originated when Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury, promoted his nephew, Arthur Balfour, to the esteemed post of Chief Secretary for Ireland in what was widely seen as an act of nepotism.^{[citation needed]}

Australia[link]

• Anna Bligh, who won the 2009 Queensland State election, has been accused of nepotism by giving her husband Greg Withers a position in the bureaucracy.^[5]

Belgium[link]

Over the past decade, criticism has been growing over the creation of political dynasties in Belgium, in which all of the traditional political parties have been involved. This phenomenon has been explained by the fact that prominent party members control the ranking of candidates on party lists for elections and a candidate's place on a list determines whether or not he or she is elected. Another justification for the phenomenon is the importance of name recognition for collecting votes.^[6]

• Jean-Jacques De Gucht, the son of former minister and current European Commissioner for Trade Policy Karel De Gucht, was placed at the top of the electoral list for the Flemish Liberals in the 2007 federal elections for the East Flanders region and subsequently appointed to the Senate at age 27.^[7]
• Freya Van den Bossche, the daughter of former minister Luc Van den Bossche, a member of the Flemish socialists, was, at age 28, appointed the youngest minister in Belgian history.^[8]
• Melchior Wathelet, Jr., the son of Melchior Wathelet, Sr. who was minister in several Belgian and Walloon governments and the mayor of Verviers, is currently the junior minister of budget, asylum and immigration, and family policy, and became, at age 26, the leader of the French-speaking Christian Democract fraction in the Belgian parliament.^[9]
• Bruno Tobback, the son of former minister and mayor of Leuven Louis Tobback, a member of the Flemish socialists, became the Belgian federal government's minister for the environment at 34. In 2011, he succeeded Caroline Gennez as head of the Flemish socialist party, SPA.
• Mathias De Clerq is the grandson of former minister Willy De Clercq.^[10]
• Alexander De Croo, the son of former speaker of the Belgian parliament Herman De Croo, ran for the leadership of his father's party Open VLD at age 33.^[11]
• Finally there is the example of Maya Detiège, the daughter of former mayor of Antwerp Leona Detiège, who herself is the daughter of the former mayor of Antwerp Frans Detiège.^[6]

France[link]

This article is outdated. Please update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. Please see the talk page for more information. (November 2010)

• In October 2009, Jean Sarkozy was poised to become EPAD's director despite lacking a diploma and professional experience.^[12] To his credit, he broke rank from supporting his father's protégé in Neuilly-sur-Seine, the town for which Sarkozy served as mayor, and joined another party's ticket and was voted regional councillor of Neuilly-sur-Seine.
• Pierre Sarkozy, first son of President Nicolas Sarkozy, asked SCPP for a financial help in September 2009 of around €10000 towards an (€80000) artistic project. Because he was not a SCPP member, the request was automatically rejected. Sarkozy then went to the Élysée which lead to an Élysée counsel contacting the SCPP, and SCPP president Marc Guez assuring the issue would soon be favorably resolved.^[13][14] According to Abeille Music president and SCPP member Yves Riesel, however, this would not happen as SCPP's financial help has been restricted to members only for months.^[15]

Romania[link]

• Elena Băsescu, the daughter of President Traian Băsescu, was elected in 2009 to the European Parliament, despite the fact the she had no significant professional or political experience. Although an independent candidate, her candidacy was supported by the staff of the Democrat-Liberal Party (PD-L), her father's party. Elena Udrea, a key member of PD-L, "donated" the campaign headquarters and Monica Iacob Ridzi, the Minister of Sports, openly spent government money to help Elena Băsescu achieve candidacy.^[16]

Northern Ireland[link]

Many Northern Irish politicians employ family members. In 2008, 19 elected politicians of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) directly employed family members and relatives constituted 27 of its 136 staff.^[17]

Spain[link]

There is Juan Antonio Samaranch, president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) from 1980 to 2001: his son, Juan Antonio Samaranch Salisachs, has been a member of the International Olympic Committee since 2001, while his daughter, Maria Teresa Samaranch Salisachs, has been president of the Spanish Federation of Sports on Ice since 2005.^[18] In Spanish Colonial America, the offices were bought with money or due to nepotism or influences more than merit.

Sri Lanka[link]

Mahinda Rajapaksa has been accused of nepotism, appointing three brothers to run important ministries and other political positions for relatives, regardless of their merit. Rajapaksa holding the offices of he ministries of Defence finance, defence, ports and aviation, highways and road development public works. This includes his brother Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, who was given the post of Defence Secretary, without holding any elections for the post. He also controls the armed forces, the police and the Coast Guard, he is in charge of immigration and emigration. Rajapaksa appointed his brothers Basil Rajapaksa as minister of Economic Development. His oldest brother Chamal Rajapaksa is also the current Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka, and has held many other posts before. Together, the brothers Rajapakse control over 70% of Sri Lanka's budget.Mahinda Rajapaksa's eldest son Namal Rajapasa also a member of the parliament and hold undisclosed portfolios.he is controling all the ministers except Defence.powerful^[19][20]

Others includes his nephew, Shashindra Rajapaksa, who is the Chief minister of Uva. His cousins the Sri Lanka's ambassador to the United States, Jaliya Wickramasuriya as well as Udayanga Weeratunga, who is the ambassador to Russia. Dozens of nephews, nieces, cousins and in-laws have also been appointed as heads of banks, boards and corporations.^[20]nepotism has been taken to new heights by President Rajapaksa.

Venezuela[link]

President Hugo Chávez^{[citation needed]} and Cilia Flores, president of the Venezuela National Assembly, are also known for their hand in getting family members into government positions. Flores managed to place relatives in as many as nine permanent positions at the National Assembly: three siblings, two nephews, a cousin, the mother of that cousin, her mother-in-law, and an aunt.^{[21][citation needed]}

United Kingdom[link]

• In February 2010, Sir Christopher Kelly, chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, said that more than 200 MPs used Parliamentary allowances to employ their own relatives in a variety of office roles. He suggested that the practice should be banned.^[22]
• In 2005 Councillor Ann Reid of York arranged for all nine sets of traffic lights on her daughter Hannah's route through York to be switched to green for the five-car convoy. As a result, the wedding party took only 10 minutes to pass through the city.^[23]
• The members of the House of Lords traditionally inherited their seats from their fathers. Following the enactment of the House of Lords Act 1999, all but 92 of the hereditary peers lost their right to sit in the upper chamber. As the remaining 92 hereditary peers die their seat in the House of Lords will not be passed on to their descendants (although they will still inherit the title).
• North Yorkshire Police's Chief Constable Grahame Maxwell was disciplined by the IPCC in 2011, but refused to resign, after admitting that he assisted a relative through the first stages of a recruitment process ^[24]
• Members or the Royal Family and people associated with them, have always enjoyed legal privileges. For example; unlike any other political body, they are exempt from some parts of the Freedom of Information Act. Members of the Royal family, such as Prince Andrew hold senior positions in government simply because they are members of the Royal Family. Merit, and their ability to execute the job to a satisfacory standard are not considered.

United States[link]

• Around 30 family members or relatives of President Ulysses S. Grant prospered financially in some way from either government appointments or employment.^[25]

In entertainment[link]

Outside of national politics, accusations of "nepotism" are made in instances of prima facie favoritism to relatives, in such cases as:

• Peaches Geldof's role as magazine editor in an MTV reality show - produced by a company owned by her father Bob Geldof.^[26] In a sketch of The Kevin Bishop Show, which frequently has less-than-flattering fake perfume adverts for celebrities, there was one for Peaches Geldof: "Nepotism, the smell of Peaches Geldof." Before this, a mock voice said "I'm a fashion model, a TV presenter, and I'm a journalist as well .... Did I mention my dad's Bob Geldof?"^{[citation needed]}
• Hollywood's The Coppola family includes many distinguished filmmakers and actors. The careers of Sofia Coppola, Nicolas Cage and Jason Schwartzman have been attributed to aid by director Francis Ford Coppola who cast his daughter Sofia in The Godfather Part III.^[27][28] Cage changed his last name in order to distance himself from such charges.^[29]

In business[link]

• One-time Guardian contributor Max Gogarty has also been accused of taking advantage of family connections to achieve success disproportionate to his ability; his father Paul Gogarty is a frequent travel writer for the newspaper.^[30]

See also[link]

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• "American Calendar" in American Quarterly 25.4 (Oct. 1973): 493-96.
• "Nepotism: is it back?" New Statesman, Sept. 29, 2003.

External links[link]

Look up nepotism in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Nepotism

• Hollywoodnepotism.net
• Booknotes interview with Adam Bellow on In Praise of Nepotism: A Natural History, August 24, 2003.

Meghan McCain
McCain at the 2011 Time 100 gala
Born	Meghan Marguerite McCain (1984-10-23) October 23, 1984 (age 27) Phoenix, Arizona
Nationality	American
Alma mater	Columbia University
Occupation	Columnist at The Daily Beast
Known for	Daughter of U.S. Senator John McCain, blogger, author of My Dad, John McCain and Dirty Sexy Politics
Political party	Republican [1]
Parents	John McCain Cindy Hensley McCain
Website
McCain Blogette Meghan McCain at the Daily Beast

Meghan Marguerite McCain (born October 23, 1984)^[2] is an American columnist, author and blogger.^[3][4] She is a daughter of U.S. Senator John McCain and Cindy Hensley McCain. McCain first received media attention in 2007 for her blog, McCain Blogette, on which she documented life on the campaign trail and mused about fashion, music, and pop culture. In 2009, she became a contributing author for The Daily Beast,^[5] and in 2011, began appearing as a contributor on MSNBC.^[6]

Early life[link]

Meghan McCain at the 1992 christening of USS John S. McCain, second from right, with her father John, grandmother Roberta, brother Jack, and mother Cindy

McCain is the oldest of the four children of John and Cindy Hensley McCain.^[3] She has been a public figure for most of her life, appearing at the 1996 Republican National Convention.^[7]

She was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, and attended Phoenix Country Day School and Xavier College Preparatory, an all-girl Catholic high school. She attended Columbia University, where she earned her bachelor's degree in art history. McCain originally planned to become a music journalist and interned at Newsweek and Saturday Night Live.^[8]

Political positions[link]

McCain says that she is "a woman who despises labels and boxes and stereotypes."^[9] McCain also has described herself as a Republican who is "liberal on social issues".^[3][8] She registered as an Independent when she was 18 years old^[1] and she voted for John Kerry in the 2004 presidential election.^[8] She agrees with her father's positions on global warming and stem-cell research.^[3] At first she had doubts about the 2003 invasion of Iraq but subsequently supported her father's position regarding it.^[3] She has stated she is pro-life,^[9] in favor of sex education and birth control.^[10] She has chastised conservatives for hypocrisy regarding abortion: "They go on and on about how evil and wrong abortion is, but don't like to talk about how easy it is to not get pregnant."^[11]

McCain objected to the Arizona SB1070 anti-illegal immigration law, which her father supported.^[12]

She has commented that the cause of the gay community for equality is "one of the ones closest to my heart". As such, she spoke at the Log Cabin Republicans convention in April 2009.^[9] There she encapsulated her cultural and political perspectives with the declaration: "I am concerned about the environment. I love to wear black. I think government is best when it stays out of people's lives and business as much as possible. I love punk rock. I believe in a strong national defense. I have a tattoo. I believe government should always be efficient and accountable. I have lots of gay friends. And, yes, I am a Republican."^[13] She supports same-sex marriage and gay adoption.^[9] In June 2009, McCain posed for the NOH8 Campaign, a celebrity photo project that protests California's Proposition 8 constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, which her mother Cindy also posed for.^[14] She was in favor of repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell and allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly in the U.S. military.^[15]

In terms of economic policy, she has remarked on The Rachel Maddow Show that "I didn't even take Econ[omics] in college. I don't completely understand it so I'd hate to make a comment one way or the other. That's – truly of all the things – I keep reading and I just don't understand it."^[16]

2008 presidential election[link]

McCain, far right, with her family and Sarah Palin's family during her father's announcement of Palin as his running mate, September 2008

On June 12, 2008, McCain wrote on her blog that she had changed her party registration to Republican.^[1] She said she did so "as a symbol of my commitment to my Dad and to represent the faith I have in his ability to be an effective leader for our country and to grow and strengthen the Republican party when he is elected President of the United States."^[1] In her book, Dirty Sexy Politics, McCain talks about how she nearly overdosed on Xanax on the day of the elections.^[17]

In 2008, she published a book titled My Dad, John McCain. In an interview on Larry King Live in September 2008, McCain stated that she has been too busy to have a romantic relationship while on her father's campaign trail. Although her blogging was devoted towards gaining support for her father among the Generation Z electorate, by October, Steve Schmidt and other McCain campaign staffers had substantially limited her appearances on the campaign, deeming her "too controversial".^[18]

Subsequent career[link]

Meghan McCain in 2009 at UC Berkeley

McCain is currently a blogger,^[3][4] and began writing for The Daily Beast in January 2009.^[5]

In March 2009, McCain wrote an article for The Daily Beast titled My Beef With Ann Coulter. In this article, she questioned Republican support for conservative author and columnist Ann Coulter.^[19] While Coulter did not respond, conservative radio talk show host Laura Ingraham challenged McCain's article by comparing her to a "Valley Girl." Ingraham also mocked McCain, stating, "Ok, I was really hoping that I was going to get that role in The Real World, but then I realized that, well, they don't like plus-sized models."^[20] McCain responded to Ingraham in a second article for The Daily Beast titled, Quit Talking About My Weight, Laura Ingraham stating, "Instead of intellectually debating our ideological differences about the future of the Republican Party, Ingraham resorted to making fun of my age and weight, in the fashion of the mean girls in high school."^[21] McCain also stated on The View that she thought the change in discourse towards her body was "terrible" and further argued: "When Tyra Banks went on her show in a bathing suit and said 'kiss my fat ass,' that's what I feel like. Kiss my fat ass!"^[22] Ingraham responded by calling McCain a "useful idiot."^[23] During a later interview on Larry King Live, McCain said that as far as she is concerned, "with what's going on with Laura Ingraham, on my end, it's over." She also told King that Coulter never responded to her article, which she stated, "is fine with me. ... All I wanted to do is show women that you don't have to be Ann Coulter and Laura Ingraham to have a place in the Republican Party. ... Supriya Jindal is a good role model, but a lot of people hadn't heard of her."^[24]

In April 2009, she signed a six-figure book deal with Hyperion.^[25] Some 18,000 people were following her on Twitter.^[25] She described her aims in this way: "All I am trying to be is a young, cool Republican woman for other Republican women."^[25] The Politico stated that while John McCain did not emerge from the 2008 election victorious, "his Bud Light-drinking, talk-show-appearing, insouciantly Twittering 24-year-old daughter" did.^[25] Speaking at the 2009 Log Cabin Republican Convention, McCain said there was "a war brewing in the Republican Party" between the past and the future, and that "Most of the old school Republicans are scared shitless of that future."^[13] She followed that by saying her enjoyment of Twitter was diminished by the presence of top Republican strategist Karl Rove, saying "I can't shake the fact that Karl Rove is following me – it can be creepy" and "We need to take Twitter back from the creepy people."^[26]

Statements such as these led news reports and commentators including Rachel Maddow and Kathleen Parker to conclude that McCain had the same "maverick gene" as her father.^[27][28][29] Following the April 2009 party switch by Senator Arlen Specter from Republican to Democratic, conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh suggested that many Republicans wished both John McCain and Meghan McCain would leave too.^[30] Meghan McCain's tweet in response was, "RED TIL I'M DEAD BABY!!! I love the republican party enough to give it constructive criticism, I love my party and sure as hell not leavin!"^[30] On a May 2009 episode of the Colbert Report, she stated her support for sex education and criticized Bristol Palin's sexual abstinence campaign, saying it was "not realistic for this generation". McCain also stated her own desires for the Republican Party: "It can be a party for a 24-year-old pro-sex woman. It can be."^[31] After John McCain campaign fixture Joe the Plumber made some anti-gay remarks (saying he would not have “queers ... anywhere near my children”) in mid-2009, Meghan McCain took aim at him, saying "Joe the Plumber – you can quote me – is a dumbass. He should stick to plumbing."^[32] In September 2009 and February 2010, McCain had repeat stints as guest co-host of The View.^[15][33] In September 2010, she appeared on the NPR news quiz show Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me and won a prize for a listener.^[34]

Her campaign memoir, Dirty Sexy Politics, was published in September 2010. In it she finally unleashes her feelings about Sarah Palin and describes the ups and downs she experienced with the McCain campaign staff. She states that the Republican Party seemed "to have lost its way in the last ten years",^[35] that the conservative movement seemed "hell-bent on restricting our freedoms rather than expanding them",^[36] and that within the Republican Party, she felt a certain stress to take over the ideas of others, like Mitt Romney, especially regarding same-sex marriage, which was a danger for the existence of the party.^[37] The book also serves as a coming-of-age narrative about herself.^[18][38] However, other reviews were more scathing. Leon H. Wolf wrote "It is impossible to read Dirty, Sexy Politics and come away with the impression that you have read anything other than the completely unedited ramblings of an idiot."^[39] During the promotional tour for the book, McCain cancelled an appearance at Juniata College due to what she called, "unforeseen professional circumstances". However, according to her Twitter, she was actually in Las Vegas on a girl's weekend, as she got over a boyfriend ending their relationship via e-mail.^[40]

McCain has been lampooned and criticized by the political blogosphere. In September 2011, her lawyers asked RedState to take down posts that were parodying her commentary, as they made her appear buffoonish and arrogant.^[41] In November 2011, McCain became an analyst on MSNBC, and immediately got into a back-and-forth with 2012 Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich.^[6][42] In commentary on this, Gawker referred to her as "noted idiot Meghan McCain" and observed of her first outing that "she 'bets [her] career' that Newt Gingrich won't win the GOP nomination. What career."^[43]

A month-long road trip with comedian Michael Ian Black in the summer of 2011 led to a collaboration on the 2012 book, America, You Sexy Bitch: A Love Letter to Freedom.^[44] In it, McCain lambasts Republican strategist Karl Rove for what she believed was his role in the attacks against her younger sister in her father's 2000 presidential campaign, castigates Bill Clinton for his actions in the Lewinsky scandal, but despite ideological differences praises Hillary Clinton for having "pushed through many doors and shattered many glass ceilings for women in politics. I love women who don’t put up with shit, and Hillary clearly doesn’t."^[44]

Writings[link]

• McCain, Meghan (2008), My Dad, John McCain, Aladdin Paperbacks. ISBN 1-4169-7528-4
• McCain, Meghan (2010), Dirty Sexy Politics, Hyperion. ISBN 1-4013-2377-4

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Meghan McCain

• McCain Blogette
• Meghan McCain on Twitter
• Meghan McCain's channel on YouTube
• Column archives at The Daily Beast
• Appearances on C-SPAN
• Meghan McCain at the Internet Movie Database
• Works by or about Meghan McCain in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
• Meghan McCain collected news and commentary at The New York Times