During the December 17 edition of MSNBC Live, Politico senior editor Beth Frerking asserted that political family dynasties aren't “anything new,” adding, “But the Republicans right now are making a little noise about it, because, right now, it seems to be Democrats that are focused on this.” However, while Frerking and MSNBC anchor David Shuster mentioned that several incoming Democratic senators and Democrats who could become senators in the future have relatives who have been elected to public office, neither Frerking nor Shuster mentioned that, in the last 10 years, two Republican senators have been appointed to their fathers' Senate seats, including Sen. Lisa Murkowski (AK), who was appointed in 2002 by her father.

Shuster and Frerking were discussing a Politico article headlined, "Nepotism Nation: Dems embrace dynasty politics." During the segment, Shuster cited Democrats “Caroline Kennedy seeking [Sen.] Hillary Clinton's Senate seat, possibly [Vice President-elect] Joe Biden going -- having his son, [Delaware attorney general] Beau, possibly take the Delaware Senate seat. [Sen.] Ken Salazar [CO] could be replaced by his brother Representative John Salazar.” Frerking also mentioned that incoming Democratic Sens. Mark Udall (CO) and Tom Udall (NM) are brothers.

However, like the Politico article they were discussing, neither Shuster nor Frerking noted that Murkowski was preceded by her father, Frank Murkowski, who appointed her to his vacant Senate seat after he was elected governor of Alaska in 2002. Additionally, in 1999, Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Almond (R) appointed former Sen. Lincoln Chafee to fill his father's Senate seat after his death. Moreover, Frerking noted that the Udall brothers had just been elected to the Senate, but did not note that New Hampshire Sen. John E. Sununu (R), son of former New Hampshire governor and former White House chief of staff John H. Sununu, was elected as a senator from New Hampshire in 2002.

From the 9 a.m. ET hour of the December 17 edition MSNBC Live:

TAMRON HALL (anchor): Or the Bushes, the Kennedys, the Clintons -- all names, of course, associated with political families or political dynasties. David Shuster is live in Washington with a look at the dynasty politics -- David.

SHUSTER: It's kind of like the -- the Hall family in broadcasting, Tamron. It's the, you know, one of those sort of dynasties that we keep talking about. In any case, we're talking about who may follow in their -- in their family's political -- political footsteps. A Kennedy is poised to take Hillary Clinton's Senate seat. Another Biden could replace Joe. What about Jesse Jackson Jr.'s shot at the U.S. Senate? Joining us live from Arlington, Virginia, is Beth Frerking. She's the senior editor for Politico, and Beth, good morning.

FRERKING: Good morning, David. Thanks for having me.

SHUSTER: Of course. Let's throw out a few examples of what we're talking about. Caroline Kennedy seeking Hillary Clinton's Senate seat, possibly Joe Biden going -- having his son, Beau, possibly take the Delaware Senate seat. Ken Salazar could be replaced by his brother, Representative John Salazar. The headline on Politico today reads “Nepotism Nation.” Is that what we're becoming?

FRERKING: Well, we've certainly got a lot of examples of that right now. As you know, we've got, for example, two Udalls that -- who were elected to the Senate in 2008 -- one from New Mexico, one from Colorado. But this is not a new story in the United States. We've had family dynasties going back all the way to the early Founding Father presidents -- the Adams family, for example. And we also have it throughout the country in various cities. Think of the Daleys in Chicago. So this isn't anything new. But the Republicans right now are making a little noise about it, because, right now, it seems to be Democrats that are focused on this.

SHUSTER: Well, is there also a distinction between, you know, people who sort of earn their seat through an election versus the situation in New York, where the governor is essentially going to appoint somebody for two years until the, sort of, next election? And it's almost like there's a sense of entitlement that people get a little bit queasy about when you hear, “Oh, because she's Caroline Kennedy. She's never worked essentially in terms of taking positions or gone door-to-door campaigning, but because now she wants it, oh, great, let's give it to her.”

FRERKING: Right. No, and you're hearing some of that, both by name from some folks in the New York delegation although -- congressional delegation, although that seems to be calming down a little bit. You know, when you're looking at a two-year term, you're basically talking about somebody who can raise money in a future seat, so it's no surprise that they're talking about her.

SHUSTER: What about, I mean, Chelsea Clinton? I mean, Bill Clinton called Chelsea, quote, “the best politician in the family,” saying it would be wonderful if she went into the family business. I mean, if we're talking about, you know, daughters of former presidents, she would be, I mean, just as qualified, right?

FRERKING: Well, you know, she certainly proved herself some out on the campaign trail, although she had -- her early reviews were not good, and I certainly saw her for a couple of weeks that I was on. She proved herself to be very poised, very grateful, very intelligent, but, you know, there's a whole lot of other steps before you can decide to run for something as big as the presidency or even the Senate. She has not been battle-tested like her parents were, and it remains to be seen whether she decides to go that route or stay in the -- the sort of the financial sector that she's been in, in the past. Certainly her name is out there, though.

SHUSTER: Beth Frerking, senior editor for Politico. Beth, thanks for coming on -- very interesting.

FRERKING: Thanks for having me, David.