Caroline Kennedy Withdraws from NY Senate bid

Wow (0.00 / 0)

There was, briefly, a smokescreen theory that held that she was cover for his decision period. I never held that theory, but if I did, I would consider this confirmation of it.

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by: JimC @ Wed Jan 21, 2009 at 20:36:11 PM CST

it could be simply (4.00 / 1)

that because the most recent polling showed many New Yorkers favor Andrew Cuomo or Kirsten Gillibrand to be the choice of more New Yorkers, Caroline was second choice, but she chose to wait.

Cuomo Pulling Ahead Of Kennedy For Senate Seat
http://www.maristpoll.marist.edu/

Friday, Jan 16, 2009 @09:52am CST

(Albany, NY)  --  A Marist Institute for Public Opinion poll shows New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo as the public frontrunner to replace Hillary Clinton in the U.S. Senate.
  According to the poll, 40-percent of New Yorkers say they prefer Cuomo as Patterson's appointee to fill the balance of the SEnate term vacated by Secretary Of State Clinton.
  Caroline Kennedy ranked second with New Yorkers at 25-percent and Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi is trailing far behind with just six-percent.

KENNEDY'S FAVORABILITY FREEFALLS...KUDOS FOR CUOMO:
In a little more than a month, Caroline Kennedy's rating has plummeted among registered voters in New York State. 46% say they have a positive impression of Kennedy today. That's a 16 percentage point drop from a Marist Poll conducted just last month. On the other hand, New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo maintains his favorability among the state's electorate. 60% of New Yorkers say they view Cuomo well. This compares with 64% who had this view in Marist's December survey.

Teddy looked so good at The Inuagural. The hat was reminiscent of Marlon Brando's in a scene as the Godafather.
It must have been a big deal for patrick to get him to wear a hat at all. That wsa thing about John's inauguration...it was 20 degrees after a big snow storm, with a 20 mile an hour wind. He would not wear a hat, top or otherwise, and it was noted as a sign of a new generation, a her of the big War, and tough, and smart, and handsome.

No worries tonight, Teddy will monitor the progress of the Obama Administration on Heath Care Reform with every fiber of his being. And so it goes...

"Poetry is not an expression of the party line. It's that time of night, lying in bed, thinking what you really think, making the private world public, that's what the poet does." Allen Ginsberg

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by: JonnyBBad @ Wed Jan 21, 2009 at 21:49:20 PM CST

[ Parent ]

I still love Caroline, (4.00 / 1)

as many of us of a certain generation do, but I agree that this is for the best for all concerned.

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by: GreyMike @ Wed Jan 21, 2009 at 21:35:22 PM CST

What? (4.00 / 1)

"Caroline will have every opportunity to replace her uncle when the time comes."

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by: Alex Gallichon @ Wed Jan 21, 2009 at 21:41:05 PM CST

I have the same "what" reaction. (4.00 / 1)

She is not eligible to hold any office in Massachusetts. And blood aristocracies are forbidden by the US Constitution. (Part I Article 9- "NO title of nobility shall be granted by the United States" )

OK, I do remember her uncle moving to NY to become Senator-- but, while I have nothing but warm feelings and respect for Caroline Kennedy, and wouldn't have been bothered a bit if she were named-- it would seem highly unlikely that she would want to go through the rigors of a Senate election. I think it is more likely that she will continue her wonderful work with education, perhaps in some form for the administration.

"But, in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope." Si se puede. Yes we can.  

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by: Paul Twomey @ Thu Jan 22, 2009 at 09:00:59 AM CST

[ Parent ]

there's always a spare bedroom in Hyannisport n/t (4.00 / 2)

"Poetry is not an expression of the party line. It's that time of night, lying in bed, thinking what you really think, making the private world public, that's what the poet does." Allen Ginsberg

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by: JonnyBBad @ Thu Jan 22, 2009 at 09:25:46 AM CST

[ Parent ]

Flatland requirements (0.00 / 0)

A Candidate's Guide to Special Elections

United States Senator
Must be at least 30 years of age.
Must be a registered voter.
Must be a U.S. citizen for at least 9 years prior to the date of the election.
Must be an inhabitant of Massachusetts when elected.
Requires certified signatures of at least 10,000 voters registered in Massachusetts.

www.KusterforCongress.com  

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by: Jack Mitchell @ Thu Jan 22, 2009 at 09:48:18 AM CST

[ Parent ]

Precedent (0.00 / 0)

Mitt was not eligible to be governor. Some people I know were ready to prove it. I'll never fully forgive the Globe for throwing us under the bus on that.

But, as you note, Caroline IS qualified.

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by: JimC @ Thu Jan 22, 2009 at 09:50:16 AM CST

[ Parent ]

Question (0.00 / 0)

I wouldn't say this if I didn't feel a sense of blog oblige, but here goes.

Do you suppose she just chickened out? At the moment she needed Ted most, he fell, and that scared her off? Or to put it more politely, at that point it wasn't worth the trouble, and she could do her own thing outside the Senate, as Paul notes.

There would no shame in any of that. We mock them, and compared to some jobs it's easy, but it is actually hard to be a U.S. Senator.

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by: JimC @ Thu Jan 22, 2009 at 09:11:42 AM CST

don't think so (4.00 / 2)

rather I accept her explanation. RFK jr. emphasized it this morning on Scarborough's show...with her father and her uncle assasinated Teddy was her surrogate father and she his surrogate daughter...she really was shaken. RFK jr. said the whole family was behind her, and they are saddened she dropped out.

"Poetry is not an expression of the party line. It's that time of night, lying in bed, thinking what you really think, making the private world public, that's what the poet does." Allen Ginsberg

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by: JonnyBBad @ Thu Jan 22, 2009 at 09:29:09 AM CST

[ Parent ]

OK (4.00 / 2)

I feel like both of these things could be true, and again I'm not knocking Caroline. On balance, I am pro-Caroline. I've just never been comfortable with this appointment, and I suspect she never has been either.

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by: JimC @ Thu Jan 22, 2009 at 09:48:04 AM CST

[ Parent ]

Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) (0.00 / 0)

News reports indicate that she will be chosen to take the Senate seat, Gov. Patterson may announce at noon today.

http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/...

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by: sdoyle @ Fri Jan 23, 2009 at 08:21:32 AM CST

Endorsed by the NRA (0.00 / 0)

Post-partisan?

Carolyn McCarthy says she'll run against her in 2010. Drama!

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by: JimC @ Fri Jan 23, 2009 at 10:15:53 AM CST

[ Parent ]

NRA (0.00 / 0)

Bill Richardson was endorsed by the NRA in 2006. Don't see the real problem with it, helps her get more votes from upstate New Yorkers.

I did hear that McCarthy was planning on running against her in 2010, hopefully she won't challenge a sitting US Senator, even if she is a little more conservative than people would like her to be.

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by: sdoyle @ Fri Jan 23, 2009 at 10:28:24 AM CST

[ Parent ]

Why not? (4.00 / 1)

McCarthy's entire public career is based on gun contol. She has the best "challenge an incumbent" rationale I've ever heard, and besides, an appointee should be challenged, in my view.

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by: JimC @ Fri Jan 23, 2009 at 10:42:16 AM CST

[ Parent ]

Oh, I can understand (4.00 / 1)

Carolyn McCarthy's husband was murdered by someone wielding a gun, which precipitated her entrance into politics, so I can understand why she might be tempted to run.  Also, Gillibrand will not be an elected incumbent, but an appointed incumbent.  

This process has been pretty messy. Not as messy as Illinois, but still pretty messy.  It disappoints me when elected officials don't do politics well.      

"When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on."  Franklin D. Roosevelt    

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by: Kathy Sullivan 2 @ Fri Jan 23, 2009 at 10:50:22 AM CST

[ Parent ]

Caroline Kennedy (4.00 / 1)

I think Caroline Kennedy would have made a fine United States Senator.  The best ever? Maybe not, but certainly the potential to be very good.  Is there someone better?  Perhaps yes -- maybe some lowly New York City community organizer who has worked for decades on the streets helping people; perhaps some forester in upper New York State who has spent the large part of a lifetime thinking and pondering the purpose of life.  

We're hurting ourselves by looking just for "politicians" to be our Washington leaders.  Just because someone looks good on camera, answers questions without any "ummms" or "you knows," or crossed all the "t"s and dotted all the "i"s on forms two decades ago, doesn't make that person a good choice.  

And someone who isn't perfect in his or her own life or might have had a drinking problem thirty years ago or might have said something twenty years ago that today is considered politically incorrect doesn't mean she/he isn't going to become just what we need in Washington.  

I think Caroline Kennedy just figured out that perhaps she can do even more for the country and the world without a political title.  Since she already has done much, she's probably right.

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by: Rep. Jim Splaine @ Fri Jan 23, 2009 at 10:29:00 AM CST

[ Parent ]

Gillibrand (4.00 / 2)

There is a lot of discussion on DKos about Paterson's appointment, most notably here and here.

I think she is a great choice. She, like our own Carol Shea-Porter, won a difficult election against an entrenched incumbent in '06. She won handily in the last election. She is a proven fundraiser who has the potential to keep the seat in 2010. I also read she has the support of Hillary Clinton.

According to this column in the Daily News, Gillibrand supports marraige equality, a stance she wasn't able to tout in her reddish district.

ESPA (Empire State Pride Agenda) Executive Director Alan Van Capelle and Gillibrand apparently chatted last night after it became clear she was Paterson's pick (although supposedly that wasn't a sure thing until sometime around 2 a.m. this morning).

   "After talking to Kirsten Gillibrand, I am very happy to say that New York is poised to have its first U.S. Senator who supports marriage equality for same-sex couples," Van Capelle said.

   "She also supports the full repeal of the federal DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act) law, repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell (DADT) and passage of legislation outlawing discrimination against transgender people. While we had a productive discussion about a whole range of LGBT concerns, I was particularly happy to hear where she stands on these issues."

The only downside to Gillibrand that I can see is the potential to lose her House seat to a Republican.

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by: Jennifer Daler @ Fri Jan 23, 2009 at 12:48:41 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Client # 9 (0.00 / 0)

Client number 9 you are involved, because of you, David Paterson mucks up the choice for Senate, and somehow made Blago look good.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01...

Carolyn McCarthy, who ran for Congress on an antigun platform after her husband was killed and her son wounded by a gunman on the Long Island Rail Road in 1993, said she may challenge the "N.R.A. poster child" in 2010.

She had the best line Friday, wondering about the chuckle-headed governor: "Who's in control up there?"

Chuckle Headed? Congresswoman McCarthy called the unelected Governor of New York a blockhead and threatens to run against Gillibrand herself or find someone to do it. She was ticked that he not only appointed an opponenet of sensible gun legislation, but also that he embarrassed himself and the State by being two faced with the Kennedys.
Now I think Andrew Cuomo will eviscerate David Paterson in a Primary for Governor of NY in 2010.

then this

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics...
The governor, who had appeared to waver in his pick by saying last week he was certain and later saying he was having additional thoughts, said he regretted the way he handled the long-awaited appointment.

"I think I may have, in an attempt to be as transparent as possible, publicly went through the back and forth of my position," he said.

Kennedy's backers, speaking to ABC News on the condition of anonymity, insisted that the Paterson camp had given every indication to Kennedy the job was hers. Paterson even asked Kennedy Monday whether she would be available Saturday for a public announcement, sources told ABC News.

Clearly stung by Kennedy's last-second withdrawal, the governor's office leaked that Paterson had no intention of appointing Kennedy to the job and suggested that her chances had been derailed by a background check that uncovered tax issues and a "potential nanny problem."

I think that was B.S. but rather she got our for "personal reasons" unrelated to her uncle's condition.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics...
"I think this whole episode has shown that maybe she's not suited for the rough and tumble of elective office, especially in a place where, like New York, people play politics with their elbows," Tumulty said.

"I wouldn't be at all surprised if we see her getting some kind of appointment in the Obama administration because she was very, very helpful to his getting elected," she said.
Kennedy's endorsement of Obama last year, along with that of her uncle, came at a crucial point in Obama's long primary battle with Clinton for the Democratic Party's nomination.

The Senate selection has political importance for Paterson, who took office after former Gov. Eliot Spitzer resigned in the midst of a scandal with a call girl.

Paterson will have to run for reelection in two years and will likely be facing Republican powerhouse Rudy Giuliani. Rep. Pete King, a Republican from the Long Island suburbs, has already said he will run for the Senate in two years.

So to sum it up dear reader,thanks to client #9 Senator Kristin Gillibrand follows in the steps of another young star, falling up on the heels of a sex scandal in politics, who ended up, out of nowhere, in the United States Senate.
Watch this woman.

"Poetry is not an expression of the party line. It's that time of night, lying in bed, thinking what you really think, making the private world public, that's what the poet does." Allen Ginsberg

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by: JonnyBBad @ Sun Jan 25, 2009 at 22:10:39 PM CST