Caroline Kennedy’s bid to replace Hillary Clinton as New York senator should be rejected [Dec. 16 Gazette]. The mere idea smacks of the feudalism this country originally escaped. There are thousands of experienced politicians who would be better qualified for this office. And if she were chosen, there would be whispers of a governor selling the offi ce. What would be next, Paris Hilton as the commissioner of Human Affairs?
I heard a story on the news that she isn't answering questions because she is trying to "learn" about upstate NY. I know damn well he will appoint her to Clinton's position just because she is a Kennedy but do we really need another carpetbagger? I would love to have someone represent me that actuall lives the upstate NY experience not some rich chick who wrote some books from NYC. She is clueless. I have not been more disappointed in a Governor since.........Oh yeah, Spitzer just a few short months ago.
Rene I totally agree we need someone from upstate that actually knows what our problems are and how to solve them. We had enough of on the job training with Hillary and all we got for our tax dollars was a senator who campaigned for president for 2 years and never did much for upstate NY.
Another NYS farce. This is the only State that reserves one Senate seat for carpetbaggers. A State that voted for Hillary and when she did nothing for 2 years but campaign for President no one said anything.
Caroline couldn't find Schenectady on a map and Duanesburg? Fuhgetaboutit! She will be appointed and the sheeple will line up to vote for her.
Records show Caroline Kennedy failed to cast her vote many times since 1988 By ERIN EINHORN and DAVID SALTONSTALL DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS
Updated Thursday, December 18th 2008, 8:07 PM
Egan-Chin/News
Caroline Kennedy has her sights on being the senator from New York, but hasn't voted much here since she registered in 1988. Related News Photo Gallery Caroline Kennedy: Through the years Scandalous side of politics Articles Goodwin: It's time to open up the process We know her name, but not her views Kennedy can lock in seat, says top Dem Kennedy works phones for Hil's seat Daly: Caroline embodies the spirit of JFK Caroline speaks with Shelly about Senate seat Key Hillary friends oppose Caroline for N.Y.'s Senate seat Caroline's fine, but a senator? Cuomo not so sure Fran Drescher wants Hil's senate seat Lupica: It's Kennedy time again Kennedys, Cuomos may battle over Hil's seat Caroline Kennedy wants to be the next senator from New York, but her voting record is already spotty, The Daily News has found.
City Board of Elections records show Kennedy failed to vote in many elections since she last registered in the city in 1988 - including votes for the Senate seat she hopes to fill, and numerous Democratic face-offs for mayor.
"It doesn't speak to a deep-felt commitment to the electoral process," Baruch College political scientist Doug Muzzio said when told of Kennedy's ballot breakdowns.
Records show Kennedy never pulled the lever for any of her fellow Democrats in city primary races for mayor in 1989, 1993 and 1997 and 2005, when Republicans won three out of four.
She was also AWOL for the primary and general elections in 1994, when Sen. Patrick Moynihan was running for re-election to the seat Kennedy hopes to hold.
Aides to Kennedy - who Thursday said she was running in part because this is no time to "sit out" - conceded Thursday night that at times the daughter of the late president has done just that.
Most of the time, she voted, aides said. A review by The News found that of the 38 contested elections since 1988, Kennedy skipped about half, almost all of them primaries.
"Caroline Kennedy recognizes just how important it is to vote and has a very strong record of going to the polls," spokesman Stefan Friedman said. "She has not voted on a handful of occasions over the last two decades."
Thursday, Kennedy went to Harlem for a soul-food sit-down with the Rev. Al Sharpton, who, ironically, was Moynihan's Democratic opponent in 1994.
"I come at this as a mother, as a lawyer, as an author as an education advocate and from a family that really has spent generations in public service," she said with Sharpton at her side outside of Sylvia's, Harlem's famed soul-food mecca.
Inside, the two shared a lunch of grilled chicken and collared greens at the same table where Sharpton and Obama dined in November 2007 - a meeting that was key to his presidential win, Sharpton joked with Kennedy.
"If she believes that," Sharpton quipped, "then I got some other things I can sell her in Harlem."
The sit-down was part of a round of informal chats Kennedy is holding with state leaders. On Wednesday, she barnstormed through Syracuse, Rochester and Buffalo.
Future huddles are said to include Democratic party bosses Rep. Joe Crowley of Queens and Assemblyman Vito Lopez of Brooklyn.
Gov. Paterson has sole authority to fill Clinton's seat, a job Attorney General Andrew Cuomo also is seriously considering. Paterson played coy Thursday when asked about Cuomo.
"We have talked about the Senate," Paterson said of his attorney general. "Our conversations, as are the conversations with anyone else, are private."
Mayor Bloomberg also dodged when asked about his staff's effort to promote Kennedy's candidacy.
"It's not my call," he told Barbara Walters on "The View." "If it was my call, I know exactly \[who I'd pick\]," he added without elaborating.
Kennedy's more immediate problem may be explaining her voting record.
Records show she also took a pass on the 2002 gubernatorial primary and general, when Democrat Carl McCall took on incumbent Republican George Pataki.
Aides Thursday said that prior to 1988, she was registered in Massachusetts while a student at Harvard University. She later switched her voting address to her mother's old apartment on 5th Ave., but apparently fell off the rolls completely sometime in the 1980s.
When she went re-register in 1988 at her new Park Ave. home, she filled in, "1984?, when asked the year she was last registered.
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ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - New York's Assembly will examine whether a charity that U.S. Senate hopeful Caroline Kennedy helps run was properly granted an exemption that allows her and other officials in the organization to avoid disclosing details about their finances.
Democratic Assemblyman James Brennan questions the decision by the New York City Conflicts of Interest Board to exempt The Fund for Public Schools from a state law aimed at airing the financial dealings of charities.
Kennedy, who hopes to succeed Hillary Rodham Clinton in the Senate, is vice-chairwoman of the not-for-profit organization.
The law requires most volunteer directors of charities working with state and municipal governments to disclose investments, outside pay and other financial connections. It was passed partly to assure that charities aren't shadow agencies of the governments they support.
On Dec. 10, the city board told Brennan's Assembly committee that Kennedy's charity would be exempt from disclosure. The board decision came two days after Mayor Michael Bloomberg enthusiastically boosted Kennedy as New York senator should Clinton be confirmed as President-elect Barack Obama's secretary of state.
"I think it's a matter of concern as to whether the statute applies to them or not," Brennan said. "Certainly this needs to be rethought ... we'll check into it."
Kennedy spokesman Josh Isay didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
If the Assembly determines the exemption was improperly granted and it can't negotiate a solution with the charity, it could sue for disclosure. It also could try to amend the law to eliminate the city's argument for exempting the charity.
The effort led by Brennan means there is likely support for action by Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, one of the state's most powerful leaders.
This was the first year the fund would have had to comply but a decision was delayed as the city considered exemptions that are allowable under the law. Neither Kennedy nor Gov. David Paterson, who will appoint the state's next senator, will discuss her financial information.
Much of the Kennedy's family wealth is tied up in trusts and other mechanisms that conceal its scope from public view. Caroline Kennedy is the last survivor in her family, making it likely she received an inheritance from her mother - once married to Greek shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis - and from her late brother, John F. Kennedy Jr. She also assumed an oceanfront property her mother owned on Martha's Vineyard.
The Fund for Public Schools has raised more than $233 million since 2002 from individuals, corporations and foundations to better fund the city's public school system. Kennedy was hired as its chief fundraiser in 2003, getting a nominal salary, but is now vice-chair.
The 2006 state law seeks to reveal if government officials have "substantial operational control" of a nonprofit organization. The Conflicts of Interest Board determined the Kennedy charity should be exempt from disclosure laws because isn't affiliated with city government.
The chairman of The Fund for Public Schools is Joel Klein, the city schools chancellor, who was appointed to the city job by Bloomberg.
"That would seem to indicate substantial control," Brennan said when told of Klein's role as chairman. "We would certainly suggest to them (the city conflicts board) that they are making a mistake, excluding them from coverage."
"There's this gray area," said Dick Dadey, executive director of Citizens Union, a city watchdog group that has followed the issue.
"The letter of the law is being followed," Dadey said. But he added, "I think they probably should not be exempt."
CAPITOL Secrecy in Senate pick a slap at government reform Analysis
BY MICHAEL GORMLEY The Associated Press
As Democratic candidates, David Paterson and Andrew Cuomo promised they were different from Albany’s entrenched political class that cloaked itself in secrecy and privilege. As governor and attorney general, and with a U.S. Senate seat in the balance, Paterson and Cuomo have proven themselves different. They set the bar even lower, Paterson conducting his search in secret for a new U.S. senator and Cuomo employing a dubious legal claim to duck questions on whether he wants to be that senator. It’s a surprising political move, given the raging scandals over plum political appointments such as the Illinois governor being accused of trying to sell his appointment to succeed Barack Obama. In New York, Paterson’s senate choice to succeed Hillary Rodham Clinton will have two lucrative years to accumulate the vast power of incumbency and a huge fundraising advantage before facing voters in 2010. Lobbyists see a much surer bet in contributing to a sitting senator who can get their clients a contract, a grant or favorable legislation and who already has the backing of the Democratic party with a nearly 2:1 enrollment advantage over Republicans. For Paterson, it’s an opportunity to add the best vote-getter and fundraiser to his 2010 ticket to help him get elected to the job he assumed when Eliot Spitzer resigned. He also has an opportunity to pick Caroline Kennedy, daughter of President John F. Kennedy, gaining some luster for himself while picking up a chit from the famous family and from her big booster, President Barack Obama, who owes Kennedy for her early endorsement. Kennedy also counts New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg as an ally. Paterson said in December that his selection process for this priceless opportunity would be confidential. He has said the background information he requested of more than 10 candidates was a personal request and not a governmental one, so he wouldn’t make any of the information public, not even their names. His refusal to even release the blank form sent to candidates is one element of his search that may violate the state’s open government laws, according to state government’s top authority and good-government advocates. Kennedy, Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi, and U.S. Reps. Carolyn Maloney, Steve Israel and others have all put their reputations on the line by telling New Yorkers they are in the mix, risking a political setback should they not be Paterson’s chosen one. But not Cuomo. He used a lawyer’s sleight of hand to be the new Hamlet on the Hudson, avoiding getting his hands dirty by politicking or committing, while keeping his name in the mix without risking another political loss. His father, former Gov. Mario Cuomo, famously wore the Hamlet label for his very public indecision on whether to run for president in 1988 and 1992. He never ran. Andrew Cuomo hid behind attorneyclient privilege by refusing to say if he was interested in the Senate seat, a great spot for a guy trying to put his last political defeat — the 2002 race for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination — behind him. Meanwhile, his ................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....amp;EntityId=Ar01500
Secrecy for the senate seat....secrecy for the metroplex audit. Don't ya just love the transparency?
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
CAPITOL Paterson hopes to name Senate pick by weekend BY MICHAEL GORMLEY The Associated Press
Gov. David Paterson insisted Monday that he still hasn’t decided who he will appoint to the Senate seat expected to be vacated soon by Hillary Rodham Clinton. The Democrat, in Washington for the inauguration of Presidentelect Barack Obama, said he hopes by the weekend to announce a decision from the field that includes Caroline Kennedy. “I can say I don’t know who the next senator for New York is right now. I would swear to it,” Paterson said at a press conference. “I’m not leaning in one direction, but I think I’m focusing on a few candidates now who, in my mind, would be finalists.” The selection process, now in its second month, has frustrated Paterson and supporters of the candidates. Paterson said he has narrowed the field of as many as 20 hopefuls to succeed Clinton upon her confi rmation as secretary of state, but he wouldn’t say how many names are on his short list or who is on it. “I would figure by this weekend we would come up with a candidate,” he said. “I have narrowed the field but don’t seem to stay with the same pick for a period of time. I’ve tried seeing how it works with different scenarios, and I just haven’t settled with it yet.” He also said he hasn’t yet evaluated the lengthy questionnaires from candidates in which he seeks background information including personal finances. He made an argument for appointing a woman, noting that there are far more men in the Senate because men have more opportunities. He also acknowledged the long-term import of his appointment. “You are really picking, theoretically, the next senator for 10 or 20 years if they are re-elected,” he said. Paterson has made party unity part of his consideration, saying his appointee will have to run for election next year. Some of the most well-known candidates — Kennedy, Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi and U.S. Reps. Carolyn Maloney and Steve Israel — have pledged not to force a Democratic primary in 2010 against Paterson’s appointee. Paterson also commented on what he said were amazing — and he hinted false — reports carried daily in news stories, several of which said he was expected to choose Kennedy. Some of the possible picks have felt frustrated, too, by the process, according to two Democrats advising different candidates. They spoke on the condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak for their candidates, whose chances could be hurt by the criticism. On Friday, Maloney, of New York City, said her interview with Paterson lasted about an hour, but she wouldn’t discuss details. She said she was frustrated by all the public attention to Kennedy, noting to reporters on Friday, “We all know life is not fair.” From the beginning of the vetting in early December, Paterson said he planned a “confidential” process without traditional campaigning. He said he wouldn’t announce a choice until after Clinton is confirmed secretary of state, likely soon after Obama’s inauguration. But Paterson also has sent out mixed signals, sometimes hinting that he favored Kennedy but also noting her shortcomings; at fi rst insisting his decision would be announced after Clinton was confirmed, then refusing to rule out an earlier decision; then saying as recently as Friday that he had new thoughts and would re-interview some applicants. As interest in the selection grew, Kennedy faced criticism that she lacked legislative experience — a fact even Paterson noted. The initial objections prompted her to embark on a short upstate tour and some press interviews that gave her a rocky start, with headlines mocking her frequent use of conversational fillers such as “you know” and “um” as she spoke with reporters. The rocky start took a toll. Kennedy last week trailed Attorney General Andrew Cuomo in statewide polls even though Cuomo refuses to say if he’s interested in the appointment by Paterson. And at least one commentator with ties to the Clinton family, James Carville, still seems to be stoking opposition. Earlier this month on CNN’s “Late Edition,” Carville said Kennedy’s campaign, supported by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, was unimpressive. Carville also said then that Paterson should make the decision quickly, even if it’s Kennedy, comparing Paterson’s lengthy process with the swift appointment by the Colorado governor of a replacement for a senator who left to become interior secretary. Carville, a former adviser to President Bill Clinton, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment left Monday at his office. Still, Kennedy, who is a lawyer, author and education advocate in New York City, would bring much to Paterson and the state, including immediate star power to help bring more federal funds to address the state’s fiscal crisis. She also apparently has ..................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....amp;EntityId=Ar01400
Kennedy has the um, you know, ah, ohhh, ummmm, you know....name.
"While Foreign Terrorists were plotting to murder and maim using homemade bombs in Boston, Democrap officials in Washington DC, Albany and here were busy watching ME and other law abiding American Citizens who are gun owners and taxpayers, in an effort to blame the nation's lack of security on US so that they could have a political scapegoat."
Kennedy has the um, you know, ah, ohhh, ummmm, you know....name.
And a connection with Obama!
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
A spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says Hillary Rodham Clinton will not be confirmed as secretary of state Tuesday because of a single senator's objection.
Reid spokesman Jim Manley said Republican John Cornyn of Texas has indicated he will block a move to confirm Clinton by a unanimous floor vote later in the day.
Yeah, it is always the right thing and even close to Godly when you elevate a Kennedy. Maybe they should force it "threw."
Didn't you know, Sal- all the Kennedys have little red phones that go straight to the Pope's office so they can get their commands directly from God (not the much vaunted Bob God, but the big Man upstairs.)
"While Foreign Terrorists were plotting to murder and maim using homemade bombs in Boston, Democrap officials in Washington DC, Albany and here were busy watching ME and other law abiding American Citizens who are gun owners and taxpayers, in an effort to blame the nation's lack of security on US so that they could have a political scapegoat."
Logged
Another NYS farce. This is the only State that reserves one Senate seat for carpetbaggers. A State that voted for Hillary and when she did nothing for 2 years but campaign for President no one said anything. 
