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Bye Bye Sweet Caroline

posted by JP
Thu, 01/22/2009 - 12:29am

According the NY Times, Caroline Kennedy called Gov. Paterson on Wednesday to withdraw her name from consideration as Senator before changing her mind later that evening.

It's too little, too late.  The opportunity to be involved in politics and public service at any level, from community board to district leader to councilmember all the way up the chain to POTUS requires an unflinching desire and ambition to serve in the position one presently has and may be interested in the future.

Remember Tom Golisano, who wanted to run for Governor, before deciding against it, and then changing his mind again and deciding for it.  Remember Ross Perot who was a viable candidate before he changed his mind twice about continuing his race.  Look at Mike Bloomberg who has floated balloons about every other race before deciding against them (and is weaker for it IMO).

Either you want to get involved in this lifestyle or you don't, especially in New York.  There is no half-heartedness or "I'll do it on my conditions" when it comes to politics.  Indecision is weakness (Are you listening Governor?) and weakness is a fatal flaw in NY politics.

Whether she wants it or not does not matter anymore.  The indecision has killed her chances and New York State is the better for it.

On the contrary, if Paterson rewards this weakness by still appointing Caroline, then Paterson and Caroline both have to go in 2010 and I will begin immediately banging the drums for an Andrew Cuomo primary for Governor.


Bye Bye Sweet Caroline
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 01/22/2009 - 11:04am.
You would probably be banging the drums anyway for Cuomo.
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Gillebrand?
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 01/22/2009 - 5:09pm.

So is Gillebrand now really the frontrunner? I just saw this - http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/archives/2009/01/the_new_frontru.php

Ugh...


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You are misreading the situation
Submitted by rwallnerny on Thu, 01/22/2009 - 9:51pm.

jp, I *really* thinking you are jumping to conclusons and misreading this situation.  Caroline Kennedy wanted the Senate seat but was apparently contacted either directly or indirectly earlier this week and told, either in exact words or in code language, that she wasn't getting it.  That Paterson was pickiing somebody else.  Paterson wanted her to drop out so he would be spared 1. Having to explain why he didn't pick her, and 2) Having to be called heartless for refusing to put another Kennedy in the Senate the same week that Teddy Kennedy collapsed at the inauguration.

Paterson is picking Gillibrand I think for his own political reasons.  He knows he's got a diffcult task getting elected next year, having never run at the top of the ticket statewide.  So he wants to campaign as a moderate, not a flaming liberal, and what better way to show that than to name a moderate, and not well known uber-liberals like Kennedys or Cuomos to the seat.

I think this is a bad choice if its Gillibrand, because she has never run statewide and might not win a primary, let alone get elected on her own.  But also because she was a democratic in a traditionally republican seat.  So we have to lose the 20th district back to the republicans just so Paterson can score votes upstate?  This isn't going to go over well with city democrats who I am sure will be looking right away for candidates to run against Gillibrand next year.

Maybe Anthony Weiner ought to drop this year's Mayor's race, which he can't win anyway now, with Bloomberg sure to outspend him 100,000 to 1, and run the Senate race next year?  

 

 

 


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