New York Gov. Paterson Picks Kristen Gillibrand For Clinton Senate Seat

The long wait is over. Governor David Paterson, who had courted with the idea of passing the seat on to Caroline Kennedy, has settled upon upstate Democrat Kristen Gillibrand.

Gov. Paterson, defying the liberal wing of his Democratic Party, has chosen little-known, NRA-backed, upstate Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand to succeed Hillary Rodham Clinton as New York's junior senator, it was learned last night.

The surprising - and, for many Democrats shocking - decision to pick the conservative Gillibrand, 42, from Hudson in Columbia County, was disclosed by the governor in calls to party officials and some members of the state's congressional delegation, many of whom said they were unhappy with the selection, sources said.

There are more Democrats in New York than Republicans, and not all Democrats in the state are as liberal as the downstate contingent who are already represented by the likes of Charles Schumer. Gillibrand was actually supported by Schumer in this move precisely because of the need to increase the voice of upstate Democrats. This is a sign that Paterson is attempting to provide a greater voice to upstate New Yorkers. Like him or hate him, Schumer is a very savvy politician who has steered the Democrats to a comfortable advantage in the Senate.

However, that isn't sitting well with some of the leading contenders for the position, including Carolyn Maloney, who is a staunch gun control advocate. Expect top Democrats to come out and challenge Gov. Paterson when he comes up for reelection, as well as Gillibrand when her term is up in 2010.

Caroline Kennedy Takes Name Out of Senate Bid

Caroline Kennedy, who was spurred to throw her name into the ring to replace Hillary Clinton as Senator from New York because of the service of her uncle Ted and the Obama victory, has had a change of heart.

She's taken her name out of the running.

Ms. Kennedy on Wednesday called Gov. David A. Paterson, who will choose a successor to Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, to inform him that she no longer wished to be considered.

The person told of her decision said that Ms. Kennedy’s concerns about the health of her uncle, Senator Edward M. Kennedy, who suffers from brain cancer and was hospitalized after suffering a seizure Tuesday, prompted her to withdraw.

Ms. Kennedy believed that the job was hers if she would accept it, the person said, but aides to Mr. Paterson would not comment on whether that was true.

The news jolted the state’s political establishment and appeared to throw the Paterson administration into confusion.

Just before 7 p.m. Wednesday, Errol Cockfield, Mr. Paterson’s press secretary, said the governor had referred to the assertion that Ms. Kennedy was withdrawing as "just the rumor of the day." More than an hour later, Mr. Cockfield asked that that statement not be published, but neither he nor the governor’s communications director, Risa B. Heller, would respond to questions about Ms. Kennedy.

Ms. Kennedy’s decision comes nearly two months after she, along with several members of Congress and leading political officials, began auditioning to replace Mrs. Clinton in the coveted position. She attracted relentless attention and was viewed by many as the most likely choice for Mr. Paterson, given her national stature and ties to the incoming Obama administration.

Hillary Clinton was confirmed by the her former colleagues in the Senate earlier today as Obama's Secretary of State (94-2 - DeMint (R-SC) and Vitter (R-LA) opposing) and sworn in a short time ago. New York Governor David Paterson has to figure out who to give the plum job to.

Will it be New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo? I don't think so. He and Senior Senator Charles Schumer wouldn't mesh particularly well. I wouldn't want to stand in between either of them and a microphone, and neither would particularly care for the other hogging the spotlight. Then again, we could solve the state debt by paying to see who would win. We could make it a best of 730, just to tide us until the next election.

Other names that are far more likely are three current New York Congresswomen, Nydia Velaquez, Nita Lowey, and Carolyn Maloney. All three had Senate ambitions in the past, but were passed over by the Democrat leadership in favor of Hillary running in the first place.

Caroline Kennedy: 9/11 and Obama Spurred Me To Seek Public Office

Never mind that Caroline Kennedy isn't exactly running for public office, but has been essentially demanding that New York Governor David Paterson install her as Hillary Clinton's senate replacement. I find it curious that Kennedy discovered the need to seek public office only after 9/11 and Sen. Barack Obama's ascension.

Of course, Kennedy and Obama do share one thing in common - both had absolutely no experience for the jobs they sought. Should Paterson relent and nominate Kennedy to Clinton's seat, that would be two things that Obama and Kennedy share.

Still, one has to wonder why it took a Kennedy - whose name has been synonymous with Democrats and politics for more than 40 years - until now to find that politics was her game?

Pleading Her Case?

Caroline Kennedy sure is doing a whole lot of pleading in her listening tour across much of New York State to claim that she should be appointed by Democrat Governor David Paterson to replace Sen. Hillary Clinton should she be confirmed to be President-Elect Barack Obama's Secretary of State.

What exactly has she done that makes her suitable for the position? Her claims to fame?

That would be her last name, which apparently is more than enough for many.

She's claiming that she's raised a family, which is a sign of her ability.

Really? How come Democrats repeatedly denigrated and castigated Alaska Governor Sarah Palin for not only being a small town mayor and the governor of the state of Alaska, but for raising a family of five?

Can you say hypocritical double standards? I know you can.

Kennedy has not done anything that should warrant being chosen Senator from New York, not when there are other suitable politicians who have put in their dues and done service for the citizens of the state. Why should they be passed over for Kennedy, unless it's that last name that will trump all? Kennedy has lined up a bunch of high profile people to help back her efforts, including other members of the Kennedy clan.

Meanwhile, the Daily News is starting to ask some serious questions about key issues of the day, including where she stands on the auto bailout and the financial crisis.

She's nice, smart and has a golden political pedigree, but where does Caroline Kennedy stand on the auto bailout, immigration, Wall Street regulation and other sticky issues?

The answer, many New Yorkers are quickly realizing, is "No one knows." And there's no guarantee they will before Gov. Paterson bequeaths Hillary Clinton's Senate seat upon her, as he seems inclined to do.

"You will find out where she stands when she runs in 2010," said former Mayor Ed Koch, a supporter. "She's a liberal with sanity, which is what I look for in any candidate."

All that's really known is that Kennedy is a fierce advocate for public education, having raised millions for city public schools.

She is also solidly pro-choice, according to Kelli Conlin of NARAL Pro-Choice New York, an organization Kennedy has supported for years.

Beyond that, her views are cloaked in the same privacy as her personal life.

Why should New Yorkers have to wait until 2010 to know where their Senator stands on key issues? Why should any of this be a secret? Shouldn't New Yorkers have the right to know who they have in the Senate representing their interests? Koch's words are extremely condescending and highly suggestive that the political masters know better than the public about what's good for them.

In fact, it would be nice if the Daily News or the New York Times actually had their reporters ask these questions of Kennedy, rather than simply chasing her around the state and offering up free face time without actually informing people of what this woman stands for. Right now, no one knows, and yet she's well on her way to convincing Gov. Paterson that she should be replacing Hillary.

Meanwhile, many New Yorkers seem to prefer Andrew Cuomo to Kennedy. I don't think anyone quite realizes what that would mean for the media covering New York politics. It would be a rugby scrum watching Cuomo and Sen. Chuck Schumer fighting for face time before the cameras. Then again, that might be just the thing to get the local media out of the doldrums and improve the bottom line for sagging media companies.

Musical Chairs

While much of the focus on open Senate seats is on Sen. Barack Obama's Illinois seat that Gov. Rod Blagojevich attempted to sell for personal profit and the criminal probe is sure to snare many a prominent Illinois Democrat, it's not the only one.

New York Governor David Paterson will have to consider a replacement for Sen. Hillary Clinton. Caroline Kennedy, who ran Obama's VP search committee, is throwing her name in the ring to get Paterson's attention.

Apparently, that might be all that is required to be Senator these days. Experience isn't exactly necessary, let alone required. Apparently, having the last name of Kennedy is sufficient.

Of course, all this will have to wait until Clinton actually vacates the seat. She wont step down until she's confirmed by her fellow Senators as the next Secretary of State.

Mrs. Clinton has said she will not vacate the seat until she is confirmed as secretary of state, which is expected to occur in January or February, and the governor has said he would wait until then to make the appointment. But he has also said he may make his selection known before then, to allow whoever is chosen to prepare for the new role.

Ms. Kennedy, 51, a resident of Manhattan’s Upper East Side, took an unusually public role in President-elect Barack Obama’s campaign, and the two became friends. Mr. Obama appointed Ms. Kennedy to the panel that vetted potential vice-presidential candidates for him.

But, before that, Ms. Kennedy had devoted much of her time to charitable works and institutions linked to her family, such as the Kennedy Library Foundation, where she is president.

Others likely to be considered are members of Congress, including Kirsten Gillibrand, a rising star in the Democratic party who represents an upstate district, Tom Suozzi, the former gubernatorial candidate and Nassau County chief executive, and the state attorney general, Andrew M. Cuomo.

Notably absent from that short list is Nydia Velaquez. Cuomo has held major positions at the federal level, including as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. The problem there is that he'd compete with Sen. Chuck Schumer for face time before media crews, and I don't know if Schumer would approve. Gillibrand might be a choice that Paterson favors because it would be someone who would have to owe Paterson down the road.

Meanwhile, across the river, New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine is trying to figure out who would replace Lisa Jackson, who is being touted for the EPA position. Corzine is already playing musical chairs:

Jackson became Corzine's chief of staff Dec. 1, after serving as the state Department of Environmental Protection commissioner since 2006.

Taking over her Statehouse post as chief of staff will be Ed McBride, Corzine's chief counsel. McBride is "very bright" and has an exceptional work ethic, Corzine said.

"I trust him and look forward to working with him," the governor said. "I feel very strongly about his integrity and ability to get things done."

In the days since Jackson's nomination was disclosed, she has won praise for her pragmatic approach and work on cutting greenhouse gas emissions, among other efforts. But critics have called her unqualified, citing a recent report by EPA's inspector general saying New Jersey has moved too slowly in cleaning up several toxic waste sites.