The weakening prospects of Caroline Kennedy for the NY Senate seat

[Fluffy]

The Weakening Prospects of Caroline Kennedy

Please tell me you aren't really surprised by the growing backlash against Caroline Kennedy's quest to replace Hillary Rodham Clinton as the junior senator from New York. More than a few prominent political folks, including Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-N.Y.), were put out by Kennedy's celebrity giving her a leg-up on others who would like to get the nod from New York Gov. David Paterson. And celebrity could have taken her far, were it not for five big political, style and substance mistakes committed by her otherwise able strategic team that have diminished the prospects of the highly regarded Camelot heiress.

Mistake No. 1: Not voting in many New York City and State elections over the last 20 years. It's hard to carry the mantle of America's political royal family, with its well-earned history of public service, when it's been revealed that you couldn't even muster the energy to vote for Democrats.

Mistake No. 2: Refusing to swear allegiance to the Democratic challenger to Mayor Bloomberg when he seeks a third term next year. New York Democrats are right to demand it.

Mistake No. 3: Not giving money to New York's Democratic Party candidates. According to the New York Daily News, in the last ten years, Kennedy has given $1,000 to local office seekers. She was more generous at the federal level. She even maxed out to Clinton, who gave the money back after Kennedy publicly endorsed Barack Obama.

These three errors might not be fatal, but they most certainly diminished Kennedy's standing and gave competitors and critics the opening they needed to throw cold-water on the political neophyte with a storied last name.

Now, let's add the style and substance mistakes.

Mistake No. 4: Avoiding the press. I could understand Kennedy not chit-chatting at length with the press corps in Syracuse on her first day as a Senate aspirant. But her strategic advisers were a little too cute in asking for written questions from media outlets and then selectively answering the inquiries with as much depth as an After Eight mint. (She emerged from weeks of silence only Friday night.)

Mistake No. 5: Refusing to make any potential financial, legal and ethical disclosures until after she's been appointed. Kennedy is not legally bound to do this. But this arrogance won't go over well with most New Yorkers. And considering that most of the other senatorial prospects are elected officials who must submit to all manner of public and financial disclosures, and who are held accountable for them, it's unfair.

As soon as Kennedy voiced interest in the seat, pundits confidently claimed that Paterson was boxed in and had no choice but to pick Caroline. But as many political and media observers are now discovering, this was a mistaken presumption.

Paterson isn't in thrall to the Kennedy clan because he comes from a political dynasty himself. His father, Basil Paterson, was a state senator, a New York City deputy mayor under Ed Koch and New York secretary of state. Along with David Dinkins (Mayor 1989 - 1993), Percy Sutton (Manhattan Borough President 1965-1977) and Rep. Charles B. Rangel (now chairman of the powerful tax-writing Ways and Means Committee), the elder Paterson formed a potent political force that schooled his son in the nuances, benefits and perils of power politics.

Political dynasties teach their members two important lessons: independence and the importance of loyalty. So don't be shocked if Paterson defies expectations and picks someone who is politically loyal to him -- not to a legendary uncle and not to a president who's candidacy gained momentum after a stunning endorsement -- and to the interests of New York State.

By Jonathan Capehart | December 27, 2008; 12:00 AM ET

The Weakening Prospects of Caroline Kennedy - PostPartisan - Quick takes from The Post's opinion writers

[NicoleWasHere]

She doesn't need the seat, anyway.

[witchcurlgirl]

good article Fluffy...thanks for posting

[Fluffy]

^Welcome!

[qwerty]

Other nail in the coffin - she is a poor public speaker. Her speech is peppered with "you know"s and ums throughout and is generally lifeless. Doesn't mean she can't lead but her lack of charisma is a weak point.

[crumpet]

^^^Yeah, it's really really interesting that there is no 10 page thread about how inarticulate she is. That interview with the Times was more embarrassing and hard to listen to than anything Sarah Palin ever said.

[qwerty]

Yeah Crumpet. I've heard far more articulate celebrities whose superior communication skills come without the benefits of a Harvard and Columbia education. Some people just don't have it.

[witchcurlgirl]

^^ You guys, she's a Kennedy. No criticism of her poor speech or lack of qualifications is allowed. She's America's Princess. You're also not allowed to point out the fact the she has stated that if she doesn't get the appointment she will not run. WTF kind of entitled bullshit is that? If a politician doesn't have the belly for the election process, than they certainly aren't up for the fights they'll have to have in the office.


Caroline Kennedy no whiz with words




Caroline Kennedy, you know, might need, you know, a speech coach, um, if she, you know, wants, um, to be a senator.

Um, you know?

Kennedy, who gave a flurry of media interviews on Friday and Saturday, revealed some cringing verbal tics that showed her inexperience as a speaker, experts told the Daily News.

In a 30-minute session with The News on Saturday, Kennedy punctuated her answers with "you know" more than 200 times.

"Um" was fairly constant, too.

Transcripts of her interviews with other media outlets showed the same problem. She said "you know" at least 130 times to The New York Times and more than 80 times on New York 1.

When The News asked if President Bush's tax cuts on the wealthy should be repealed immediately, Kennedy replied:
"Well, you know, that's something, obviously, that, you know, in principle and in the campaign, you know, I think that, um, the tax cuts, you know, were expiring and needed to be repealed."

Jocelyn Rasmussen, a Manhattan voice coach, said Kennedy's verbal tics don't necessarily betray weakness or doubt.

"She's just inexperienced," she said. "It's just a habit, the way young people all say 'like' every other word. I don't think she even knows she's doing it, to that degree."

Tim Malloy, a Pennsylvania speaking coach, suggested this cure: She should learn how to pause and would benefit from coaching, or listening to some recordings of the most famously eloquent Kennedy.
"She needs to listen to her father," he said.

Spokesman Stefan Friedman said, "Caroline has acknowledged that she hasn't mastered the art of the political sound bite, but if Gov. Paterson appoints her, she'll fight her heart out to make sure New York families have their voices heard in Washington."

Caroline Kennedy no whiz with words

[crumpet]

^^ You guys, she's a Kennedy. No criticism of her poor speech or lack of qualifications is allowed. She's America's Princess. You're also not allowed to point out the fact the she has stated that if she doesn't get the appointment she will not run. WTF kind of entitled bullshit is that? If a politician doesn't have the belly for the election process, than they certainly aren't up for the fights they'll have to have in the office.


Caroline Kennedy no whiz with words




Caroline Kennedy, you know, might need, you know, a speech coach, um, if she, you know, wants, um, to be a senator.

Um, you know?

Kennedy, who gave a flurry of media interviews on Friday and Saturday, revealed some cringing verbal tics that showed her inexperience as a speaker, experts told the Daily News.

In a 30-minute session with The News on Saturday, Kennedy punctuated her answers with "you know" more than 200 times.

"Um" was fairly constant, too.

Transcripts of her interviews with other media outlets showed the same problem. She said "you know" at least 130 times to The New York Times and more than 80 times on New York 1.

When The News asked if President Bush's tax cuts on the wealthy should be repealed immediately, Kennedy replied:
"Well, you know, that's something, obviously, that, you know, in principle and in the campaign, you know, I think that, um, the tax cuts, you know, were expiring and needed to be repealed."

Jocelyn Rasmussen, a Manhattan voice coach, said Kennedy's verbal tics don't necessarily betray weakness or doubt.

"She's just inexperienced," she said. "It's just a habit, the way young people all say 'like' every other word. I don't think she even knows she's doing it, to that degree."

Tim Malloy, a Pennsylvania speaking coach, suggested this cure: She should learn how to pause and would benefit from coaching, or listening to some recordings of the most famously eloquent Kennedy.
"She needs to listen to her father," he said.

Spokesman Stefan Friedman said, "Caroline has acknowledged that she hasn't mastered the art of the political sound bite, but if Gov. Paterson appoints her, she'll fight her heart out to make sure New York families have their voices heard in Washington."

Caroline Kennedy no whiz with words

All I know is if Sarah Palin had given that same interview we'd be on page 25 now of the thread making fun of her that got put up 5 minutes after the interview went public. I don't like Palin's politics, but fair is fair and that just goes to show how overwhelmingly biased and ideologic people can be. Even worse is how few will own up to it and instead try to offer up some weak rationalization to defend it.

Besides, whenever I see her I get distracted because she looks so much like her brother who was drop dead gorgeous in his forties and yet her face looks like a damn road map. All of the Kennedy women are so manly looking, gawd.

[ymeman]

Kennedy isn't running for veep standing next to a corpse. The stakes were a little higher. Quit whining.

[Cali]

Who else is in the running for the seat? I haven't heard any other names floated.

[msdeb]

if she looked like her brother, i would move to New York just so i could cast a vote.

[witchcurlgirl]

She does look like John Kerry in a wig

[witchcurlgirl]

Who else is in the running for the seat? I haven't heard any other names floated.

Carolyn Maloney- who's great. We'd be lucky. Awesome public servant with a great record

Andrew Cuomo

Judith Kaye- she was our most senior judge

and as of late this week, Bill Clinton

NY Democratic advisers talk up 'caretaker' senator

By MICHAEL GORMLEY – 5 hours ago

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Sen. Bill Clinton? Sen. Mario Cuomo? Don't completely rule it out. The former president and the former New York governor are among several boldface names being touted as possible "caretakers" for New York's Senate seat — people who would serve until the 2010 elections but wouldn't be interested in running to keep the job.

As the process of picking Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's replacement gets messier, the option may become increasingly attractive to Gov. David Paterson, who has sole authority to name a successor.

A spokesman for Bill Clinton, Matt McKenna, said Wednesday that the former chief executive isn't interested in the job and plans to continue the work of his foundation. Cuomo declined through a spokesman to discuss the Senate seat.

A big name could have an immediate impact for New York in the Senate while letting the large field of hopefuls duke it out in 2010, according to three Democratic Party advisers in New York and Washington who are close to the discussion with Paterson's inner circle on this issue.

Two others in the party confirmed that Paterson is still considering the caretaker option. The advisers spoke on the condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to comment.

"You could find a very senior person who could serve New York well" on an interim basis, said Gerald Benjamin, a political scientist and dean at the State University of New York at New Paltz. "Then you can say to Caroline Kennedy, `You know, you'd make a good senator. Run for it.' And you can tell everyone else that it's a level playing field."

Paterson has made it clear in recent days that he's getting annoyed by the constant jockeying by supporters of high-powered hopefuls including Kennedy, half a dozen members of Congress and state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, son of the former governor.

The candidates — especially Kennedy — have made daily headlines as Paterson tries to focus on a fiscal crisis of historic proportions, his first budget proposal and preparations for his first full legislative session as governor. He took office last spring after disgraced Gov. Eliot Spitzer resigned.

The caretaker option was exercised last month by Delaware Gov. Ruth Ann Minner, who picked a former aide to Vice President-elect Joe Biden to succeed him in the Senate until a new senator is elected in 2010. By then, Biden's son, state Attorney General Beau Biden, will have returned from a tour in Iraq with the National Guard — just in time to run for his father's seat.

A week ago, Paterson said he favored appointing a senator soon after Clinton is confirmed to start building seniority, and he ruled out an interim placeholder. Under state law, there will be an election to fill the last two years of Hillary Clinton's term in 2010 and another for a full six-year term in 2012.

The process, however, wasn't supposed to be a big distraction.
Some of the other names circulating as possible caretakers among party operatives include the state's retired top jurist, Judith Kaye, and former Nebraska Sen. Bob Kerrey, now president of the New School in New York City.

Kaye declined through a spokesman Tuesday to discuss the Senate seat; Kerrey and Paterson did not respond to questions Tuesday and Wednesday.

Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist College poll, said the caretaker option wouldn't surprise him. "To pick a caretaker is to say ... win it in the court of public opinion."

An interim appointment also could sidestep an internal struggle in New York's Democratic Party.

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver — the longest-serving and most powerful legislative leader in the state — has reservations about Kennedy, and Paterson needs Silver if he wants to battle powerful labor interests to turn around the state's fiscal problems.

But Kennedy's supporters include New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a Democrat-turned-Republican-turned-independent who is another important ally for Paterson.

Meanwhile, the handicapping continues about the prospects of some of the lesser-known contenders.

Rep. Carolyn Maloney of New York City, who is known as a tenacious legislator, has been endorsed by three women's advocacy groups: the National Organization for Women, the Feminist Majority and the National Women's Political Caucus. Political observers say Paterson is under pressure to pick a woman because all the state's top leaders — except Clinton — are men.

In the political blog Connecting.the.dots, media critic and editor Robert Stein wrote Sunday that a caretaker would show that Paterson has the best interests of the state in mind during the fiscal crisis, while letting powerful political families fight it out in an election two years down the road.

Doug Muzzio, professor of politics at Baruch College, isn't convinced.
"If in fact you are looking to appoint a senator who can be an effective advocate for the people of the state, those two years you can learn a lot and to give that up is problematic."

But Muzzio also sees some benefit to Paterson in picking a caretaker.
"If he is feeling trapped about this Caroline Kennedy thing, this gives him, in a sense, a way out ... without naming someone else that would really anger the pro-Kennedy people," he said.

The Associated Press: NY Democratic advisers talk up 'caretaker' senator

[Cali]

News is all over the map on this one. Now AP is saying it looks likely she'll get it:
Jan 3, 2009 7:30 am US/Eastern
Senator Kennedy? Sources Close To Gov. Believe So
People Close To Paterson Say Princess Of Camelot Will Be Picked Despite Less Than Stellar Performance Of Late

Gov.: Whoever Is Picked Will Have To Earn Re-Election
NEW YORK (CBS) ―

New York Gov. David Paterson says the search is ongoing, but two people close to him tell The Associated Press they believe Caroline Kennedy will be appointed to replace Hillary Clinton in the U.S. Senate.

Following continuing criticism of Kennedy, Paterson on Thursday threw down the gauntlet. Though Kennedy appears to be the front-runner to replace Clinton, Paterson said the next junior Senator from New York will have to win re-election on his or her own.

Neither aides for the governor nor Kennedy have commented on Friday.

It was the annual New Year's open house in Albany on Thursday. Paterson and his wife, Michelle, greeted constituents. The governor was asked about his New Year's resolution.

"To try not to talk about the Senate until I make the appointment," Paterson said.

Unfortunately, just about all the questions Gov. Paterson was asked Thursday had to do with Kennedy and her desire to replace Clinton.

Kennedy's less than stellar public performance appeared to be on his mind because he cautioned that just because he selects someone it doesn't mean they will win the election outright.

"The public does not regard my selection as an incumbent. The public regards this as a place holder for two years and then will make their own choice," Paterson said. "And that takes the pressure off me."

The good news for Kennedy is that, as Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver told CBS 2 HD exclusively on Wednesday, he's changed his mind and is now willing to support her. Silver had been the biggest thorn in Kennedy's side, constantly criticizing her credentials for the Senate position. But now, he's singing a different tune.

"She's obviously very bright and has been around politics her whole life," Silver said.

Sources told CBS 2 HD that Silver's support came after arm twisting by Paterson's staff.

Meanwhile, Kennedy seems to be taking the governor's remarks to heart.

"Caroline knows that whoever Gov. Paterson selects will have to prove himself or herself to voters all across the state. If Caroline is chosen she is committed to working tirelessly to deliver for all New Yorkers," the Kennedy camp said in a statement.

Whoever is chosen will be 99th out of 100 in seniority.

Paterson insisted again Thursday he will not name a successor to Clinton until she is confirmed as Secretary of State.

CBS 2's Marcia Kramer contributed to this report.
wcbstv.com - Senator Kennedy? Sources Close To Gov. Believe So