More Republican Dip-Shittery

So Caroline Kennedy has decided to not seek the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Hillary Clinton.

New York Representative Peter King (R-Bridge & Tunnel) has been someone who has hammered away at this idea from the very beginning. We've had to listen to him drone on and on about how this would be such a bad choice, detrimental for the state of New York and how she's not capable or qualified for the job.

So he's happy about this development, right? Right?

Sure didn't seem so when I saw him on cable news today. He seemed just as pissed about her not pursuing the seat as when she was still going after it. I saw him actually demanding that she explain herself, even suggesting that the American people have a right to know what happened and why she made this decision. He was so much more indignant about her pulling her name from consideration than he was about how unqualified she was for this job. And he was pretty damn indignant about that latter point.

So let me get this straight. According to Peter King (R-White People) any private citizen who decides not to seek public office has to explain him or her self to the American people.

Rrriiiiiight. And this idiot thinks he should be the next Senator from New York (he's planning on running in two years for this seat)?

So just for the record, an open statement to Peter King (R-Suburban Sprawl):

Rep. King, I will not be seeking the office of Senator, Governor, Representative, Attorney General or any other public office. This is mostly due to the fact that the majority of American people probably won't vote for an atheist vegetarian with an unapologetic history of drug use.

And also because I wouldn't be able to resist calling you a "fucking moron" every time we walked by each other in the hallway of the capitol.

I mean, seriously. Could you be any bigger of an idiot?

Have fun having your ass handed to you in the 2010 Senate election.

And The Next Senator from NY Is...

 
Hold your horses. New York governor David Paterson won't say yet. But it will surely be before Saturday, we are told. Apparently he made his decision on Monday afternoon, but he's taking a few more days to mull things over. Percentages are in favor of Caroline Kennedy-Schlossberg, but if Paterson is to display real fortitude in the testes he'll go with state attorney general (and possible gubernatorial rival in 2010) Andrew Cuomo.

Personally, I'm rooting for congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand. Yea, I've changed my allegiance, so what? I'm flexible like that.

Here's some fatty-fat on Gillibrand:

-Magna cum laude graduate of Dartmouth College
-Former lawyer with high powered Davis Polk firm
-Partner for David Boies’ law firm (argued Al Gore’s Supreme Court case in 2000)
-Public service: Worked as a lawyer for President Clinton
-Elected twice by voters in a heavily conservative area
-Champion for abused women

By contrast, Ms. Kennedy has never worked a day as a lawyer; in fact her law license has been expired for a number of years. And while Ms. Kennedy may have endorsed OBama, she hasn't bothered to vote in the majority of both New York City and New York State elections. Not really an old hand at public service is she?

All that being said, however, chances are Ms. Kennedy will waltz into the Capitol as a Senator in a few days---perhaps a product of nepotism courtesy of the still-influential, albeit fading Uncle Teddy. However, she'll have to campaign for her seat in 2010, and go mano-a-mano with serious contenders wielding serious resumés.

Breaking News: Caroline Kennedy has withdrawn from consideration for the vacant Senate seat in New York, according to the NY Times.

Late Wednesday she called Gov. David A. Paterson, and cited her concerns about Senator Edward M. Kennedy’s deteriorating health (he was hospitalized after suffering a seizure during President Obama’s inaugural lunch on Tuesday ), which prompted her decision to withdraw.

So my girl is still in the running!

Sen. Kennedy (NY), We Presumed All Along

 
Despite hemming and hawing and still cautioning from New York Governor David Paterson, the Associated Press reports that he's chosen Caroline Kennedy to fill incoming Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's senate seat.

Speaking to reporters at the Executive Mansion Thursday, Paterson said he's intended all along to select a candidate with long-term interest in the job, not some... "caretaker" (Jack Torrance from the Overlook anyone?) who would simply keep the seat warm until a special election in 2010.

Kennedy has taken mucho flak from naysayers who have questioned her lack of experience, although I think otherwise. She's a KENNEDY. Imagine all those family functions and dinners. What the hell's the topic of conversation, used cars?

Next up for the DNC is finding a job for Amy Carter. Ouch, babe!

Circus, Circus

 
Take two women who haven't had a real job in years, one open, highly-visible Senate seat, throw in a blind governor with his own personal problems, a strong dash of nepotism from the closest royal family we'll ever claim, and you have yourself a show worth getting the big tub of popcorn and large soda for.

Yesterday, Caroline Kennedy ended weeks of silence with a series of rapid-fire phone calls to New York state’s leading political figures, including Gov. David A. Paterson, in which she emphatically and enthusiastically declared herself interested in Hillary Clinton's Senate seat.

Governor Paterson, who has sole authority to fill the Senate vacancy, insisted that he had not yet chosen a successor to Mrs. Clinton and said that Monday’s conversation with Ms. Kennedy was the first he had had with her since an initial discussion almost two weeks ago. Meantime, "CK" is now launching a public effort to demonstrate that she has both the ability and the stomach to perform the job, with plans to visit parts of the upstate region--although as of today I imagine she and her overzealous team of politicos are still waiting for the roads to be salted and cleared up around Utica and Rochester.

But hold the equines Pointdexter; coming up strong down the stretch in this mondo bizarro of politics is Fran "Da Senate Nanny" Drescher who also believes she's qualified. And why not? If Stuart Smalley née Al Franken can contest the Minnesota seat, why not Tony Manero's dance partner representin' proper? Hae-hae-hae-hae-hae-hae-hae-hae.

According to New York magazine:
"I've just been given the appointment of U.S. diplomat," (Drescher) said at a party for dining establishment Le Cirque: A Table in Heaven on December 3. "My title is public diplomacy envoy for women's health issues, and I just got back from a four-country European tour of duty. I believe next I'll be sent to the Middle East." What else makes her a good candidate? "I'm an authentic and honest person," she said. "And I think Capitol Hill needs more of that."

She was either eloquent or drunk; I'm not yet sure which. For those who've been out of the entertainment loop (present company included), Drescher was diagnosed with uterine cancer several years ago and has been in remission for a while.

According to The Huff Post:
Along the way, (Drescher) says she won first lady Laura Bush's help in supporting women's health issues, and was rewarded with a nomination to be a special U.S. envoy. Her appointment is stuck in the usual bureaucracy, but she swears there are no skeletons in her closet. "I'm a good girl, I am," Drescher says.

Meantime, Caroline Kennedy has moved aggressively into campaign-like mode, albeit with careful attention to political protocol. Besides Mr. Paterson and Christine C. Quinn, the New York City Council speaker, Kennedy called upstate officials like Representative Louise M. Slaughter and Byron Brown, the mayor of Buffalo; the Rev. Al Sharpton, and Charles E. Schumer, New York’s senior senator.

Stay tuned for the Bad Craziness. Perhaps we can lure Jesse Ventura out of retirement to add an extra pinch of spice to this pot of jambalaya.

(sources: NY Times, The Huffington Post, New York Magazine, Mediabistro)

Senator Kennedy (D), NY?

 
Will Caroline Kennedy follow in her family's historical footsteps and fully enter the political arena?

According to ABC, Ms. Kennedy---a fervent Obama supporter---is said to be considering the possibility. New York Gov. David Patterson, the man tasked with picking Hillary Clinton's successor, has not yet issued a statement on the process. Earlier, similar rumors circulated that former President Bill Clinton might be interested in the job, but his office quickly released a statement saying he was not willing to consider any offers. Caroline Kennedy's cousin, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., was also discussed as a potential successor, but formally took his name out of the running earlier this week.

It's a big job and somebody has to do it. Despite the high-profile recusals, Gov. Paterson still has a strong team of candidates from which to choose. There are a number of contenders, including several members of New York's delegation in the House of Representatives, New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown, Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion, and Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi.

The rumours don't seem to sit well with a small faction of Obama supporters who feel the change they were promised comes in the form of long time Clintonites and White House insiders, as well as savvy party satellites such as Ms. Kennedy.

In any case, whoever is chosen would have to be ready for hard core, non-stop campaigning and fundraising over the next four years. Clinton's successor will face a hotly-contested campaign in 2010 to fill out the remainder of her term, followed by a re-election bid jut two years later.