Friday, December 05, 2008

Who Will Be NY's Next Junior Senator?

Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand, my local representative from New York's 20th congressional district, is up for consideration to replace Senator Hillary Clinton as the junior senator from New York. I wrote about her recent election, the most expensive race for a House seat in the entire nation this year.

Also in the running is Caroline Kennedy-Schlossberg. I like her. I really, really like her. I think she would do a great job. But I do have a problem with consistency since I bashed Anastasia Beaverhausen for her lack of experience.

NY Governor David Paterson's choice will be interesting. He has been in a recent dispute regarding his need to appoint a new leader of the NY State Court of Appeals. A panel recommended a list of seven, all white men, for him to consider. He has asked NY AG Andrew Cuomo, himself under consideration for the U.S. Senate seat, to investigate why the list lacks diversity.

I half expect Paterson to appoint himself to the Senate although I don't know if he can. That would remove him from New York's fiscal mess and he would take advantage of his positive public opinion. I think he'd make a great Senator, too.

2 comments:

michael sean morris said...

The experience necessary for the vice-presidency and the experience necessary for the Senate are two different things, as it would have to be a serious bloodbath for the junior Senator from New York to have to assume the Presidency.

I think Caroline Kennedy-Schlossberg is as good a choice as any - the whole 'politics in her blood' thing - and on the plus side, the Kennedy curse doesn't seem to affect the women. Except Kathleen.

Anonymous said...

Caroline Kennedy's resume (from wikipedia):
B.A. from Harvard University
J.D. from Columbia Law School
Wrote two books with Ellen Alderman:
* In Our Defense: The Bill of Rights In Action (1990)
* The Right to Privacy (1995)
Edited several books, wrote one on the Kennedy family.
Currently President of the Kennedy Library Foundation, a director of both the Commission on Presidential Debates and the

NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and Honorary Chairman of the American Ballet Theatre. She is also an adviser to

the Harvard Institute of Politics, a living memorial to her father.

The Senate would not only be getting another Kennedy and all the stuff that goes along with that but also Jackie's

daughter, A girl raised at arms length fromt he rest of the clan. She would probably be the first Kennedy to serve in the

Senate or House who has not been to rehab since Bobby back in 1968. She would be great, if s