Senator Caroline Kennedy From The Great State Of New York?

It is politics as usual. It's all about who you know or are related to. In Illinois, people just seize positions here because of who their parent is.

Beth, I agree with you. Caroline Kennedy has the right last name and so people think she's qualified. I don't.

I do not know her qualifications. But she's a pretty popular person with the public. I have a feeling that if she ran for an office she would win. People have a tendency to vote for a name they regognize. The just kept on electing Ted Kennedy until he can't run anymore.

I saw a biography about her a while back -- years ago. I like her, but I don't live in New York, so I really don't have a say.

I agree with you. The Kennedys are dinosaurs, a thing of the forgotten past. It's time for some fresh blood in the senate. Not just in New York either....

Joe, here is the list of people that Patterson was considering. Notice the odds - This list came from:

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/2008/11/the_next_senator_from_new_york.html

Notice the very last name on the list and what the article said.

3-1: Thomas Suozzi. Suozzi is known nationally (to the extent he is known at all) as the guy who ran a quixotic primary challenge against Spitzer in 2006. With two years of hindsight, however, Suozzi, the Nassau County executive, looks better and better. Suozzi's geographic base (Long Island) is appealing for Democrats looking for a statewide winner, and Bill Cunningham, the top political aide to Paterson, is also extremely close to Suozzi.

5-1: Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand. Gillibrand, who knocked off embattled Rep. John Sweeney (R) in 2006, is a political dynamo who received the most votes of any New York incumbent (177,667) earlier this month. Gillibrand's geographic positioning in Upstate, coupled with her fundraising prowess ($4.6 million raised in the past two years) and the idea of replacing Clinton with another woman, makes her a top prospect.

8-1: Rep. Nita M. Lowey. It's no secret that Lowey would like to be in the Senate. She appeared headed that way eight years ago until Clinton decided she wanted to run and Lowey stepped aside. But at this point there are doubts that Lowey is really interested, at 71 years of age and with significant seniority in the House, and, even if so, whether she would be the long-term choice.

12-1: State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo. Cuomo, the son of the former New York governor, is the biggest name (outside of the Kennedys) in the potential field. And, with Paterson on course to run for a full term in 2010, the Senate could be a nice landing spot for Cuomo. And yet, few party insiders take the prospect of a Sen. Cuomo seriously -- and we don't know why.

20-1: Reps. Steve Israel and Brian Higgins. Israel, from Long Island, and Higgins, from western New York, are well regarded by the state's political establishment. Neither man, however, brings the "star power" that some New Yorkers expect out of their senators.

25-1: Reps. Greg Meeks and Nydia Velasquez. Both Members have a case to be made that a state as diverse as New York deserves a Senate delegation with more diversity in it. Meeks, an African American, has represented the Queens-area 6th district for the last decade while Velasquez, who is Hispanic, has held the 12th district since 1992.

30-1: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The idea of naming Kennedy to the same seat his father once held has sentimental appeal for many in the New York Democratic Party. Kennedy is still in the mix for a post in President-elect Barack Obama's administration -- head of the Environmental Protection Agency -- and so any Senate speculation is on hold. Some Democrats also harbor electability concerns about Kennedy, believing he is far too liberal to be elected statewide.

100-1: Caroline Kennedy. The most interest Kennedy has ever shown in politics surfaced with her endorsement of Obama this year and her subsequent service as a vice presidential vetter. This one ain't happening.

I live in Kennedy Land so you are preaching to the choir on this one..Someone in this state with the last name Kennedy would get them elected just on that alone.

Phyllis - I think any state that has mostly Democrats will also vote for anyone that belongs to the Kennedy family. New York is definitely full of Democrats. New York just changed the name of the Triborough Bridge to the Robert F. Kennedy bridge.

Joe - I'm not sure if this has so much to do with New York politics or the fact that Caroline Kennedy wants to be the next NY Senator and Obama owes her one. I really believe that Obama might have made some kind of deal with Gov. Patterson if Patterson would appoint her.

I don't think I know enough about her to really make a judgment, and the people of New York need to find out her positions. I guess I also want to give her the position because she supported Obama, but you are correct. We cannot have amateurs running this country and if she isn't the best qualified, the governor needs to appoint someone who is.

Hi, Elizabeth, thank you for your comment. Kennedy made some stops in upstate NY this past week and then she had lunch with Al Sharpton at the end of the week. She refused to answer questions from the reporters and some New Yorkers are now comparing her to Sarah Palin. She isn't saying anything about anything.

Even if she goes all over New York it isn't up to the people if she's put into office. Some people say that Hillary Clinton wasn't qualified but New Yorkers voted her in and that is a big difference. Clinton wasn't appointed.

I think if Kennedy does get the seat it will be because of Obama. I think that he might have set up some kind of deal with Patterson so that he can reward Kennedy for helping him out. But just because she campaigned for Obama does not make her qualified to be senator.

I hope Patterson gives the seat to one of the many people who are qualified and would like to be senator, not Kennedy.

I agree, all she has is the last name. As far as I know she has shied away from the Political scene for years........... Why the sudden interest?

I never knew she was interested in politics.......she may have grown up with politics, but that doesn't give her the experience to be a senator.

Thanks for the comments Donna and Alison.

Donna, Caroline said that she decided that she wants to be senator because everyone keeps asking her when she will go into politics so she thought that now would be a good time. Is that because she won't be voted in by the people but appointed instead?

Alison, I agree with your statement. Just because her name is Kennedy doesn't mean she is qualified at all.

Given what Uncle Ted has gotten away with (murder at the most and being half a man at the least) and has been able to serve as Senator for oh these many years, I guess she is just as qualified.

Mike
The Political and Financial Markets Commentator
http://politicsandfinance.blogspot.com

Amazing how the Bush family is rightly panned while the Kennedys can do no wrong. No double standards there at all.

I thought the circumstances surrounding Hilary Clinton being elected from New York sounded pretty shady. She just moved there long enough to squeak by on the residency requirements.