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author said:
She came to our county today with Michelle Obama. I got to shake hands with both of them but I was most excited about getting to meet Caroline. She signed a copy of a Kennedy Family Portrait book that I have. I am still reeling over this. Anyway I just thought this would be the perfect place to share my joy with everyone.
author said:
She came to our county today with Michelle Obama. I got to shake hands with both of them but I was most excited about getting to meet Caroline. She signed a copy of a Kennedy Family Portrait book that I have. I am still reeling over this. Anyway I just thought this would be the perfect place to share my joy with everyone.
author said:
MinM mentioned Ted Kennedy. I actually like him in spite of what some would say about him. I admire anyone who devotes 46 years of his life to public service when he doesn't even have to work. That alone should be commended. ;D
author said:
Good stuff, PH.
My main objective with those posts was to shine a light on the process. As far as Caroline Kennedy is concerned ??? I have no idea what kind of Senator she would make. Which may have ultimately worked against her candidacy. The powers that be I'm sure would rather have more of a known quantity.
Speaking of known quantities -- Kirsten Gillebrand certainly fits that bill -- and like you I tend to like her voting record. Gillebrand's close ties to Alphonse D'Amato though are a major red flag. This is where DiEugenio's point plays in. Between Gillebrand's friends, and Kennedy's enemies,( the usual suspects on the "right" and "left" gatekeepers Kos and Hamsher ). Caroline comes off as the least beholding to special interests.
The bigger picture IMO is this false left-right paradigm perpetuated by the m$m. Exemplified by the way the Republicrats use electronic voting to purge undesirables ( eg., Cynthia McKinney or Ron Paul at the National level ). And that one-man electronic voting machine, Patrick Fitzgerald, used by the PTB to pick winners ( Obama ) and losers ( Blago ).
GOBama ;)
MinM said:Paterson admits role in Kennedy withdrawal flap: report - Democratic Underground
New York - Barrett: Gillibrand and Paterson - The D'Amato Connection - Runnin' Scared - Village Voice
Who Killed Coraline :?:
Hired PR gun doomed Caroline, insiders say
Gov. Paterson's decision to go nuclear on Caroline Kennedy was a hatchet job run by a pricey out-of-state consultant who specializes in political scandals, disgruntled administration sources said.
Judy Smith, a Washington-based PR guru and former Bush White House deputy press secretary, orchestrated the ill-conceived character attack on Kennedy, sources said Sunday.
There was an internal agreement among Paterson staffers to refrain from attacking Kennedy.
Then came the leaks from inside the governor's office that Kennedy's supposed tax, nanny and marital problems had tanked her bid for Hillary Clinton's Senate seat - taking many staffers by surprise.
"There were radically different statements all coming out of the governor's camp at the exact same time," a Paterson adviser said.
The administration released a formal statement insisting no information gathered from candidates for Clinton's seat led to Kennedy's withdrawal.
Yet it was Paterson who signed off on Smith's plan to release dirt on Kennedy, the sources said.
Paterson loyalists are bemoaning his willingness to listen to a hired gun with little knowledge of New York politics, undercutting his own staff and projecting the image of an administration in chaos.
Paterson first brought Smith onboard last fall after his top aide, Charles O'Byrne, resigned in the wake of a tax scandal.
"It's crazy. This never would have happened when Charles was there," the adviser said. "In his absence, there's a power vacuum, and a bunch of people are all doing their own thing.
"This is really, really serious," the adviser continued. "Permanent damage has been done."
The adviser suggested a "racial component" was at work when Paterson decided to bring on Smith, the first African-American woman to hold the deputy press secretary position at the White House. She came at the recommendation of Lisa Davis, a celebrity/media attorney who is the governor's childhood friend.
"People like Lisa and Judy stirred the pot a little bit, and [Paterson] has always felt the Spitzer people didn't respect him, so when Charles blew up, the governor's old-time core people rallied around him and felt he needed a team that better reflected who he was," the source said.
Smith's client list has included Monica Lewinsky, the family of murdered Washington intern Chandra Levy, Louisiana Rep. William Jefferson, who is battling corruption charges, and scandal-scarred former D.C. Mayor Marion Barry.
Paterson has used campaign cash to pay Smith's firm, Impact Strategies, $64,367 since October, according to his Jan. 15 filing with the state Board of Elections.
The Kennedy fiasco has brought out the worst in the Paterson administration, revealing an executive chamber that is beset by infighting, lacking in leadership and in desperate need of a staffing shakeup.
"I don't know who's in charge there any longer," one Democratic state senator said.
"David's like a time bomb."
The lawmaker expressed hope that Paterson's recent appointment of Lawrence Schwartz, formerly the deputy county executive in Westchester, would bring some much-needed stability to the administration.
"He has a reputation as a bit of a control freak, but that's what the governor needs right now," the lawmaker said.
Still, Paterson's selection of Schwartz isn't sitting well with organized labor.
A top union source said Schwartz's effort to influence internal union dealings in Westchester left labor with the belief he's "not an honest broker." This could cause big problems at a time when Paterson needs labor allies as he pushes for massive budget cuts.
ebenjamin@nydailynews.com
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2009/01/26/2009-01-26_hired_pr_gun_doomed_caroline_insiders_sa.html
Judy Smith knows a thing or two about scandals. Her
Washington-based crisis management firm, Smith & Co., has worked on
cases involving Monica Lewinsky, Michael Vick and BP after the Gulf Oil
spill. (Prior to that, Smith served as an assistant U.S. attorney and a
deputy press secretary in George H.W. Bush’s White House).
It’s
enough of a résumé to help inspire, in part, ABC’s new prime-time drama,
“Scandal,” which debuts Thursday and was created by Shonda Rhimes of
“Grey’s Anatomy” fame. The show’s lead actress, Kerry Washington, plays
Olivia Pope, a character modeled after Smith, who has used her
Washington expertise to help craft the show’s narrative.
@PageSix: Star Jones honors Judy Smith, inspiration for "Scandal" character Olivia Pope m http://nyp.st/11nsMwr