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.

I'm glad you're happy, but... Your adoration of the Kennedys reminds me of the British public's reverence for their "royal family." I don't get that, either. Still, I'm glad you're happy.  :)

Thanks guys for being happy for me. I will treasure the book even more because she signed it.  :D :D :D :D

Anyway 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

"...the Democrats' version of Sarah Palin?"



December 27th 2008
Caroline Kennedy tells Daily News: I wouldn't be beholden to anybody

A defiant Caroline Kennedy says she "wouldn't be beholden to anybody" - including Mayor Bloomberg - if she's picked to become New York's next U.S. senator.

"I'm really coming into this as somebody who isn't, you know, part of the system, who obviously, you know, stands for the values of, you know, the Democratic Party," Kennedy told the Daily News Saturday during a wide-ranging interview.

"I know how important it is to, you know, to be my own person. And, you know, and that would be obviously true with my relationship with the mayor."

Kennedy, 51, is one of a number of New Yorkers looking to replace Sen. Hillary Clinton, who will give up the seat to become secretary of state.

Kennedy revealed she has had several recent discussions with her former cousin-in-law, Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, who is also considered a serious candidate for the Senate seat.

"Andrew is, you know, highly qualified for this job," she said. "He's doing a, you know, a great job as attorney general, and we've spoken throughout this process."

"You know, I think, you know, we're sort of, uh, sharing some of this experience. And um, as I've said, he was a friend, a family member, and um so, and uh obviously, he's, you know, he's also had an impressive career in public office."

Although Cuomo has said he is fond of Kennedy, he has refused to say whether he believes she is qualified to be senator.

Bashed as a political novice, Kennedy argued that her ties in Washington, particularly to President-elect Barack Obama, can help her deliver for New York. She denied that her interest in the seat is driven by a desire to ensure the family continues its decades-long presence in the Senate.  http://assets.nydailynews.com/img/2008/12/28/amd_caroline_kennedy.jpg

comments:

fcs25@yahoo.com Dec 29, 2008 8:18:51 AM 

Of course she wouldn't be "beholden" to anyone.......she hasn't done anything; hasn't worked a day in her life, has never held down a job, hasn't even bothered to vote.

pakibrock Dec 29, 2008 9:09:08 AM 

I have heard her speak recently. She is dumb. I thought she was smart. She is dumb. Hope the governor goes for Cuomo.

mcc99 Dec 29, 2008 10:33:06 AM 

I, you know, think that, um, you know, if she is appointed senator, that, you know, it will only confirm all my suspicions about how you know, hopelessly corrupt NY politics is and how, you know, the state is otherwise, you know, doomed.

Anacondaman Dec 27, 2008 8:26 PM
And her qualifications & experiences are? Is she the Democrats' version of Sarah Palin? She's a Kennedy, the last of the Camelot's fairy tale; how does THAT qualify her for a Senate seat? Is this a popularity contest or a contest between the most capable & qualified to represent the needs of New Yorkers? WHEN are WE, the taxpayers that pay their salaries going to demand excellence from those we entrust with our lives? See what happened to our educational system, our transit system, our courts, our police & see the mess the politicians and THEIR personal interests have made when we DON'T make our demands heard? They reward the already rich w/OUR tax monies as they give themselves bonuses & vacation at our expense as they enslave US, our children, grandchildren & great grandchildren w/debts. WHEN do we end this abuse? Caroline, go back to your tea parties, shopping sprees & sheltered life. You represent cronyism & plutocracy, nothing more! The rich only look out for themselves!
-------

Posted partially in the hope that maybe it'd spur JFK/RFK4Ever into responding. I miss her.  ;) I do agree with the um, you know, overall sentiment of the um, you know, responders above, though.

January 22, 2009
Housekeeper and Taxes Are Said to Derail Kennedy’s Bid

ALBANY — Problems involving taxes and a household employee surfaced during the vetting of Caroline Kennedy and derailed her candidacy for the Senate, a person close to Gov. David A. Paterson said on Thursday, in an account at odds with Ms. Kennedy’s own description of her reasons for withdrawing.

The account emerged 14 hours after Ms. Kennedy announced that she was taking her name out of contention for the Senate seat vacated by Hillary Rodham Clinton, and as Mr. Paterson, according to two well-placed Democrats told of his thinking, was leaning toward selecting
Representative Kirsten E. Gillibrand, an upstate lawmaker in her second term in Congress.

Hard feelings toward Ms. Kennedy were clearly building among the governor’s staff on Thursday, after a dramatic evening in which she was reported to be dropping out, then wavering, then ultimately, shortly after midnight on Thursday, issuing a statement ending her candidacy.

During the early afternoon Wednesday, the aide said, Ms. Kennedy became aware of what the aide referred to as a “personal situation” that could prevent her from fulfilling her duties as senator. The personal situation was not related to the seizure that her uncle, Senator Edward M. Kennedy, suffered during an inauguration luncheon on Tuesday, the aide said, declining to be more specific.  http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/23/nyregion/23caroline.html?_r=1

KENNEDY NEVER HAD A CHANCE: SOURCE
TAX, NANNY, MARRIAGE WERE ALL ISSUES

In a stunning revelation, a source close to Gov. David Paterson insisted this afternoon that the governor "had no intention" of picking Caroline Kennedy for New York's vacant senate seat - because she was "mired" in an issue over taxes, her nanny and possibly her marriage.

Kennedy was "mired in some potentially embarrassing personal issues," the source said, citing tax liabilities and worker compensation liabilities connected to the employment of a nanny.

The source also said the state of her marriage may have presented a problem as well.

"She has a tax problem that came up in the vetting and a potential nanny issue," the soruce said. "And reporters are starting to look at her marriage more closely," the soruce continued, refusing to provide any specifics.

Kennedy denied any issue over her marriage in an interview with The Post last month. Aides to Kennedy couldn't immediately be reached.

Hours earlier, a source close to Kennedy told The Post she'd bowed out because she'd become aware of a personal issue early Wednesday afternoon, but that it had nothing to do with her uncle, Sen. Ted Kennedy, and his ailing health, contrary to some reports citing "a family source."

Kennedy withdrew from consideration to replace Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, just two months after rocking the New York political landscape by throwing her hat in the ring.  http://www.nypost.com/seven/01222009/news/politics/carolines_kaput_151351.htm

This certainly ties into what Jim DiEugenio...

http://www.ctka.net/2009/hamsher.html
http://www.ctka.net/2009/hamsher_2.html
http://www.ctka.net/2009/hamsher_3.html
http://www.blackopradio.com/pod/black406a.mp3
http://www.blackopradio.com/pod/black410b.mp3

and others...

Pay-to-Play Scheme in NY Senate Seat Pick? - Democratic Underground

have observed.

Always happy to see you post, MinM, even if it's just to say that I'm full of crap. ;) I read a couple or three of the DiEugenio articles you linked to, and was really disappointed by them. I wasn't sure if I should reply here, or in the "Enough of DiEugenio!" thread, but my estimation of his intelligence fell by several degrees as I slogged through his illogical and contradictory comments. Generally, I like Wayne Madsen, but I think he fumbled here, too.

"By far, the largest group Soros and his allies has infiltrated and taken over is the Democratic Party of the United States. It now totally adheres to a corporatist line and has purged from its leadership Dr. Howard Dean and replaced him with Virginia Governor Tim Kaine, a Democratic Leadership Council adherent. The Soros faction and its allies has also seen to it that Bill Richardson, Caroline Kennedy, and others who represent the “Democratic wing of the Democratic Party” have been shut out of the Obama administration."

The Democratic party was "corporatist" to the core long before Howard Dean came into prominence. And who is Howard Dean, anyway? A good friend of mine got caught up in the Dean mania and was having Dean parties at his house, etc, so I looked into his record and the guy's actually no more "liberal" than your average "moderate republican." I was not impressed. Kaine may be worse, but I can't see where Dean is anything to get excited about, either.

"Soros’ agents of disinformation and influence have moved in to “manage” the stories about... the Turkish and Israeli intelligence penetration of the highest echelons of the U.S. government, the presence of Israeli spies among the accused 9/11 hijackers in the months prior to the terrorist attacks in 2001..."

If Madsen is (rightly) concerned about our "very special relationship" with Israel, why would he endorse a pro-Zionist like Caroline Kennedy?

Q. Do you believe that an undivided Jerusalem must be the national capital of the State of Israel?
A. Yes, Caroline believes that an undivided Jerusalem must be the national capital of the State of Israel.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/21/nyregion/21platform.html?_r=1

"Her Highness supports an "undivided Jerusalem" as the capital of Israel, you say? Isn't that tantamount to calling for ethnic cleansing of Palestinians? Isn't that even more extreme than the US govt. under Zionist ultra-enabler Bush? Is Her Highness also cheering on the Zionist attempt to starve out a million or so people in Gaza right now while Americans yammer on about trivialities like snow? Yah, progressive she is for sure."  http://www.prospect.org/csnc/blogs/tapped_archive?month=12&year=2008&base_name=caroline_kennedy_update

I remember all the times I heard Howard Dean speaking out against about the recent Israeli massacre of the Gaza Palestinians, too. That's a joke, obviously.

As for Bill Richardson, what did Soros have to do with the problems that caused Richardson to withdraw?

"Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico was nominated for the position of secretary of commerce by President-elect Barack Obama, but he withdrew from consideration, citing an ongoing investigation of a company that has done business with New Mexico."  http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/people/r/bill_richardson/

Moving on to DiEugenio, it gets much worse.

"A family that was good enough for the likes of Cesar Chavez and Martin Luther King isn't good enough for Jane Hamsher and Markos Moulitsas... For me, I'll take the endorsements of two great men like King and Chavez any day."  http://www.ctka.net/2009/hamsher_2.html

Everything is so black and white and simple for DiEugenio, who clearly has a streak of historical revisionism in him.

"On October 10, 1963, U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy committed what is widely viewed as one of the most ignominious acts in modern American history: he authorized the Federal Bureau of Investigation to begin wiretapping the telephones of the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr."  http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200207/garrow

"One of the reasons I only lurk is that I find many of the posters to be very young. Therefore they lack of any sense of history and perspective. The problem is that some of us were around back then. And further, some us have studied what happened in those intervening years--and afterwards."

Is this guy full of himself, or what? I was around "back then," too, have done a wee bit of studying myself, and I'd rate DiEugenio's "sense of history and perspective" as being piss poor. And what does age have to do with it, anyway? I've had plenty of disagreements with our beloved
JFKRFK4Ever, but never accused her of being ignorant because she was only 21. I think she idolizes the Kennedy family excessively, but then so does Jim, and he's the one who's supposed to have all the "perspective" that comes with age.

"So lumping the Kennedys with say, families like the Rockefellers or Bushes in the dynasty category is, at best, indiscriminate. At worst, it is ignorant, insulting and irresponsible. Yes, there are some political families that should be avoided. Since it has been proven that they have little interest in providing for the common good. But to lump the Kennedys in with them is utterly preposterous."  http://www.ctka.net/2009/hamsher.html

It ain't necessarily so, (the Kennedys have lots of skeletons in their closets, too) and DiEugenio's definition of the "common good" might be seen as not so commonly good by others.

"Guess what? Gillibrand had an incredibly perfect 100 rating with the NRA. This is in New York state of all places! Not the south."

I quit the NRA years ago, mostly because they were annoying and wanted me to vote for George W, but also because there are far better pro-2nd amendment organizations to support. And no, I do not live in the south, Mr. Condescension. I enjoy target shooting, believe in the right of self defense, and also adhere to the founding father's belief that an armed citizenry is a strong deterrent to government tyranny.

"Need more? She twice voted against the TARP bailout bill."

Good for her!

Banker Bailout Scam ...welfare socialism for the financial class.
http://www.infowars.com/lawsuit-challenges-banker-bailout-scam/

How to Lose 55 Percent: Invest in TARP
http://dealbook.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/23/how-to-lose-55-percent-invest-in-tarp/

"On February 5, 2009, Elizabeth Warren, chairperson of the Congressional Oversight Panel, told the Senate Banking Committee that during 2008, the federal government paid $254 billion for assets that were worth only $176 billion.

During 2008, the companies that received bailout money had spent $114 million on lobbying and campaign contributions. These companies received $295 billion in bailout money. Sheila Krumholz, executive director of The Center for Responsive Politics, said of this information, "Even in the best economic times, you won't find an investment with a greater payoff than what these companies have been getting."

Banks that received bailout money had paid their top executives nearly $1.6 billion in salaries, bonuses, and other benefits in 2007. Benefits included cash bonuses, stock options, personal use of company jets and chauffeurs, home security, country club memberships, and professional money management. Obama's administration has promised to set a $500,000 cap on executive pay at companies that receive bailout money, but the proposal would also allow banks to give unlimited amounts of stock to these same executives.

After receiving TARP funds, Bank of America sponsored a Super Bowl event in February 2009, at a five star resort in Palm Beach, which was described as "...a five day carnival-like affair... 850,000 square feet of sports games and interactive entertainment attractions for football fans." The cost of the event was approximately $10 million."  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troubled_Assets_Relief_Program#Controversies

"She also co-sponsored a balanced budget amendment for the federal government."

Are you seriously trying to make me like the bitch, or what?

"But for me it's even worse than that. Gillibrand is a close ally of Hillary Clinton. She has raised money for her, and Clinton supported her appointment.

The idea was for Clinton to appear presidential by taking the centrist route. To the point of her even voting for a resolution which could have paved the way for a war with Iran. And it was this approach and rhetoric which finally repelled Ted and Caroline Kennedy.

So instead of having a person who is a true Democrat, one who fought for a real Democratic ticket, who comes from impeccable Democratic lineage, the blogosphere helps us get a Blue Dog Republican-Lite."  http://www.ctka.net/2009/hamsher_2.html

You're unlikely to find anyone more threatening towards Iran than your AIPAC obedient "real Democrat," Mr. Obama, who is currently peddling the LIE that Iran is working on a nuclear bomb.

”The Iranian government uses the billions of dollars it earns from its oil and gas industry to build its nuclear program and to fund terrorist groups that export its militaristic and radical ideology to Iraq and throughout the Middle East…" - Barack Obama
Obama Introduces Iran Divestment Bill  http://thinkonthesethings.wordpress.com/2007/05/17/obama-introduces-iran-divestment-bill/

"While the Iranian government continues to express its desire to improve relations, Obama and associates just keep hurling accusations at Iran’s civilian nuclear program. There’s one thing the administration is missing though, and that’s evidence... like the Bush Administration, the newcomers don’t seem to want fact to get in the way of good rhetoric."
http://news.antiwar.com/2009/02/12/obama-administration-accuses-iran-of-pursuing-nuclear-weapons/

"Impeccable Democratic lineage?" It's all about dynasty, then, is it? How democratic is that?

PS: I don't think Wayne Madsen approves of your "real Democrat's" sponsor.  ;)

Billionaire George Soros is supporting Barack Obama in the upcoming presidential election.
http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/davidhadley/CXKM

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  ;)

Thanks for the thumbs up, MinM. I've modified this post because I was very tired when I blathered out my first response, which didn't address your main point. I'm tired now, too, but...

The process... hideous, ain't it?

Pay-to-Play Scheme in NY Senate Seat Pick?

Why did Paterson pick Gillibrand, when it seemed Kennedy was the obvious choice? And why did the Governor turn so nasty towards Caroline after she withdrew from the race? Why would he authorize one of his PR flacks (who, it turns out, is a former Bush White House staffer!) to “anonymously” kneecap Kennedy, spreading damaging stories to the press about Caroline’s supposed tax issues, nanny issues, and marital issues (stories Paterson now admits were totally false)?

The answer may not be in anything that Caroline did to piss off the Governor. It was what she didn’t do.

Here’s the REAL crux of the Paterson/Kennedy/Gillibrand senate seat story that the mainstream media won’t touch with a 10-foot pole…apparently becaue they’re all too busy flapping their lips about Blago and his really great hair:

Senate appointee Kirsten Gillibrand’ s former law firm is Boies, Schiller & Flexner.

David Boies, the senior partner at the firm, contributed $25,000 to Gov. Paterson’s campaign committee on December 23, 2008, while the governor was considering Gillibrand’s candidacy.

Boies’ son Chris, also a partner in the firm, contributed another $25,000 on the same day.

Source: The Village Voice (Jan. 22, 2009)

OK, go back and read that again. That’s just the $50k we know of that went into the Governor’s re-election fund. There may be more we don’t know about yet from other sources close to Gillibrand.

The timing of these campaign contributions reeks. Dec. 23, in the heat of the Senate seat competition?

Not TOO obvious, eh?
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x4925925

I question why Caroline should've been considered the "obvious choice," but it does seem like money was probably the deciding factor in Paterson's pick. I don't know how Caroline would've fared in the senate either, of course. You might be right that she would've been less obligated to special interests, since she's got plenty of her own money. I don't like her pro-Israel and anti-gun views, but she could've been very good in other areas. I tended to agree with those who objected to her on the grounds that somehow being a Kennedy "entitled" her to a senate seat, though.

What is the significance of Judy Smith's previous client list? You highlighted Levy's name.

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.

Judy ("hit woman") Smith


Left over from before, with regard to Obama, Soros, DiEugenio, etc...

I can't reconcile the fact that folks like Len, Jim D, and Jim Fetzer can be so knowledgeable about the past, and yet be so seemingly "out to lunch" when it comes to the present. How can anyone who pays attention and does even a little research not know that the "two party system" is a sham, and that both parties work for the same boss? I didn't want to see McCain get elected either, but I knew that Obama had the oligarch seal of approval, too. To hear Fetzer go on and on about how great Obama was going to be made me want to reach for the barf bag.



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’s crisis management at heart of ‘Scandal'