So, this open New York senate seat and the selection process has been screwed up to a fair thee well, and now we’re at the he said/she said part of any good scandal. I can hear the great Ed Koch mocking it on the news as I write this.

And of course Pete King, Congressman and the Republican half of the 2010 special election, threw in his two cents as well:

“This looks more and more like the gang that can’t shoot straight. I mean, David Paterson is a good friend of mine, but so far this whole process just makes no sense at off, and we’re talking about a very important seat, in one of the most important states in the country, and we’re going without representation, and it’s just really making it look like a circus. And, you know, the position deserves more than that.”

“This is not that difficult a decision,” he added, “This is, you have two months to pick one person. And, you know, this isn’t a war, this isn’t a depression or a recession, this isn’t a financial crisis, it’s picking someone, and you know all the characters involved.”

I can believe Caroline Kennedy dropped out of the running due to personal reasons, though I think by “personal” she means “embarrassing” and by “issues” she means “last four polls.” But then, I always thought that she and Andrew Cuomo were nothing more than catnip for the national media, most of whom were more concerned aboot what Obama wanted or what would give them the easiest story to write than they were who the Governor of New York might actually pick.

Now the leading candidate is upstate Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand. She’s a woman, so she fills Gov. Patterson’s top requirement. Plus she’s an “upstate New Yorker who raises money like someone from New York City.” I’m not quite sure what that means, but apparently it’s a good thing.

I guess we find out Friday at high noon.

UPDATE: Or we find out tonight…. I’ll be honest, at first glance at least, I don’t think I hate her. As per Wikipedia…

Gillibrand is a member of the Blue Dog Coalition. She strongly opposes gun control. She is a strong advocate of 2nd Amendment rights. She supports extending the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts for middle tax families; stem cell research; and the Children’s Health and Medicare Protection Act. Gillibrand opposes attempts to partially privatize Social Security. She strongly supported passage of the 2008 Farm Bill. Gillibrand broke with former Governor Eliot Spitzer on the issue of illegal immigration, opposing his plan to issue New York State drivers licenses to illegal immigrants.

And according to Robert Zimmerman on “Lou Dobbs Tonight,” she’s already being threatened with a 2010 primary challenge from Rep. Carolyn McCarthy…before she’s even been officially appointed.  In the words of Joey Styles, ” CAT FIGHT!  CAT FIGHT!  CAT FIGHT!”

Like what you read? Join Citizens for Brodigan to get all the latest updates!

Let’s be honest. Unless I wake up one morning having the exact opposite opinion of the world as I did the night before, I’m voting Republican in 2010. That said, I still think that Patterson is a) making a huge political mistake, and b) over estimating how much Kennedy and/or Bloomberg money will make up for it.

Four reasons:

1. There are TWENTY-SEVEN Democrat congresspeople who are being passed over for the job and who unlike Princess Caroline have dedicated their life to the people of New York.

2. Unlike Republicans, Democrats have a serious contender for NYC Mayor in Congressman Anthony Weiner.

3. The latest batch of polls show that almost half of New Yorkers don’t think Princess Caroline is qualified to be Senator, and favor Andrew Cuomo for the job.

4. If I’m Andrew Cuomo and the rumors are true aboot me considering a primary challenge to Gov. Patterson, numbers 1-3 definitely help me make my decision.

Your move, Governor.

UPDATE: NewsCopy.org has more…

UPDATE DEUX: Um…what?

UPDATE TRES: I wonder if Caroline Kennedy’s “personal reasons” were that Patterson wasn’t picking her in the first place.

Like what you read? Join Citizens for Brodigan to get all the latest updates!

On top of all this, we have a Democrat Governor who was never elected by the people (he was anointed after the elected Democrat Governor was caught with a prostitute) set to anoint a Democrat Socialite that was never elected by the people (and who 48% don’t think is qualified for the job), just because her Uncle is people who knows people and she’s, like, BFF’s with the President-Elect.

Or is he? Assembly Minority Leader James Tedisco (he’s one of us) has other ideas:

Republicans in New York’s Legislature are pushing for a special election to fill the expected vacancy in the U.S. Senate instead of allowing Democratic Gov. David Paterson to make a unilateral appointment through a secretive process. The efforts, however, are by traditionally powerless minority conferences of the Assembly and Senate and face a near impossible timetable to even get the bills to floor debates before Paterson chooses Hillary Rodham Clinton’s successor from a field of Democrats including Caroline Kennedy and Andrew Cuomo.

Assembly Minority Leader James Tedisco, a Schenectady Republican, noted specifically that Kennedy, the perceived front-runner, has no record in elected office and her positions on public policy are largely unknown. “We need an election, not a coronation, to ensure our next U.S. senator reflects the will of the people,” Tedisco said.

Let’s be honest with ourselves. With current senator Hillary Clinton set to say goodbye to her senate colleagues tomorrow, there’s no way they would get anything passed before Patterson makes his anointment. This is all aboot 2010 and a once in a lifetime opportunity for the great state of New York to elected a new Governor and TWO new Senators in the same year.

On top of that, the current governor and (soon to be) current junior senator have NEVER faced the voters before. Folks tend to take their ability to choose their leaders seriously…something the R’s will start reminding them with this legislation and continue to do so for the next two years.

On top of that, there’s Gov. Patterson and his plan to tax everything in sight, while INCREASING SPENDING even though he’s having trouble paying the bills as it is.

Then it’s just a matter of rolling out our all stars. Patterson vs. Rudy Giuliani. Caroline vs. Pete King. Chucky Schumer vs….James Tedisco? I’d even let Mayor Bloomberg coming crawling back, as rumor has it he’s looking to do…unless of course Steve Forbes is interested in being mayor. Let’s also get behind some of our younger leaders – like Greg Ball and Marcus Molinaro – and take back some of the congressional seats we’ve lost over the past few cycles.

2010 is do or die for the GOP. Let’s get to work!

UPDATE: And let’s not be Tennessee…

UPDATE DEUX: Not Caroline apparently.  Hmmm….

Like what you read? Join Citizens for Brodigan to get all the latest updates!

I’m not that familiar aboot who this Caroline Kennedy is, but apparently people know her family, and according to Gov. David Patterson she has her pluses and minuses…

“Caroline Kennedy obviously does have a tremendous relationship with the president and that’s certainly a plus. She does not have much political, I mean legislative, experience which is a minus…”

So for those of you riding the short bus, let’s sum up:

Her plus is that she’s BFF with the President-Elect.

Her minus is that she has no experience whatsoever.

Start spreading the news…

UPDATE: Um…what?

Like what you read? Join Citizens for Brodigan to get all the latest updates!

So sayeth the man in a recent New York Magazine article…

“I have been talking to a lot of people around the state. Giuliani is supporting me. The big issue is money. Caroline Kennedy will have access to a lot more money. I have to make sure I can get $30 million to $35 million to make this competitive.”

“She has led an almost Greta Garbo-like reclusive life and now wants to be appointed senator from the state which is the No. 1 terrorist target in the world. You need someone who can fight and knows what’s going on.”

The differences between the two are astounding, because while Caroline looks like she’s being dragged around New York against her will, I see Pete King all over the place…even before I even realized he was my congressman. Granted we Irish have a habit of sticking out, but it seems everywhere I turn I’d see him talking to people with a cup of coffee, coming out of church, at various Police benefits over the years (again – Irish, New York – go figure), etc.

One in particular was last October. We had a benefit for my friend’s nephew, whose father died a year earlier in Iraq. It was a week before the bitter national election and it’s not like King was running against anyone himself (I may have seen some dude at the Long Beach festival in a green tie holding a sign, but he could have been anyone), so if there was ever a weeknight to relax at home with a pint of Guinness and watch “Hannity and Colmes,” this was it. Yet, there was Pete King to show his support.

And because I had started to hear rumours aboot his future plans, I actually stayed back and watched him as he went from table to table talking to people, asking them what was on their mind, asking aboot my friend’s nephew and his family, and so on. He was in the mix, talking to the voters, simply to see what he needs to know.

Compare that to Caroline Kennedy, where when you look at the expression on her face you can almost hear her saying, “But Uncle Teddyy, I don’t wanna talk to the voters! Don’t we have peopllle to do thattt?”

UPDATE: Umm…I agree with Gloria Steinem?

UPDATE DEUX: Hott!

UPDATE TRES: I’m really going to enjoy this…

Like what you read? Join Citizens for Brodigan to get all the latest updates!

I’ve always looked at the open New York Senate seat in that David Patterson could nominate a horse if he wanted to, and I’m voting for Pete King in 2010 regardless, so I never really thought much aboot Caroline Kennedy. However I have been mildly entertained as the wheels have started to come off. Especially when you see her out “on the campaign trail” and she seems like she’s being forced to do this against her will.

Or my personal favourite, saying that if she wasn’t appointed she had no plans to run in 2010.

Here’s Michael Goodwin with more:

But a strange thing is happening on the way to the coronation. The wheels of the bandwagon are coming off. Fantasy is giving way to inescapable truth. That truth is that Kennedy is not ready for the job and doesn’t deserve it. Somebody who loves her should tell her.

Her quest is becoming a cringe-inducing experience, as painful to watch as it must be to endure. Because she is the only survivor of that dreamy time nearly 50 years ago, she remains an iconic figure. But in the last few days, her mini-campaign has proved she has little to offer New Yorkers except her name.

I stand by my originally assessment that she was nothing more than catnip to the national media, and that Gov. Patterson was going to pick one of our 24 D congresspeople. Kirsten Hildebrand was the name at the top of the list, but Patterson taking a sudden trip to Iraq with Long Island’s own Steve Israel definitely raised an eyebrow.

The question is, with Hillary Clinton not expecting to resign her seat until late January at the earliest, and with the coronation of Princess Caroline going the way it’s going, how long until Hildebrand or Israel (or anyone else) start to stand up and say, “What aboot me? When’s gonna be my time?”

UPDATE: Oh, that CNN…

Everyone loves the “fairy tale” aspect of the story. Well, not quite everyone. According to the New York Post, JBdotC’s newspaper of record, former NY congresswoman and vice presidential candidate Geraldine Ferraro has what she (and I, for what it’s worth) thinks is a better idea.

Geraldine Ferraro gave a thumbs down to Caroline Kennedy’s bid for the Senate yesterday. Ferraro…sent a letter to Gov. Paterson urging him to instead appoint one of New York’s six sitting female Congress members to replace Hillary Rodham Clinton in the Senate. [She] said it’s not time for on-the-job training while New York faces a fiscal crisis.

“You can’t send someone down there who doesn’t know the issues. If you send someone down there who doesn’t know the legislative process, they’ll get chewed up alive. Our senator should be ready on Day 1. Just knowing people down there [in Washington, DC]? It’s just not enough.”

Personally, unless it’s the result of a sudden death, I don’t like the idea of Senate appointments at all. You don’t need to look any further than the state of Illinois for an example why. There should always be a special election…even if it’s just a one party primary.

The people of New York chose a Democrat to represent them four six years, so it’s only fair that Sen. Clinton is replaced by another Democrat. New York has TWENTY-SIX congresspeople with D’s at the end of their names who have dedicated their political careers to serving the people of New York, plus a ton of mayors and other local officials on top of that. All of whom I’m sure would love the opportunity to run for an open seat.

To pass over them just to coronate someone because their last name makes people feel good isn’t the way to go.

UPDATE: Speaking of last names…

The article questioned if King throwing his hat in the ring is going to influence who Gov. David Patterson appoints:

“Peter King’s presence in the race could potentially scare Paterson away from naming a relative unknown like the mayor of Buffalo or one of the congresswomen. [King is] very clearly associated with issues of homeland security that are of concern to people in New York. And he’s arguably the most visible Republican in the state after [Rudy] Giuliani.”

Personally, I think Kennedy and Cuomo are just catnip for the national media and in light of what’s going on in Illinois, I don’t see Patterson selecting someone that will make it look like they got the gig because of their daddy or uncle. Methinks his choice will be someone like upstate Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand.

Either way, who would of thunk we might be able to pick up a Senate seat in New York of all places?

UPDATE: Oh well…

UPDATE DEUX: Maybe Andrew is still in the running too?