Obama: "Caroline is One of My Dearest Friends"; Sen. Caroline, how much clout would she wield?

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Fri Jan-16-09 01:18 PM
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Obama: "Caroline is One of My Dearest Friends"; Sen. Caroline, how much clout would she wield?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090116/ap_on_re_us/caroline_kennedy_connections_3

EXCERPTS:

NEW YORK � As the governor considers a replacement for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, Caroline Kennedy has spoken repeatedly of her "relationships" in Washington and her desire to use them on New York's behalf.

Certainly, the 51-year-old political neophyte has some powerful connections, including a special relationship with President-elect Barack Obama, an uncle who is a dean of the Senate, and acquaintances who can help her raise tens of millions of dollars.

But with New York in a desperate scramble for federal funds amid an economic meltdown, it is unclear how much clout Kennedy would actually wield as a freshman senator in a place with rigid seniority rules.

"Frankly, when it comes to getting things done for one's state, it's more a matter of hard work than connections," said Thomas Mann, a Brookings Institution congressional scholar.

Still, on Capitol Hill, relationships matter.

Already, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., has spoken publicly in Kennedy's favor. And Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., told The New York Times on Wednesday that she would be thrilled to have Kennedy on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, which Boxer heads.

"So much of politics is personal," said former Democratic Sen. Bob Kerrey of Nebraska. "Liking somebody matters."

Many observers agree that Obama owes Kennedy for delivering a key endorsement at a vital moment in his primary campaign. She became a familiar face on the Obama campaign trail and was one of just three people picked to head his vice-presidential search.

Asked last month on "Meet the Press" whether Kennedy should be appointed to the Senate, Obama called her "one of my dearest friends" but added that he was staying out of New York politics.

Caroline Kennedy is close to her uncle � he gave her away at her wedding and, last year, she rushed to his bedside when he was stricken by brain cancer � and he has reportedly been working the phones on her behalf to help secure the Senate seat.

The good will the elder Kennedy has built with his colleagues over the years would almost certainly rub off on his niece, said former Republican Sen. Alfonse D'Amato. "They are going to embrace her warmly" if she is selected, he said.

"There's a historic magicness about Caroline Kennedy," Kerrey said. "Almost all of them remember her, know her, watched her grow up, know her story, admire the dignity and poise that she's shown over the course of a life, you know, that's been full of tragedy and loss."

The same degree of attention is unlikely to follow the other candidates being considered for Clinton's seat � although a number of them have their own roster of Washington relationships built during years working in the nation's capital.

New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo was housing secretary under President Bill Clinton. And Reps. Carolyn Maloney, Steve Israel, Jerrold Nadler, Kirsten Gillibrand and Brian Higgins have been building connections as members of Congress.

Ultimately the appointment rests with Democratic Gov. David Paterson, who has said he does not want to make an announcement before Obama's inauguration.

Several political observers have questioned the wisdom of using Caroline Kennedy's relationships as an argument for her appointment, wondering if it bolsters critics who believe she is inexperienced, unqualified and getting special treatment because of her name.

"If I were Caroline Kennedy, I'd play down the connections and play up the more personal skills," Mann said. "I think the whole notion of connections is something that's not particularly appealing. It somehow suggests some special advantage."