At this point I think Gov. Patterson should appoint Mario Cuomo to senate seat

[WI_DEM]

as a caretaker senator and let the voters decide in 2010. Mario would be a wonderful senator even for two years.

[TomClash]

1. Andrew instead

Anyone but Anthony Weiner or Gary Ackerman.

[ronnykmarshall]

2. I think that would be great.

[Historic NY]

3. Well that would be a good idea, he is articulate, responsible

and could contribute a lot in 2yrs he knows the state.

[AtomicKitten]

4. Andrew wants the seat but should be disqualified for making a racist remark about Obama (edited)

* edited because I wasn't clear.

"It's not a TV crazed race. Frankly you can't buy your way into it," Cuomo said, according to Albany Times Union reporter Rick Karlin. "You can't shuck and jive at a press conference," he added. "All those moves you can make with the press don't work when you're in someone's living room."

* The phrase "shuck and jive" refers to mischievous blacks behaving innocently in the presence of an authority figure, so as to lie and get out of trouble.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/01/10/hillary-supporter-cuomo-_n_80914.html

[HamdenRice]

7. You're confusing Mario and his son Andrew who made the remarks

I don't put it past Andrew to make race baiting remarks as dog whistle signals to Hillary supporters, but I seriously doubt that Andrew actually is prejudiced at all, and iirc, he and Paterson are friends.

[AtomicKitten]

10. Andrew Cuomo made the remark and it is Andrew Cuomo who wants the seat. n/t

[HamdenRice]

11. I'm referring to the OP, which is about Mario. You then posted about Andrew

which suggested you were getting them mixed up. Sorry if that wasn't the case.

[AtomicKitten]

13. no worries, I wasn't clear in my original post

I was just pointing out it is his son that wants the seat (and it would be weird under those circumstances to appoint pops), but I realize now you probably already knew that. Doh! Paterson has said he doesn't favor a caretaker, so Mario probably is a no go.

[HeraldSquare212]

5. Paterson has already said he won't appoint a caretaker,

and I agree - why lose the seniority?

[HamdenRice]

6. Impossible. Mario Cuomo has certain **ahem** peculiarities that make it impossible

This was a big issue when Cuomo was governor. He has almost a phobia about leaving New York, or wherever he is living. If he does travel, he has to be back in New York by bed time. He could not be appointed to a Washington DC post without prying him out of his current living circumstances and heavily medicating him.

I realize it sounds bizarre, but it's true. He doesn't travel well.

I assume you do mean Mario and not his son Andrew.

[Thrill]

8. Np caretakers. Just get the person who can win

[Freddie Stubbs]

9. That is the last thing he wants

He will not want what could be a divisive primary next September, only two months before he himself must face voters.

[SuperTrouper]

12. You know something, it is not a bad idea.

[sohndrsmith]

14. Love it. Great idea...

But I've heard mumblings that Paterson was sort of interested in having a woman fill the seat, but that's all speculative, so who knows.

There are 2 (or 3) African American possibles on what I guess could be called his "short list" and if any of them were the most qualified to fill the seat, It might be nice to have more than one Senator representative for this group... but I don't think gender or race should ever be the primary reason (over qualification or other qualities that make someone the best person for the job). Still, I'd be thrilled if someone held both the best qualities and also happened to be female or non-white, or disabled (as Paterson is himself - although I don't know if he'd consider himself disabled, I just don't have a better word to use and I don't mean it derogatorily) or a combination of the above...

I think he'd chosen Kennedy, though. Why else would there be reports saying he was sort of thrown for a loop? If he'd already decided on someone else, Kennedy withdrawing would have been inconsequential... no?

I like Mario better than his son, but I can give a truly valid reason for it, I've forgotten what it was that concerned me when he first came on the scene years ago, so it's really not a fair bias.

I'd love to hear Mario speak on the senate floor, he was fun to listen to. Another wonderful orator...

I find the criticism of Kennedy's verbal clumsiness absolutely absurd considering this country elected (twice!) the worst offender of bungling all aspects of the english language... that said, I don't think her lack of language skills in a few instances were any reflection of Kennedy's overall ability. That would have been a very small learning curve for her, in my view.

[Captain Hilts]

15. I agree. That will create a fun free-for-all in a year and a half. nt