I wonder how Kirsten Gillibrand will play in Harlem?

[BluegrassDem]

It turns out, for all the talk about "Princess Caroline" living a priviledged life, it seems Mrs. Gillibrand has lived a life that is equal to, if not better than Caroline's! My question is, does Kirsten have the chops to relate the plight of New York's diverse constituencies? Has Kirsten Gillibrand ever set foot in a place like Harlem? I just have a hard time seeing her going to Sylvia's in Harlem.

"1. Working class cred? Gillibrand certainly hails from a very privileged background. Her father was a prominent New York lobbyist and attorney. She attended an all-girls prep school, went to Dartmouth and was criticized as a carpetbagger for living a Manhattan high-rise when she first ran for Congress. She has proven she can win over voters in her district, but can the largely unknown congresswoman sell her biography to working-class voters in a closely-scrutinized Senate race?"


http://www.politico.com/blogs/scorecard/

[stray cat]

1. Likely better than most Republicans she would have to run against

[customerserviceguy]

2. There are two New Yorks

the one in NYC and surrounding areas, and upstate, which I've found begins about fifty minutes away from Manhattan. Most of the time, you see a Democratic candidate from the first of the two, trying to sell him or her self to the second of the two. This time, it's going to be the other way around.

Usually, its the Repukes who try to play the city off against the upstate, with this pick, Gov. Paterson has taken that game away from them. Let Kirsten Gillibrand make her attempt to reach the voters in Harlem, it probabaly won't play out any worse than Caroline's first visit to upstate NY. The voters of Harlem are best served by having not only President Obama, but by his having Congresspersons and Senators who will work with him on his agenda.

[ClarkUSA]

3. Not as well as Caroline Kennedy, that's for sure. I foresee problems in 2010.

I certainly will dislike her unless she takes a left-turn in her DLC/Republican-lite sympathies.

[BluegrassDem]

4. In the Democratic primary, she can't win without the city dwellers

For all the talk about being from upstate, she can't even win a Democratic primary without conquering New York City Dems. It's gonna be a nasty primary fight in 2010 cause of Paterson's bumbling.

Although Al Sharpton is not a king maker, he's very important, and I'm sure he's pretty pissed right now. Like I said, Gillibrand has shown nothing in her life that she cares about the plight of minorities and the lower classes in NY.

[ClarkUSA]

5. Being a New Yorker, I agree completely. She's for extending the Bush tax cuts, fercripessakes!

One thing, though: she's a political opportunist to the max. Overnight, she's already done a 180 on gay marriage.
I'm sure she'll be for gun-control and be against the Bush tax cuts within 72 hours of careful posturing. By next
week's end, she'll be a policy clone of Chuck Schumer.

[HeraldSquare212]

6. She votes with the Dems 93% of the time. How is that Republican-lite?

[PBS Poll-435]

7. Shhhhh! Don't make sense

She is a Democrat elected twice in a very red district. If she is the next Senator, she will move to the left. Count on it.

[BluegrassDem]

12. So she moves with the political winds?

That's not very helpful to her cause. We have enough Dems in the Senate without a spine. We don't need another one who votes where the political winds are instead of his/her ideals.

That's why we ended up in Iraq because too many Dems got scared. I'd rather have a senator that is a bona fide progressive. I can't believe New Yorkers will have their own east coast version of Dianne Feinstein.

[PBS Poll-435]

14. No. She goes from a Democrat representing a Republican constituency

to Representing a Democratic State.

It is not willy-nilly.

[lordcommander]

15. Bingo!

She will never win in NY being GOP-Lite, she will break left soon enough.

[Raine1967]

18. She already seems to be.

She has come out for Marriage Equality.

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0109/Gillibrand.html?showallk

David Paterson's choice of Kristin Gillibrand is, by the estimate of the New York pols I talk to, a pretty good pick: A young woman who won a hard-fought, bruising upset in a Republican district in 2006 and held her seat with unexpected ease last year. She has a "moderate" reputation for her pro-gun stance -- but is more or less a down-the-line liberal Democrat; the gun position draws her some flack on her left flank to the same degree that it protects her right and strengthens her upstate. But she assured the state's leading gay rights group yesterday that she backs same-sex marriage, and shows no other conservative leanings.

============================================

[PBS Poll-435]

19. Exactly

Good point. :thumbsup:

[ClarkUSA]

8. She is against gun control and is for extending the Bush Tax Cuts

Is that enough?

She is a total political opportunist, however, so I bet her policy beliefs will no doubt change within 72 hours to mirror Chuck Schumer's.

[ShortnFiery]

11. Yes, Blue Dog = Warmonger + Big Business Enabler.

[ClarkUSA]

16. Exactly. However, I predict she'll make a phony sharp left turn within the week.

She's a political opportunist which is from a big business background that made her rich and her daddy is a lobbyist.
I predict she already has her eyes on being VP and/or a presidential run.

[FLAprogressive]

20. Yup. The Party Unity Police thinks we should accept even the most odious right wingers into our

party for the sake of beefing up numbers.

[PBS Poll-435]

21. HAHAHA

Kirsten Gillibrand is a right-winger?

Really?

[sharp_stick]

26. Well somebody has to balance the purity police

around here that want to purge anyone to the right of Dennis Kucinich.

[ronnykmarshall]

27. Oh dear.

:hide: :spank:

[ShortnFiery]

31. You know that's bullshit. We don't even get a voice. The damn pro-corporate DLC Clinton/Schumer

side of the party is making a power play for New York State. We need to stop them. :grr: :thumbsdown:

[Danger Mouse]

34. Gillibrand is not a right-winger. Geez.

[terisan]

23. Sounds like Biden----except less pro-Mastercard/Visa

[nyc 4 Biden]

25. Then she'll get my vote.

[sharp_stick]

9. Unless you vote 100%

with some peoples ideal democratic scheme you are not pure enough or something like that.

Sometimes I wish I could live in such a black and white world, gray areas can be so confusing.

[ShortnFiery]

10. Yes, so does Lieberman - she splits with us on WAR and Surveillance. That's an important 7%.

:grr: :thumbsdown:

[HeraldSquare212]

13. Our last Senator voted for the war, so Gillibrand is an improvement so far.

[terisan]

22. Our current VP also voted for war, so I guess that is fine with Prez-who voted to fund war

[Freddie Stubbs]

17. The Democratic ticket will do just fine in Harlem

Upstate New York? Depends on who Paterson appoints.

[WI_DEM]

24. I wonder how JFK and FDR played in Harlem?

[NatBurner]

28. if she plays for the washington generals? she's gonna lose

i think the games may be rigged though

[ShortnFiery]

29. Holy Shit! She's got that "little girl" voice like the woman on COPS.

:crazy:

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

30. I don't know what Paterson is thinking. A Democrat cannot win NY without

downstate votes. This is a horrible move and I hope McCarthy runs against her in 2010.

[Raineyb]

32. McCarthy's already announced that she's running in the primary in 2010

I guess I'm not the only one not impressed by the newly selected Senator.

I have no idea what the fuck Paterson is thinking. Perhaps he should take a break from Albany. There's apparently something in the water.

:thumbsdown:

Regards

[Number23]

35. Rainey, can you give those of us not in NY a bit of info on McCarthy?

All I could find so far is this - http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=99816999

Thanks

[dusmcj]

33. better than some mouthy do-gooder from Suffolk /nt