Althouse: Caroline Kennedy withdraws??

January 21, 2009

Caroline Kennedy withdraws??

She could have had the job if she'd wanted it, but Teddy's health has turned her against it? That doesn't seem believable.

UPDATE: ?????

64 comments:

Trooper York said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 1/21/09, 8:00 PM
vbspurs said...: That doesn't seem believable.

Whoa. No, it doesn't. I thought her nomination would be announced tomorrow, as soon as Clinton was confirmed.

Andrew Cuomo FTW?; 1/21/09, 8:01 PM
Trooper York said...: She is a liar you know.

The way you can tell a Kennedy is lying is that their lips are moving.; 1/21/09, 8:02 PM
traditionalguy said...: May be she got cold feet about running for re-election. She has no father nad no mother. She probably is not ready to commit herself into the Hard Ball political world without Uncle Teddy's being there to protect her. Who can blame her.; 1/21/09, 8:10 PM
Henry said...: Lyndon Johnson first ran for Congress in a special election. The previous congressman had died in office and the rumor was that his wife would take the seat.

Johnson's father told him to declare fast, before the widow. She may have wanted the seat, but she wouldn't want to compete.

I suspect Caroline Kennedy realized over the last few weeks that she didn't like being a target.; 1/21/09, 8:17 PM
Anonymous said...: The NY Post had a different take on the reason.; 1/21/09, 8:19 PM
Simon said...: Perhaps another Governor realized that it's a fucking valuable thing and you don't just give it away to any old trash who walks in off the street, no matter their family name?; 1/21/09, 8:21 PM
blake said...: Maybe she's going to take up moose hunting.; 1/21/09, 8:24 PM
J. Cricket said...: Trooper York is an asshole, you know.

And the way you can tell that Trooper York is an asshole is that he is typing.

Or is that a fluffy asshole?; 1/21/09, 8:35 PM
Chet said...: New York's loss, Massechusetts gain.

Actually, I think this whole thing was just a pretense to smooth the way for her eventual takeover of Uncle Teddy's seat.; 1/21/09, 8:35 PM
Simon said...: Johnny B. D. said...
"Or is that a fluffy asshole?"

The result of swallowing cotton balls?; 1/21/09, 8:38 PM
sg said...: Maybe Gov. Patterson told her he wasn't going to pick her, and gave her the option of "withdrawing" first, in order for her to save face.

Or maybe she realized the required financial disclosure wasn't worth it.

Or maybe she realized she didn't have the stomach to, like, actually campaign in two years time.

Or maybe POTUS called her and told her he'd appoint her to a cushy job that didn't require any actual work. Like her city education department job.

Or maybe she finally realized she's simply not qualified.; 1/21/09, 8:42 PM
Wince said...: Hmm, I vaguely remember hearing that that was also the Kennedy's preferred method of birth control.; 1/21/09, 8:43 PM
vbspurs said...: The NY Post had a different take on the reason.

That reason sounds more plausible: because Paterson called her to tell her she wasn't going to be chosen. Thus, the withdrawal is a face-saving measure.

I am one of the few bloggers out there, who championed the idea of Schlossberg becoming Senator. Or at least, I didn't dismiss her with a virulence that resembled class hatred (hello Jane Hamsher).

It's clear that Vicky Regie will one day run for her husband Teddy's seat, so there is not even an outside chance of Caroline horning in on the family seat. After all, Senator Kennedy has a legislator son of his own who would have more "dynastic" right to it, before Caroline. And Patrick won't be running for it either.

Whither Caroline? Will she be given a sop like Ambassador to Ireland, as her aunt Jean used to be? I don't see this inveterate New Yorker moving anywhere.

Cheers,
Victoria; 1/21/09, 8:44 PM
Ron said...: I like the guy who analogizes the process to "Chutes and Ladders." What's next, are we to be told the new health care system is like "Operation?" The bailouts are like "Candyland" for bankers? Internet monitoring like "Mouse Trap?"

Not like they're condescending over there at NYT or anything...; 1/21/09, 8:45 PM
MadisonMan said...: Or maybe she finally realized she's simply not qualified

I'll repeat : She's just as qualified as any of the other 99 yahoos she'd join.; 1/21/09, 8:46 PM
author, etc. said...: There's no reason to think she's anything but a fine person--and truly I'd thought she was a lock for the job if she wanted it. But evidently she bruises easily, so that may have killed its appeal for her. Andrew Cuomo, on the other hand, is basically an Italian Rahm Emanuel, eminently qualified and, from my limited impression, eminently unpleasant.; 1/21/09, 8:48 PM
Automatic_Wing said...: I'll repeat : She's just as qualified as any of the other 99 yahoos she'd join.

Wrong. Roland Burris, for one, is far more qualified.; 1/21/09, 8:48 PM
David said...: Teddy's health has not changed. It was terrible. It is terrible. He is dying, God bless him.

So that reason is a crock.

Girl is used to getting what she wants. So now she's pretending she did not want it.

Not cut out for public life, it seems.; 1/21/09, 8:49 PM
Darren Lenard Hutchinson said...: that's because it's not believable.; 1/21/09, 8:49 PM
David said...: She's an invertebrate?; 1/21/09, 8:50 PM
Chet said...: As a New Yorker, I have no more interest in handing a Senate seat to some guy based on his color than I did for some chick based on her lineage. We just put one no-talent-clown in the Whitehouse based on those values, don't want another one floating around.

Has she ever held a full-time job in her life ?; 1/21/09, 8:52 PM
David said...: "Or maybe she realized the required financial disclosure wasn't worth it."

What disclosure?

Disclosure for Senators is a joke--"ranges, etc."; 1/21/09, 8:55 PM
vbspurs said...: evidently she bruises easily

If this turns out to be true, I would be disappointed in her.

Her mother might've seemed fragile, adopting that whispery baby voice, but the woman was as tough as nails.

It now seems to me that Caroline got the political bug during her Obama campaigning, realised she liked it more than she was willing to admit even to herself, before, and decided to lob her cap into the ring.

To her astonishment (and to mine), her fellow Democrats balked at her candidacy, and at her personally.

2008 was not a good year for female politicians...

Cheers,
Victoria; 1/21/09, 8:57 PM
Chet said...: The Beacon Hill Bluebloods don't require financial disclosure, or experience.

She's a perfect fit for Mass. And, once Teddy gracefully hands her the seat, there won't be any nosy questions.

That's how they do things in Mass.; 1/21/09, 8:59 PM
The Dude said...: Teddy Kennedy's favorite contraceptive is an Oldsmobile.; 1/21/09, 9:04 PM
Cedarford said...: Andrew Cuomo, on the other hand, is basically an Italian Rahm Emanuel, eminently qualified and, from my limited impression, eminently unpleasant.

Ohh, that's good. The truth hurts so well!
Andrew is also, besides being a supreme prick, very intelligent and an aggressive Lefty who will do considerable damage inflicting his progressive NYC agenda on the rest of the country.

He'll make Hillary look even more moderate in comparison.

The joke on the Princling Cuomo as he was clawing for power was this:

What is the difference between Andrew Cuomo and Michael Corleone?

Answer:

Very little, except Michael was a Vet, and a tad nicer and a tad less ruthless.; 1/21/09, 9:05 PM
Chet said...: You're all used up Caroline, Obama has no use for you. You sold yourself cheap, you sold your father's legacy. You sold out the country. You don't deserve a Senate seat, being a Judas was easy for you.

And, now that Hillary hates you, you're nothing but the disposable piece of used facial tissue that Michelle wore on her inaugural gown, yesterday !; 1/21/09, 9:08 PM
Simon said...: MadisonMan said...
"She's just as qualified as any of the other 99 yahoos she'd join."

I know I called her gutter trash, but sheesh, MM, by comparison that's a low blow.; 1/21/09, 9:10 PM
Maxine Weiss said...: Gee, a Connecticut high-born lisp, inarticulate banter, an inbred overbite, crooked nose, and walks like Moon Mullins!

--Duller than a river rock and so completely PERFECT.

They'll never find an equal !; 1/21/09, 9:18 PM
sg said...: The NYT article is total Caroline Kennedy spin.

This sentence is preposterous:

"Coping with her uncle’s condition was her most important priority, a situation not conducive to starting a high profile public job."

Hmmm....Sen. Kennedy has a wife and a significant immediate family. When does a niece's responsibilities and potential contributions (other than the fact that said niece is mega-wealthy) become so pivotal?

And what of her self-professed commitment to fellow New Yorkers? If Caroline isn't in Washington bending POTUS's ear to direct more bail-out money to New York state, won't her fellow New Yorkers suffer? How is THAT evidence of a lifetime committed to public service?; 1/21/09, 9:23 PM
Chip Ahoy said...: Oooooh, this rends my heart in two. <--- Lie.

This news fills me to capacity, to the brim, overflowing, with complete indifference.

Except for that little mean-spirited part that becomes pleased when it sees someone used to getting whatever they want not get what they thought they want, there for minute.; 1/21/09, 9:52 PM
From Inwood said...: Prof A

I'm surprised you didn't characterize this result as, you know, poetic justice.

Me? I'd refer to it as "mere accident".; 1/21/09, 10:07 PM
mrs whatsit said...: I suspect that Caroline couldn't take the hard light of the public eye, after more than five decades of carefully sheltered privacy. And I suspect Patterson, who didn't run himself for the office he occupies, couldn't take the criticism he knew he'd get from one gang if he did appoint her and from another if he didn't. There's too much of the lightning rod in those Kennedys, all of them. What they attract burns everyone nearby.

If it's true that she has withdrawn, they both save face, and those of us who live here can hope that someone who has actual qualifications ends up with the job.; 1/21/09, 10:09 PM
From Inwood said...: Johnny B D

TY's an a$$hole? And he's from NY. Call Gov. Patterson & see that TY gets on the Prospective NY Senator List as "Most Highly Qualified".; 1/21/09, 10:13 PM
From Inwood said...: RFK Jr hadn't gotten the news this afternoon when he gave cuz Caroline a hearty endorsement on Fox.; 1/21/09, 10:15 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: Source tells AP: Kennedy still wants Senate seat

Just when I thought I was out...; 1/21/09, 10:22 PM
vbspurs said...: Make up your damn Camelot mind, Caroline.; 1/21/09, 10:39 PM
TheCrankyProfessor said...: Funny - the one positive thing I had to say about Caroline Kennedy is that (unlike Hillary!) she really was someone who lived in New York State.

So if people are speculating she wants the Senior slot in Massachusetts THEN she'd be a carpetbagger. Patrick would be, too - since he's a Rhode Island rep currently.

I could never bring myself to vote for someone like that, whatever the sentimental family ties to a place they haven't lived since they were . . . well, in Caroline's case, ever. Unless someone is suggesting she legally changed her residence and voting registration when she was at Harvard??; 1/21/09, 10:41 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: Poor little rich Carolyn..; 1/21/09, 10:45 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: Wouldn't it be funny if Patterson put out the story she is quitting?

When she is really not?; 1/21/09, 10:51 PM
mrs whatsit said...: Oh, now the local paper is saying that after "wavering briefly" she has decided she still wants the seat. Wavering? A Senator?? Please. Isn't there someone out there who wants this job and does not Waver?; 1/21/09, 10:56 PM
vbspurs said...: UPDATE: ?????

My immediate thought is that someone who didn't want her to get it, screwed her over by floating a Chinese rumour about her withdrawal.

Without being Althouse's Cindy Adams, I have to say that it's an open secret in NY society that she and Pinch Sulzberger are err, close. So it couldn't have been the NYT itself.

This is all very fishy.; 1/21/09, 11:16 PM
Godot said...: That's what Pinch said.; 1/21/09, 11:29 PM
Sprezzatura said...: Lem,

I agree.

My first thought was that Patterson (perhaps indirectly) was floating this to take the heat off himself so he could blaze a clear path right past Caroline.

Of course, that's total speculation. It's likely that we'll never know the behind the scenes specifics. And, it's even more likely that my guess work is off the mark. But, this withdrawing does seem strangely sloppy and oddly last minute.; 1/21/09, 11:38 PM
Freeman Hunt said...: The result of swallowing cotton balls?

Ha. I needed that laugh so very badly right now. Thanks, Simon. :); 1/21/09, 11:43 PM
Chet said...: I think the whole thing is hilarious.

She didn't really want to withdrawl, but now forced into it because of Hillary/Cuomo planted fake stories.

The family hates quitters and tries to float their own stories that she's staying. But she's such a simpering wimp that she runs scurrying for cover.

Hillary/Cuomo played her like a violin. And, Obama won't take her calls.

Embarrassment.; 1/22/09, 12:07 AM
Chet said...: Really, she just wanted payback for a 6 week volunteer stint for Obama.

In her infinite arrogance, Senate office seemed like a fair deal. Only now, she's embarrassed the family and doesn't even know how to withdraw in a professional manner.

Stupid woman.; 1/22/09, 12:32 AM
cryptical said...: The other day some talking head was guessing that the Caroline nomination was in return for Teddy throwing his political weight behind Patterson when he comes up for re-election.

Perhaps with Teddy seizing up in public like an old Chevy engine that's low on oil, the promise of election help in a couple of years was looking a little short on the Pro Quo side, so the Governor tried to pull the Quid.

I don't know why Caroline would want to put up with it anyways, maybe Bernie Madoff was doing her investments and she needs a fallback?; 1/22/09, 12:33 AM
Meade said...: THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE:

Stay tuned for further breaking news updates,
updated
as they break
into news
Updates.; 1/22/09, 12:37 AM
John Stodder said...: Can't find it now, but I believe one of the stories saying she was only "wavering briefly" cited Kerry Kennedy ex-Cuomo as the source saying she's still in it.

Of course, that's what Kerry would vengefully prefer to happen. But it appears she won't get her wish, and she'll have to live with her disappointing former husband having bested the Kennedy mob.; 1/22/09, 1:23 AM
Methadras said...: The personal reason is, is that her unwitting intellect can't stand the light of day. She's a moron and she knows it.

Honey, stay home with the kids where you can exert your will on some potted plants. That's it deary, have a hit of some Chavez to calm down a little.; 1/22/09, 1:45 AM
Michael Haz said...: This is so much like that baptism scene in The Godfather.

As Hillary is taking the oath of office, her 'people' are out spreading the story that Caroline is withdrawing, even though she isn't.

Caroline sleeps with the political fishes.

Or maybe Caroline has been sleeping with someone not named Schlossberg. Family tradition and all, you know.

Either way, it's a net gain for New York.

I still wonder why Geraldine Ferraro is not being considered for the senate seat.; 1/22/09, 6:22 AM
Michael Haz said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 1/22/09, 6:23 AM
Michael Haz said...: have a hit of some Chavez to calm down a little.

Bad idea. Chavez makes gasoline. Chivas makes scotch.; 1/22/09, 6:25 AM
KCFleming said...: A fool and her Senate seat are soon parted.

(I got a million of 'em.); 1/22/09, 7:08 AM
Unknown said...: If she comes out and says it is because of her uncle's health, I believe her. Yes, he's had the brain tumor for awhile. But I know from unfortunate family experience that the prognosis for such tumors is wildly unpredictable. I would not be surprised if the seizure Teddy had the other day was interpreted as a sort of "two-minute warning." In other words, his prognosis may very well have changed overnight. If that affected her decision, I respect that as someone touched by similar circumstances. (In fact, it is my own uncle!); 1/22/09, 7:18 AM
Methadras said...: Michael H said...

have a hit of some Chavez to calm down a little.

Bad idea. Chavez makes gasoline. Chivas makes scotch.

Thank you for the spelling correction. I can never seem to get that name of that particular brand of booze correct.; 1/22/09, 10:33 AM
ballyfager said...: There's something wrong with that woman. And the tell would be if she's friendly with Pinch Sulzburger.; 1/22/09, 10:44 AM
William said...: I saw Caroline's awful interview on NY1. I wanted to like her but truly she was not ready for prime time. Her withdrawal is definitely wise. There is a spectrum between grace and lameness. She blew the save but didn't kick the water cooler on the way out....Caroline has a role in public life but it is more as a grande dame than as a political figure. I only hope that this doesn't ruin Malia's chances of running for the Senate in 2049.; 1/22/09, 10:49 AM
Chet said...: "Depth of Congressional Fortitude"-- which I read earlier. What pompous nonsense is that?

The simple truth is that she was too ugly to serve.; 1/22/09, 11:43 AM
sg said...: There seem to be housekeeper and tax problems.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/23/nyregion/23caroline.html; 1/22/09, 2:30 PM
Trooper York said...: Hey I would rather be a fluffy asshole than a stupid pussy.; 1/22/09, 7:12 PM
Methadras said...: sg said...

There seem to be housekeeper and tax problems.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/23/nyregion/23caroline.html

Like I said, she's a moron. End of line.; 1/22/09, 9:30 PM