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A 2010 showdown between Rep. Peter King and Hillary Clinton's Senate successor took another step toward reality yesterday as the Long Island Congressman had a favorable meeting with GOP leaders. Caroline Kennedy Through the Years View Gallery Have a look at Caroline Kennedy through the years as she launches her campaign for Hillary Clinton's New York Senate seat. The 63-year-old King (R-Seaford) had a sitdown with National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman John Cornyn and received his blessing for a potential 2010 run, Politico reported today. "Senator Cornyn believes Peter King would be a very formidable candidate. He believes the seat...

SHOCK POLL: Kennedy Trailing Cuomo Huge Public Policy Polling Shows Princess Of Camelot Losing Grip On New Yorkers, Falls Behind 20 Points Among Dems NEW YORK (CBS) ― Caroline Kennedy appears to be losing momentum in her bid for Hillary Clinton's U.S. Senate seat. A new survey conducted by Public Policy Polling shows 58 percent of voters would prefer to see Gov. David Paterson appoint state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo to the seat. That's compared to Kennedy's 27 percent. Among Democratic voters, Cuomo leads by about 20 points. That's about the same lead Kennedy enjoyed just a month earlier. This...

The big headline story recently has been Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich’s “play for pay” scandal relating to the president-elect’s vacant Senate seat. We’ve also been watching money scandals surrounding other Democrats such as Charlie Rangel and William Jefferson, to name but a few. It now appears by way of the New York Times that they are not alone in violating ethics. Add Hillary Clinton to the list. The next secretary of state did a huge favor for a developer who contributed thousands to her campaign and her husband's library....

Caroline Kennedy, daughter of former president John Kennedy claims that her family’s experience and sacrifice makes her the best qualified candidate to fill the New York senate seat that will be vacated when Senator Hillary Clinton (D) leaves to become Secretary of State in the Obama Administration. “My father fought in World War II and was assassinated while president,” Kennedy pointed out. “My uncle Bobby was shot to death while on the verge of becoming president. My uncle Ted narrowly escaped drowning while trying to rescue a young woman, sacrificing his presidential aspirations in the process. The Kennedy family has...

STEINEM TOUTS KENNEDY FOR NY SEAT - IN HOUSE By BRENDAN SCOTT in Albany and MAGGIE HABERMAN in New York January 3, 2009 -- Feminist icon Gloria Steinem yesterday said Gov. Paterson should appoint Rep. Carolyn Maloney to the Senate - and ask Caroline Kennedy to run for Maloney's House seat instead of the Senate. Maloney, 60, who represents Manhattan's East Side and part of Queens, has been quietly pushing her case for the seat being vacated by Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton even as Kennedy, 51, has received more attention. Steinem put forth her idea, unsolicited, as Maloney was honored...

(Washington, D.C. - 1/3/09) Democrats across the board, including progressives on the far left, who are ardent supporters of Caroline Kennedy, are growing impatient with Republicans and others who are concerned about her apparent lack of qualifications for a likely U.S. Senatorial appointment. In a specious statement from the DNC, tolerance and understanding of this appointment are required: “We firmly believe Caroline “You Know” Kennedy is the absolutely best choice that could be made for the people of New York, the U.S. Senate and for the people of America. All of America should now be pleased there is a voice...

Pressure mounts over replacement for Clinton By Harvey Morris in New York Published: January 2 2009 19:45 | Last updated: January 2 2009 19:45 Facing one of the most nail-biting choices since the presidential election, David Paterson, the New York governor, has been told he would be guilty of “political malpractice” if he named anyone other than Caroline Kennedy as the state’s new junior representative in the Senate. Mr Paterson, under intense pressure from some of the country’s most powerful political dynasties as he ponders his decision, has sole discretion to appoint a replacement for Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, who...

Caroline Kennedy Will Be Senator, Officials Tell AP @ 2:12 pm by Walter Alarkon Caroline Kennedy will be named the successor in the Senate to Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), according to unnamed officials who spoke to the Associated Press. The AP also spoke to two people close to Gov. David Paterson (D-N.Y.) who said that he is still looking for his choice but that they believe Kennedy will be the pick. Kennedy, the daughter of President John F. Kennedy, has been lobbying for the seat since last month. Paterson's choice will serve until 2010, when voters will choose someone to...

It appears the "fix is in" in New York on who will be chosen to replace Sen. Hillary Clinton in the U.S. Senate. Sources close to New York Governor David Patterson are saying they believe Carolyn Kennedy will be selected to fill the seat. Here is a local news report from New York that the state assembly leader is now supporting Kennedy, which sources say is a result of "arm-twisting" by Gov. Patterson's staff. That would certainly seem to indicate that Patterson will select Kennedy . . . . (See Video)

Gov. Paterson won't appoint a "caretaker" senator to replace Hillary Clinton, he said Thursday as he warned powerbrokers to stop trying to influence his decision. Paterson said tapping a big name to hold Clinton's seat until a special election in 2010 would cost the state nearly two years of seniority in the Senate. "In the United States Senate, the most effective senators are the ones that have seniority," Paterson told reporters during a new year's open house at the Executive Mansion. His words end speculation that the governor would ask an old-guard political pro - such as former President Bill...

The most powerful woman in the world. So Hillary Clinton will become with the dawn of a new White House. Madam Secretary of State. A strong hand in a velvet glove, extended to the globe on behalf of the most anticipated presidency in generations. Short of Barack Obama, no American today­ has a greater opportunity to shape international history than does New York’s departing ­junior U.S. senator. And, short of Barack Obama, no American played a greater role last year in influencing the choice of the 44th President of the United States. Clinton galvanized 18 million voters and made her...

Democrats Pushing Paterson To Name Temp Replacement For Hillary; Scenario Sets Up Wild Election In 2010 Sen. Bill Clinton? Don't completely rule it out. The former president is among several boldface names being touted as possible "caretakers" for New York's Senate seat -- people who would serve until the 2010 elections but wouldn't be interested in running to keep the job. As the process of picking Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's replacement gets messier, the option may become increasingly attractive to Gov. David Paterson, who has sole authority to name a successor. A big name like Bill Clinton or Democratic former...

Kennedy camp reigns in Bloomberg adviser Kevin Sheekey’s Senate seat lobbying efforts BY KENNETH LOVETT, ELIZABETH BENJAMIN and ADAM LISBERG DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS Wednesday, December 31st 2008, 12:47 AM Caroline Kennedy's advisers have told Mayor Bloomberg's political pit bull to tone down his lobbying efforts for her for fear it will kill her chances to be named to the Senate. "There had been huge missteps in the way [City Hall] constructed this," said a source involved in the Kennedy effort to muzzle Bloomberg operative Kevin Sheekey. "It's just a dialing down of anything that would be harmful to her,"...

Press the Audio titled: "Caroline Kennedy on why she wants the Senate seat." at the link below to hear. Link

KIDS & HUBBY ARE ALL ABOARD RUN FOR SENATE - AND OBAMA'S 'ENCOURAGING' They're virtually unknown to New Yorkers, but the husband and children of Caroline Kennedy - the woman with one of the most famous names in American politics - are also dreaming of bringing back Camelot. Q&A With Caroline Kennedy In a sit-down with The Post, President John F. Kennedy's daughter, who has spent years guarding her family's privacy, said her three children - Rose, 20, Tatiana, 18, and John, 15 - and husband Edwin Schlossberg completely back her effort to be appointed to the Senate seat of...

Some top Democrats were certain Gov. Paterson, a close-to-the vest electorate of one, would find Kennedy irresistible now and as a running mate in two years. All others were chopped liver next to her sudden star power. 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...

(Hawaii - 12/28/08) In between his busy pre-Presidential duties such as ordering breakfast, lunch, dinner, taking his kids to the park, having no opinion other than wait and see on the Israeli/Hamas conflict and berating the press for reporting on such minute and minor details as his exercise routine, Barack Obama opined today on the candidacy of Caroline Kennedy for U.S. Senator from New York. According to MSNBC, his opinion was forceful and to the point causing a tingling sensation in the leg of the reporter: “We will have to wait and see how this works itself out. Rest assured...

After a lifetime in the warm privacy of Camelot, U.S. Senate candidate Caroline Kennedy of New York is getting her first turn in the media barrel. And the ride has not been comfortable. Reporters have been going through all of quiet Caroline's voting history and all of her financial records to see whom she has been giving money to, and more importantly whom she has not been giving money to - namely the local Democratic Party. It reminds me of my first run for mayor when the San Francisco media demanded to see all of my tax returns. For the...

<p>Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg waits for the start of the third presidential debate in the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex at Hofstra University on Oct. 15, 2008 in Hempstead, N.Y.</p> <p>Officially, Gov. David Paterson's main focus is the state's fiscal crisis, not the decision about whom to appoint if, as expected, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is confirmed as secretary of state.</p>

More Caroline: Spoke to Hillary, won't run if not selected Made a little more news on NY1 tonight, telling host Dominic Carter that she finally spoke to Hillary Clinton -- who didn't initially take her call -- and that, if she's not selected, she won't run for the seat. "We did have a very nice, you know, conversation, and obviously I'm not gonna talk about that, except to say that she said this was the greatest job that she'd ever had and could imagine having," Kennedy said. "So, she was very encouraging, and that was, you know, that was nice...

Forget the Profiles in Courage award. For this interview yesterday Caroline Kennedy deserves the Profiles in Chutzpah Award. See, JFK’s only surviving child wants Hillary Clinton’s seat in the U.S. Senate, although she has absolutely no qualifications for the position other than her last name, which by the way used to be Schlossberg until last summer. Now all these dreadful, sweaty Albany and D.C. parvenus who actually had to run for political office are complaining about Ms. Kennedy’s ever-so-Kennedy-esque attempt to cut in line ahead of them. So Caroline grants - or should I say, grahhhhnts - an interview to...

Lack of donations to city, state Dems may hurt Caroline Kennedy's bid for Senate BY MICHAEL SAUL DAILY NEWS POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT Friday, December 26th 2008, 1:20 AM President-elect Barack Obama and Caroline Kennedy during the presidential campaign. Dunand/Getty President-elect Barack Obama and Caroline Kennedy during the presidential campaign. Related News Articles Caroline Kennedy's supporters say she could raise tons of money as a senator, but when it comes to writing checks to New York Democrats, she's been largely AWOL. This decade, other than a $1,000 donation to City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, the Camelot heiress has not financially supported any...

NEW YORK — At this time last year, Caroline Kennedy was promoting A Family Christmas, a collection of essays that featured the memory of her father letting her use the White House switchboard to call Santa. This year, after warily stepping into the political free-for-all for Hillary Clinton's Senate seat, Ms. Kennedy's activities during the holiday season included fending off requests to disclose financial information.

ALBANY - Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver yesterday strongly suggested that Gov. Paterson reject Caroline Kennedy as Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's replacement - because she might be more loyal to Mayor Bloomberg than to the governor. "If I were the governor, I would look and question whether this is the appointment I'd want to make, where her first obligation might be to the mayor of the City of New York, rather than to the governor who would be appointing her," Silver said. He told Albany's Talk 1300-AM that he had no doubt that Bloomberg, a Democrat-turned-Republican-turned-independent who twice defeated Democrats while...

We saw what happened when the mighty and powerful captains of Wall Street and the big banks asked for a giant blank check from Congress. What was promised to be a stimulus to our economy turned out to be a money grab in which the banks can't or won't tell us how they are using the money. They aren't making loans; they aren't assisting families or small businesses. They've turned out to be arrogant parasites. Now we're getting the political equivalent of this with Caroline Kennedy, the lone surviving member of the family of John F. Kennedy. She has the...

Gov. Paterson yesterday tamped down suggestions that Caroline Kennedy is at the top of the list to replace Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, asking, "How is she a front-runner?" The comment came as Paterson was arriving back from a trip to Iraq to visit the troops with Reps. Anthony Weiner and Steve Israel at La Guardia Airport. The governor was hit with a crush of questions about the Camelot scion's push to replace Clinton, who will be nominated to become secretary of state. He bristled when a reporter described Kennedy - who has never been elected to office and whose qualifications...

Just when you didn't think the Dems could be any more criminal and wretched comes this word. Per Fox, Patterson ready to appoint Carolyn Schlossberg to the US Senate without her first meeting the legal requirements that she disclose her finances and taxes. Reportedly, this is because Carolyn has "special circumstances," whatever they are. The Princess reportedly will release what info she feels is appropriate after she is sworn in as a Senator. Now, just imagine if this were a Republican instead of Kennedy Royalty. WHERE are some conservative lawyers willing to fight this?? Oh, silly me!

ALBANY — Resistance is emerging among Democratic officials against Caroline Kennedy as she pursues Hillary Rodham Clinton’s seat in the United States Senate, with Gov. David A. Paterson bristling over suggestions that her selection is inevitable, according to his advisers, and other leading Democrats concerned that she is too beholden to Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. The governor is frustrated and chagrined, the advisers said, because he believes that he extended Ms. Kennedy the chance to demonstrate her qualifications but that her operatives have exploited the opportunity to convey a sense that she is all but appointed already. He views this...

Caroline Kennedy apparently thinks that she is entitled to be appointed as the next junior senator from New York. She shouldn’t be. Think about it. Her qualifications? Her name is Kennedy and she can raise a lot of fat-cat money for herself and for New York Democrats who support her. Her strategy? Ignore the voters and the press and meet with the political bosses behind closed doors to persuade them to pressure Gov. David Paterson to appoint her to Hillary Clinton’s seat. Is there a more cynical message in the Age of Obama? Who’s supporting her? Among her chief backers...

Sen. Charles Schumer, arguably New York's most outspoken politician, has publicly pledged not to take sides as Caroline Kennedy and others seek appointment to the U.S. Senate. It's an unusual stance for the man who has picked or backed Senate candidates in every other state in the union. Schumer recently relinquished his role as head of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, where he spent the past two elections hand-picking some candidates, and strategizing with others on how to win. Even his critics concede he was masterful at guiding Senate campaigns, helping the Democrats go from a minority party to a...

If she were applying to be, say, an undersecretary of education in Barack Obama’s new administration, Caroline Kennedy would have to fill out a 63-item confidential questionnaire disclosing potentially embarrassing text messages and diary entries, the immigration status of her household staff, even copies of every résumé she used in the last 10 years. If she were running for election to the Senate, Ms. Kennedy would have to file a 10-part, publicly available report disclosing her financial assets, credit card debts, mortgages, book deals and the sources of any payments greater than $5,000 in the last three years. But Ms....

The probable Kennedy appointment is both laughable and yet a parable for our bankrupt times. We know in our hearts that Charles Gibson and Katie Couric, who mercilessly grilled pro-life, Christian Sarah Palin with the poor white twang, would pull in their talons—if given the chance to dialogue with Caroline. Yet there is no evidence that Caroline Kennedy knows any more about Waziristan than did Sarah Palin; there is a great deal of evidence that it is far more difficult for a nobody mom of five to make it through the electoral process into national politics from Alaska than it...

(CNN) -- Caroline Kennedy is on a public campaign for Sen. Hillary Clinton's Senate seat, which may make it difficult for New York Gov. David Paterson not to send President John F. Kennedy's only living child to Washington. Caroline Kennedy vists Syracuse, New York, on Wednesday. While she has to win over only one voter -- Paterson -- Kennedy essentially began a political campaign for the seat, which was once held by her uncle, Robert F. Kennedy, with a visit to upstate New York on Wednesday.

... [Kennedy] appears to support same-sex marriage, a significant difference between herself and Mrs. Clinton as well as president-elect Barack Obama, whose endorsement by Ms. Kennedy was a watershed event in the presidential race... On social issues, [she] appears to oppose restrictions on abortion rights, including laws that would require young women to notify a parent before obtaining an abortion. But asked if she would support any state or federal restrictions on late-term abortions, Ms. Kennedy did not directly address issues like so-called partial birth abortion... She appears to share mainstream Democratic views on most labor issues. Ms. Kennedy supports...

Caroline Kennedy opened a new stage in the evolution of the Kennedy Cult when she announced that she wants to be appointed U.S. senator from New York to fill out Hillary Clinton’s term. For 48 years, the Kennedys have treated American politics as family property, like a castle European aristocrats pass on from one clan member to another. Caroline, as John F. Kennedy’s daughter, believes she’s entitled. Kennedys think that Kennedys should have whatever they desire.

It is a legitimate question: Why is the resume-thin Caroline Kennedy being treated seriously as a prospective appointee to the U.S. Senate when the comparatively more-qualified Gov. Sarah Palin received such a harsh review? It is legitimate, at least, to those inclined to see apples and oranges as essentially the same. Some of the differences between the two women benefit the pro-Palin argument, but the underlying premise of the debate is flawed. Though they both are women, the important distinction is the power differential of the respective offices being sought. There can be little debate that Palin, as a governor...

--or driving a motor vehicle, as dangerous grogginess may result. After her underwhelming—some might say disastrous—foray into my upstate New York neck of the woods, you might have expected Caroline Kennedy to put in a peppier performance when she returned to the friendly confines of New York City. But Kennedy's statement after her meeting with Al Sharpton today was as soporific as a handful of Ambiens washed down with a slug of Stolichnaya. How bad? Enough that even Chris Matthews was left wondering on this evening's Hardball whether Caroline had displayed the requisite "starch," "gut passion" and political "bug." View...

Ben Smith floats the balloon ... If Caroline Kennedy is appointed to the Senate and wins reelection, and Barack Obama serves two successful terms, Senator Kennedy from New York, into her second term after two high-profile campaigns, having amazed the pundits with her ability to step on and off charter jets in Rochester and be friendly to members of the City Council, will be an automatic top-tier candidate for president. ...and Allahpundit responds: Sounds good, but if we do it, let's do it the right way -- by electing a completely different Democratic ticket, having the VP resign and Caroline...

Completely unpredictable, unfathomable, and unprecedented, Caroline Kennedy, daughter of assassinated President John F. Kennedy, will seek the open junior New York U.S. Senate seat. She immediately becomes the front runner, edging out fellow Democrat and philanderer William Jefferson Clinton (a former U.S. president, some time ago, when life was more innocent and...ahem...pure) and a host of no names among as many as 12 candidates to fill the vacated senate seat of Hilary Clinton. Republican (in name only) Mayor of New York Ron Bloomberg immediately declared her the winner. “There’s no need for debate here. Caroline’s our man. Really, she is...

When a powerful labor leader picked up the phone this week, he was surprised to hear the voice of a top aide to New York City Mayor Bloomberg. The aide made it clear: Caroline Kennedy [lose the Schlossberg] is going to be senator, "so get on board now!" Buttons are being pushed and strings pulled by the mayor, the NEW YORK TIMES plans to front on Thursday. The involvement has helped immediately elevate and coordinate the debut of Kennedy, who lacked an experienced political staff of her own. But now, it is setting off an intense backlash among Democrats. Developing...

Caroline Kennedy's interest in the U.S. Senate seat now held by Hillary Clinton is making for lots of talk, about whether having the Kennedy name is enough to qualify her for the position. Kennedy, who's 51, has been a very private person until her very public support of Barack Obama, and this week she's saying publicly she's interested. Reaction here in Syracuse: Outgoing Congressman Jim Walsh, honored by the Onondaga County Legislature for 20 years of service to the area, says 'Well, I think you have to earn this." He points to Clinton's tenure and asks 'Why did she come...

Kennedy Takes A Beating From Upstate Media Reporters Jump All Over Mostly Silent Princess Of Camelot; Mayor Of Syracuse Doesn't Offer Endorsement Who Should Get Senate Gig? Siena Poll: Cuomo 26, Kennedy 23 Reporting Marcia Kramer NEW YORK (CBS) Caroline Kennedy took a page from Hillary Clinton's playbook and began an upstate listening tour On Wednesday. The road trip included stops in Syracuse, Rochester and Buffalo to help convince Gov. David Paterson and voters she's the one to replace Clinton in the U.S. Senate. But it was a tough crowd. The black SUV pulled up to Syracuse city hall Wednesday...

Elitism: Is Democratic New York Gov. David Paterson his own man? If he is, he'll appoint an accomplished leader as senator. If he isn't, he'll kowtow to the party bosses and pick . . . a Kennedy.When the Empire State's legally-blind governor made a huge stink this week about an NBC "Saturday Night Live" skit that lampooned him, was he just conniving to convince New Yorkers how independent and determined he is — prior to caving in on Caroline Kennedy? In the days since Gov. Paterson was depicted by comic Fred Armisen as confused and disoriented, holding charts upside down...

Declaring that tough economic times demand that New Yorkers are represented by a real fighter in the U.S. Senate, state Republican chairman Joseph N. Mondello today urged Governor David Paterson to appoint Representative Peter T. King to that body once Senator Hillary Clinton is confirmed as U.S Secretary of State. "The Governor should put partisan politics aside and do what is in the best interests of the people of New York," Mondello declared. "We need a real fighter in the United States Senate, someone who, from the moment he steps onto the floor of that august body, never stops advancing...

Roll Call and ABC say Caroline Kennedy 100% on wanting Hillary's seat.

Caroline Kennedy, the daughter of an American political dynasty, has decided to pursue the United States Senate seat being vacated by Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, a person told of her decision said on Monday. The decision came after a series of deeply personal and political conversations, in which Ms. Kennedy, whom friends describe as unflashy but determined, wrestled with whether to give up what has been a lifetime of avoiding the spotlight. Ms. Kennedy will ask Gov. David A. Paterson of New York to consider her for the appointment, according to the person told of her decision....

What really draws me to the notion of Caroline as senator, though, is the modern-fairy-tale quality of it all. Like many women my age -- I'm a few months younger than she -- Caroline has always been part of my consciousness: The lucky little girl with a pony and an impossibly handsome father. The stoic little girl holding her mother's hand at her father's funeral. The sheltered girl, whisked away from a still-grieving country by a mother trying to shield her from prying eyes. In this fairy tale, Caroline is our tragic national princess. She is not locked away in...

As a former New Yorker, I am occasionally obliged to ask impertinent questions. Such as: How can Democrats, who ridiculed Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as an inexperienced political wannabe, now embrace the idea of elevating Caroline Kennedy – who hasn't served a day in public office – to Hillary Clinton's New York Senate seat? How, indeed, can the same "progressives" who opposed Clinton's election as president because they were repelled by the notion of extending the "Clinton dynasty" now be keen on perpetuating the Kennedy dynasty through an appointment? The Massachusetts senator and others in the family are actively promoting...

Mostly known for her role as 'The Nanny,' actress Fran Drescher argues that her activism and diplomatic work qualify her to fill the vacant seat. Check out who else has thrown a hat in the ring, and who have withdrawn themselves from consideration.