N.Y. Republicans Slam Caroline Kennedy

Face The Nation: Potential Replacement For Hillary Dissed As "Celebrity"; Supporters Praise Her Character, Conviction

(CBS)  Caroline Kennedy, who has placed her name in contention as a replacement for Sen. Hillary Clinton, was slammed by New York Republicans who view her as a "celebrity" without the qualifications necessary to function in Congress.

At the same time, it was suggested that Republicans might want her to be chosen, preferring to run against her in two years' time than against a more experienced politician.

Speaking on CBS' Face The Nation, Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y. (who has said he wants to run for Senate) called Kennedy a "People Magazine celebrity" who, as far as he knew, "has never held a real job.

"How can the average New Yorker identify with Caroline Kennedy?" King asked. "She comes from an outstanding family, I'm sure she's a wonderful parent, but she's never taken a stand on any public issue. She's never even held one news conference. She hasn't gone to one American Legion hall or Knights of Columbus hall or Masonic temple, or one synagogue to answer questions. When she does go on her so-called listening tour upstate, she's, like, running from city hall into the car to avoid reporters.

"And we just can't afford that. We can't afford to have a senator who is not prepared on day one."

While King said that other potential replacements for Hillary Clinton had "far more credentials" than Kennedy, he believed that choosing her would put Kennedy under tremendous scrutiny. "There's going to be a magnifying glass on her," he said. "And people are going to see that she is not equipped for the job. And I think the Republican candidate in 2010 will have a much better opportunity against Caroline Kennedy than against the others, especially someone who can identify with middle-income, working-class families."

The GOP sentiments were echoed by Rep. Tom Reynolds, from Buffalo in upstate New York, who decried the Senate as becoming "a House of Lords."

Referring to replacements being named or proferred to replace Senators Joe Biden and Barack Obama, Reynolds said, "We're seeing a seat-warmer in Delaware, a seat-seller in Illinois, and we're making seat-cushions in New York for, kind of, an aristocrat royalty of entitlement coming in here."

Those characterizations of Kennedy as an elitist were not accepted by New York City Schools Chancellor Joel Klein, who defended her experience, particularly in public service.

"I think people are missing the essence of this woman," Klein told host Bob Schieffer. "And I'll give you two instances. Five and a half, six years ago, when I asked her, along with Mayor Bloomberg, to come help with New York City's public schools, that's not a glamorous thing to do. This woman put her shoulder to the wheel, went out there and sent a powerful message to the entire city that public education matters. She helped us raise money. She helped us forge partnerships. And she spent time with our kids in the schools. I think that says a lot about her.

"My good friend Pete King said, you know, what does she know about the middle class or the working class, the struggling people? With all due respect, she came to work for the kids in New York. Most of those kids grow up in poor families."

Saying he has known Kennedy for a long time, Klein described her as "a very bright, very committed woman," and said that the work she did for President-elect Obama as part of his vice presidential search committee led her to become more involved publicly in issues of importance to her.

"I think in her own quiet but very effective way, she's going to be able to bring new ideas at a time when this country needs them," he said. "I think Caroline Kennedy has all of the right stuff. I think she's ready."

Fellow Democratic Rep. Gary Ackerman of New York, however, was less receptive to a return to Camelot:

"Everyone knows who she is, but we're not sure what she is," he said. "You know, they're Kennedys. They're all boats, but is she a sailboat when we need a battleship?"

He accused her handlers of protecting her (a la Sarah Palin's campaign staff) from reporters. "They're kind of building a mystique and an industry around her, when we need somebody to fight.

"She has a very famous name and she's a very attractive candidate. Those are good things in politics. But it's not an entitlement. You know, one of the things that we have to observe is that DNA, in this business, can take you just so far. You know, Rembrandt was a great artist. His brother Murray, on the other hand, Murray Rembrandt wouldn't paint a house."

Also on the program, former Rep. Geraldine Ferraro, D-N.Y., said she recommended to Gov. David Paterson that whomever he selects to replace Clinton should be someone who is already familiar with Congress in order to effectively deal with the myriad problems being faced in Washington and Albany.

"In order to get somebody to hit the ground running, I specifically said [to the governor] I think you should look to members of Congress," she said. "They've been dealing with these issues for the last several months. … They know what's going on, they know the process.

"And then I did put it in a little bit of a support for the six women members. I said I don't know if any one of them wants it, but I think you should reach out to them and ask them. That was it."

At the conclusion of the program, political anchor Dominic Carter of the New York City cable news channel NY1 said that, from what he has heard, "It is basically a done deal - that if Caroline Kennedy wants this seat (and she has expressed interest in it), then it is hers."

He disputed remarks that Kennedy was unprepared or unwilling to face the media. "Last week I had the opportunity to sit down with her for a couple of minutes up in Harlem, and the Camelot signs are there," he told Schieffer. "When she walked into this restaurant in Harlem, the crowd gave her basically a standing ovation. And then she sat down for a private event. I saw confidence. I saw that she wasn't looking to run away from the media. It has been somewhat of a slow rollout of Caroline Kennedy, and I think her folks are taking the heat for that."

Carter also said that the backing of Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will help convince Gov. Paterson to choose her, especially looking ahead to 2010, when both her seat and that of fellow New Yorker Chuck Schumer will be up for reelection.

"She brings prestige, she brings the Kennedy name, and she brings the ability to raise a lot of money," Carter said. "That's one less problem the Democrats would have to worry about."

And what about Hillary? Would she support Kennedy, after Kennedy backed Obama?

"She has told her people to back off," Carter said. "She is moving ahead in terms of becoming Secretary of State. And you know, for all the criticism we've heard of Caroline Kennedy, we've been there before in terms of hearing the exact same thing about Hillary Clinton."

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Read the full "Face the Nation" transcript here.

By CBSNews.com producer David Morgan.

[snowyweathers]

What kind of putrid dynasty is running NY's smoke-filled backrooms anyway? This strong dedicated survivor has quietly proven over and over again her loyalty to the Party , and great humility in profoundly endorsing Obama way back before anyone knew who he was. I'm glad she's spending time caring for/loving her ailing Uncle=Dad..................rather than emersing her lungs in this aggressive depraved cauldron of Big Apple sharkmeat................God alone knows the crosses she and her loved one's have humbly borne with dignity, aplomb, and human grace over time...................Happy Good Friday Caroline, Teddy, John, Bobby Jackie, John John, Rose and The Kennedy/Obama Families!!!

[blitzder]

Obama''''''''s worldview is a frightening blend of "The Twilight Zone" and "The Amateur Hour." Posted by RowdynTex.

Obama managed to raise close to a billion dollars with his ''WORLD VIEW''.

I think with your world view you''ll manage around 2 cents.

[cliffyworld]

Please read related article titled " It''s not experience in NY that matters, its ethics!" posted at http://www.cliffyworld.com

[Mccarthyaw]

And, this? -- "the demands of...our Constitution" -- this guy doesn''''t give a *** about the demands of our Constitution, especially Article II, Section 1, Clause 5.

Obama''''s worldview is a frightening blend of "The Twilight Zone" and "The Amateur Hour."


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Posted by RowdynTex at 09:14 AM : Dec 23, 2008

Stop with the ***. He is American born. Stop spouting off that lie. Even the most hardcore rightwingers have given up.

[Mccarthyaw]

I''''d be willing to bet you don''''t even hold a voter registration card...because it does take a LITTLE sense to get one!

You opposed Sarah Palin because O''''bungler went into a paranoid frenzy because McCain picked somebody more qualified to be VP than O''''bungler is to be President and because she''''s female to boot!

So then the lying bastward who said Clinton didn''''t have any foreign relations experience puts her in charge of foreign relations, because he knew his STUPID was hanging out all over the place!

I hope Hillary cuts him off at his legs every damned time he tries to interfere with the State Department! At least it''''s a comfort knowing she''''s going to be handling it instead of THE OH STUPID ONE!


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Posted by RowdynTex at 09:10 AM : Dec 23, 2008

No...Palin was just an idiot. That about sums it up.

[blitzder]

The same people who supported and voted for ''DUBYA'' cause he was the son of a republican ex-president, now are screaming and yelling murder at Caroline''s vying for a senate seat.

Is HYPOCRISY a singular republican trait???. Actors like Reagan and Swarzenneger are in their view eminently qualified. But not a graceful, charming writer from a prominent political presidential family. LYING is another republican tool, I guess. No wonder they lost bigtime this election.

An old Egyptian proverb '' When the caravan is moving, the DOGS are barking''. GO CAROLINE.

[wrmscvsuv]

"I know that we want her... The republicans don''''t... that is good enough for me."

How retarded can you get? I''m sure if the New York voters are as stupid as their Massachusetts counterparts, they''ll elect her just because of her name, regardless of her qualifications of lack of them.

[tiredofthebs]

To those who are saying that we should oppose Caroline Kennedy based on her alleged lack of experience because we opposed Sarah Palin, we didn''''t oppose Sarah Palin only because of her lack of experience, we opposed her because unlike Caroline Kennedy, Sarah Palin is dumber than a box of hair.


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Posted by jokr8790 at 12:37 AM : Dec 23, 2008


(Laughin'' so hard I''m cryin'') Stop! You''re killin'' me!!!! (ROTFLMAO) Obama supporters are hilarious. Have we forgotten that Joe Biden said during the primaries (on national television) that he didn''t think Obama was ready to be president? Yet he''s VP now. Define "dumber than a box of hair" for me. GOP or not, you have to admire a person who has achieved so much having NOT gone to an Ivy Law School. Stop hatin'' on Sarah! She earned hers!

[jokr8790]

To those who are saying that we should oppose Caroline Kennedy based on her alleged lack of experience because we opposed Sarah Palin, we didn''t oppose Sarah Palin only because of her lack of experience, we opposed her because unlike Caroline Kennedy, Sarah Palin is dumber than a box of hair.

[stupidrules3]

Why don''t we make the senate like jury duty. You get a letter in the mail that notifies you that you have been chosen to be senator for 2 years.
Surely this couldn''t give us worse representation than we have seen for decades.

[safe11-2009]

Arnold Schwarzenegger Gov of CA and the another GOP failure he had no experience

so maybe Caroline is not qualified

[safe11-2009]

That''''s a needle in a haystack.



Posted by TheMajority1 at 09:18 PM : Dec 22, 2008

Says your ex about you

[tiredofthebs]

I know that we want her... The republicans don''''t... that is good enough for me.

Posted by chetthor at 10:24 PM : Dec 22, 2008

It''s frightening that people with this type of mentality are allowed to vote.

[chetthor]

I know that we want her... The republicans don''t... that is good enough for me.

[tiredofthebs]

I swear you LIBERALS are flushing our party down the toilet. Look, even your chosen warrior (Obama) flipped the script to MODERATE after you elected him. The ONLY reason most want Caroline Kennedy appointed is her SURNAME! And I thought electing a freshman senator to the Oval Office was nuts!!

[wlmrtpatriot]

Most democrats were against Caroline before they were FOR her.

[kansas1946]

Why not suggest a Democrat they have some respect for? ----------------------------------------
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Posted by ForASongCA

That''''s a needle in a haystack.
No such thing.


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Posted by TheMajority1 at 09:18 PM : Dec 22, 2008
************************************

No kidding. I think that is the funniest post of the day. It wouldn''t matter what Democrat wanted the seat, the Republicans would bash them. Did they like Hillary Clinton??

[heidimt]

I have always admired Caroline Kennedy. To me she represents some very fine qualities. Grace, humility, respect, intelligence and dedication. She has avoided the public limelight and to be honest I cannot recall any behavior that could be construed as criminal, scandalous, or self-serving. She would be an asset to the state of NY and our country if she were to become a senator.

[kansas1946]

N.Y. Republicans Slam Caroline Kennedy
**************************************

Gosh, what a surprise. This is news?

[forasongca]

The only type of person the Republicans *won''t* knock for the NY Senate seat is...surprise...a Republican!

Rather than just foaming at the mouth, why not suggest a Democrat they have some respect for?