Kennedy's Bid Derailed By Housekeeper And Tax Problems: NY Times

DANNY HAKIM, NICHOLAS CONFESSORE:

Problems involving taxes and a household employee surfaced during the vetting of Caroline Kennedy and derailed her candidacy for the Senate, a person close to Gov. David A. Paterson said on Thursday, in an account at odds with Ms. Kennedy's own description of her reasons for withdrawing.

The account emerged 14 hours after Ms. Kennedy announced that she was taking her name out of contention for the Senate seat vacated by Hillary Rodham Clinton, and as Mr. Paterson appeared to be leaning toward selecting Representative Kirsten E. Gillibrand, an upstate lawmaker in her second term in Congress.

Read the whole story: DANNY HAKIM, NICHOLAS CONFESSORE

Comments

[rockne]

McGreavey

Spizer

Blago

Wililam Jefferson

John Edwards

Rangle

Toricelli

Mayor Adams (Portland)

Bil Clinton (one of only two Presidents ever impeached or disbarred)

Ted Kennedy (vehicular homicide--still no jail time)

Sandy Berger

Now Caroline Kennedy.

And the Dems claim the Republicns lack scrupples!!

[JoeDoorman]

Looks like New York got what it deserved, a career politician from a political family who is indorsed by the NRA. Good job! They could have had Caroline Kennedy, who had the ear of Obama, now NY has a senator nobody knows or cares about. And everyone involved from the New York Times to Andrew Cuomo got a black eye. Patterson is going to have a hard time being re-elected. A complete disaster for the Democrates and the NYTs who’s biased reporting was one of the worst I’ve seen in any newspapers, even the Post. Many people talk about how Gillibrand is like HRC, fantastic, what now she is going to take 3 years off to run for President. This is not a horse race, you want someone who can have some influence in Washington, in a short amount of time.

[dgscol]

Patterson is blind, but he is not dumb. She ought to have been the Queen of the Carolinas, an independent state of the new global government.

[banja]

You cannot underestimate the rough and tumble of NY politics, hit job after hit job. The NY times is also reporting that the frontrunner Kirsten Gillibrand will have a primary challenger because of her position on gun rights. She was endorsed by the NRA. For liberals trashing Caroline, you will now get a conservative bluedog democrat from upstate NY. Very interesting, I wonder where she stands on abortion , gay rights and immigration. Gloria Lovelace please enlighten us, let the vetting begin.

[ema]

She's cool with choice, women's issues, and gay rights. Not so great on immigration. I think it's issue by issue with her. I'm not loving this choice. Although she reps a very conservative district and may swing left once she reps the whole state.

[banja]

She sounds like a border security first hardliner on immigration, she doesn't mention supporting comprehensive immigration reform.

[livelongandprosper]

Not loving politicians because they are "issue by issue." That is classic!

[glorialovelace]

go to:

http://www.selectgillibrand.com/?page_id=7

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirsten_Gillibrand

http://kirstengillibrand.com/release.asp?id=1

http://www.ontheissues.org/NY/Kirsten_Gillibrand.htm

Gillibrand is pro-choice, pro-stem cell research. She is anti gun-control but in favor of laws that keep guns out of the hands of the mentally ill and people with criminal records.

Her position on immigration can be found here:

http://www.gillibrand.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=226&Itemid=1

[DieselRocks]

Whatever. Glad the drama is over. From a California perspective, who cares? Sorry, but these old east coast families acting like royalty is more amusing than interesting. Time to move on to more important items.

[sunny555]

I prefer these "old east coast families" to your state's celebrity-­as-johnny-­come-latel­y intellects. Not to mention your governor forever declaring a state of emergency and expecting the rest of the country to bail you out because some people build their mansions and/or "beach homes" on unstable cliffs.

[PennLawyer]

From the state that gave us Dick Nixon, Ronald Regan and Ahnuld! ! ! Pot, meet kettle. I do like California. Used to live in LA and then Sacramento. But the voters have long been dangerously star-struck.

[drock973]

Despite how he turned out, Nixon was at least a Congressman, Senator, and VP before becoming President. Also, given that none of them came from privileged background, it's impossible to call any of them royalty.

[livelongandprosper]

This is why Stephanopoulos will never be considered a journalist...He just bats too hard for the libs.

Give Caroline a pass: http://blogs.abcnews.com/george/2009/01/caroline-kenn-1.html

Can't control is personal feelings: http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlDC/news_notes/stephanopoulos_cried_on_inauguration_day_106585.asp

[rockyb26]

anybody know what's going on with the main thread? why does it take you back to november?

[liseworks]

They tried to update an old thread - I think the Live-Feed has proven to cause a tech problem -

[sunny555]

I am very sorry Caroline is not going to be named NY Senator. The fact that she does not have traditional political experience was a definite plus to me, as many of those who did turned out to be corrupt and worse. The whole situation is very mysterious, but my instincts tell me that Cuomo and/or Hill -- maybe working in tandem -- derailed CK's bid.

Tomorrow at noon Paterson is naming the new Senator.

[bloglorn]

HuffPo needs to get on the stick. She has NOT withdrawn, there is NO affair, no housekeeper, no tax problem. What IS with the media? How about getting facts straight instead of proliferating this all over the net and on TV. I'm glad Chris Matthews eviscerated Liz Benjamin of the NY Daily News on Hardball today for even the suggestion of an affair.

She IS still a candidate for this appointment. There is NO withdrawal.

[AlgerHiss]

The confusion at the end of this is the final evidence she's not qualified for the job. Legitimate senatorial candidates would have been doing network/cable interviews to answer questions when they came up. Not putting out written statements, leaking, using aides/sources. It's a comedy of errors.

[denholt]

Whatever the reason, Caroline Kenney is no longer "in the running." Period. End of story. If only S A R A H P A L I N would similarly disappear, all would be right with the world.

[ImpalaSuperSport]

I think the media would like to carry on and talk about her personal life, kids, lovers etc

[rockne]

Oh, if only Caroline Kennedy were treatred the way Palin was by the corrupt MSM!!!

[issa09]

This is gossip. Where is the evidence on the taxes and house keeper problems?

[lovered]

So if its CK its gossip, but when its Sarah Palin (library books baby rumors, etc) you're all ouraged and still talking about it. Oh the hypocracy.

[sunny555]

SP is a din g a lin g. CK is a class act. that's the difference.

[livelongandprosper]

Since when did people on this board require that? It thrives on speculation and uninformed opinion.

[ozzy1648]

That will be too funny if the affair is shown to be true!! Will show the she was the "apple of her father's eye"....and that apple did not fall far from the tree....The next four years are gonna be fun!!

[javaz]

I did not understand why Caroline Kennedy, who has always been such a private person, tossed her hat into the ring, until now.
She was pressured by Uncle Ted.
I wish that she hadn't succumbed, but respect her for bowing out.

[GhiaccioPronto]

Why blame uncle Ted, he was only trying to help. You don't think she might not have a few demons of her own?

[Greg54]

LOL. This is the ultimate political cluster-f***. Ms. Kennedy's clumsy and graceless exit demonstrates, yet again, that she is not ready for prime time.

[Pronto]

Never was, never will be.

[McChimp]

At least she isn't blaming the media, which is what Sarah Palin keeps on doing despite the fact that her ticket LOST.

There is NOTHING graceless here except the reporting on behalf of the media, why is the media relying on the NYT which s lammed Obama last year, and has become as much a tabloid as the Enquirer?

[drock973]

So are you blaming the media for CK's poor performance?

[ImpalaSuperSport]

Thank God, she'd be plugging too many "you know"s into her retorts

[javaz]

If only Sister Sarah could be that wise.

[plugger]

will any union big shots or bloggers ask about what the housekeepers wages /beneifits

[ozzy1648]

You know they won't...The Kennedy family accepts too much money from unions and returns the favors through legislatio­n...Unions will forgive Ms Kennedy for her trespasses...They WOULD NOT do the same for a republican politition or appointee for a cabinet post though....Believe that

[harveyr2]

Farewell Caroline. It is nice to see that the Kennedy's are no longer above the law.

Too bad POTUS and the Senate doesn't feel the same way about Timothy Geithner. Honesty and integrity are far more important than his supposed expertise in all matters financial (except taxes).

[McChimp]

Honesty and integrity are what Geithner has shown by admitting his mistake, which is a HUGE step forward from the Bushies of the past eight years who never admitted ONE mistake.

[drock973]

Honesty and integrity would have been paying the taxes on-time and in full.

[trailrunner9]

Would we be given a pass for not paying $34,000 in taxes. I rather doubt it. Why the double standard. He tried to get away without paying those taxes based on a statue of limitations loop hole. He only rectified that "mistake" when he was told he was being tapped for the position. I call them like I see them.