The incomparable Wayne Barett at Village Voice gives us some insight in the blue bloods and rich people coalition that is going to stick us with a brat even more unwilling to work for us than W:
It would be an oversimplification to say that Mike Bloomberg is the main man behind the Caroline Kennedy tsunami that’s hit in the last two days. There are others behind the wave of support, as well. Some, for example, say that Rahm Emanuel has such a need to fill senate seats he’s now calling David Paterson instead of Rod Blagojevich.
Interesting, as Rahm Emanuel ducks reporters these days and NY Times threatened Paterson that not picking the Princess will subject him to speculations of corruption. And Reid is mentioned as well. As for Bloomberg?
Bloomberg’s 2009 campaign and Kennedy’s 2010 campaign will be run out of the same offices at Knickerbocker SKD, where consultant Josh Isay already helped orchestrate the term limits coup for clients Bloomberg and Council Speaker Christine Quinn, and where he is now trying to help pull off his second coup in three months by securing the Clinton seat with a resume-reinvention for Ms. Kennedy..
Bloomberg wants Caroline’s name support for his forever mayorship
And we also get some glimpses of that resume reinvention:
The most tawdry part of the Bloomberg cheerleading, however, has been the exaggeration of the Kennedy resume. Aside from Caroline’s books–some of which have been collections of her mother’s favorite poems and other people’s essays–the only significant career accomplishment is the two months she worked part-time at Bloomberg’s Department of Education.
Two months, uh? It didn’t say this in the media blabber. And how much work did she do?
The former Klein aide who would only talk to the Voice anonymously said that he sat near Kennedy’s cubicle and that when she came in, she would “only stay a couple of hours or so.”
NY Post reveals she wasn’t too crazy about voting either.
And then comes credit for other people’s work:
Klein “credited her with bringing in a $51 million gift from Bill Gates’s foundation,” according to a Times piece yesterday, but a top former Klein aide told the Voice that the Gates grant “was totally put together” by Michele Cahill,..
The frequently-cited $65 million for the Academy,is also hype.The Partnership for New York City raised $30 million of it from its own members, and hardly needed any heavy lifting from Kennedy to do so. When Caroline left, Kathy Wylde, the Partnership’s president, tried to depict Kennedy’s role delicately. “Her stature was absolutely critical”
As for the media? Writes Barett:
Kennedy has so far outdone Sarah Palin by enjoying media adulation virtually without talking to reporters.
Actually, Palin was crucified by the media and talked to plenty of reporters. But the comparison is welcome, seing that experience – or lack of it – was such a major issue with Governor Palin but is completely overlooked for Princess Caroline.
The best part is how she came to work for the awful Klein:
Klein, whose wife went to Radcliffe with Kennedy and was a bridesmaid at her wedding, recruited her at a social gathering in Martha’s Vineyard.
No wonder we are told that
The Senate could end up looking like an American House of Lords.
Joe Biden’s Senate seat may go to his son Beau. Colorado Sen. Ken Salazar, Obama’s pick for interior secretary, could end up being replaced by his brother, Rep. John Salazar.
And Obama’s own seat could go to the son of the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. – less likely now in light of developments in the Rod Blagojevich scandal – or to the daughter of Illinois’ current House speaker.
10 comments
December 19, 2008 at 10:07 am
In other news… « The Confluence
[…] Not everyone in the NY media likes the prospect of Caroline Kennedy as the next Senator from NY. Buffalo News columnist Rod Watson reports on her “listening tour” of upstate NY. As we all predicted, Lady Caroline, the intensely private person, has not been exposing herself to the germy hands of icky constituents. Nooooo. She has been greasing the skids with the leaders of the political machine in the upstate areas. Sweet! Edgeoforever, our source for all things Caroline, has more this morning. […]
December 19, 2008 at 12:35 pm
paper doll
I thought I couldn’t be further nauseated after the Dem primary. But I was wrong. This whole Princess Caroline thing make me physically ill . As far as the top 1% percent is concerned, The US is over and just needs to be picked clean. It’s Caligula’s horse time in this former republic.
December 19, 2008 at 1:39 pm
Annie Oakley
I also didn’t know I could be further nauseated, but this blueblood assignment of another senate seat is disgusting. And Beau Biden? How precious. No wait, it’s revolting. We need a revolt.
December 19, 2008 at 2:01 pm
Grail Guardian
<blockquote.It’s Caligula’s horse time in this former republic.
Yes, it looks like MEchelle will have her day.
December 20, 2008 at 12:18 am
uppity kitty
She has nearly as much experience as the annointed one. The next 4 years are going to be even more of a joke than the last 8.
December 20, 2008 at 12:19 am
uppity kitty
Since when is it a good idea that pop culture and media control our lives and our government?
December 20, 2008 at 4:40 pm
Lynnzy
That’s exactly what I see. Yes Caroline Kennedy has about as much experience as ‘the chosen one’, but all the pundits thought that obama had plenty of qualifications because he went to Harvard. What snobbery here eh? So if you go to Harvard you are an automatic shoe in? I think if you go to Yale you are a shoe in too. What they don’t have is a spot for someone who could never afford an elitist school.
I still say that this bashing of Caroline Kennedy is a wasted effort because it doesn’t do anything for helping more women run for office. After the Hillary bashing, then the Palin bashing and now Caroline… what woman will want to run for office? I know I wouldn’t because maybe in the mid 90-s I missed voting a time or two but that’s about it. Did we ever drag out some dude’s voting record to make sure that he voted at ever election? No… we don’t do that because we have a different standard for men as we do women. That has to change..
December 22, 2008 at 2:11 pm
ellurian
Polling reveals NY’ers are the most upset about the “nepotism factor”. When you have Ted, Patty, Bobby and the prospect of Caroline all lined up in a row cornering the “All in the Family” ties wielding too much clout in the bowels of Congress…you know they won’t be able to push themselves away from the “Free-All You Can Eat” buffet table.
December 22, 2008 at 3:24 pm
madamab
Lynnzy – Compared to the treatment given Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton in the media, Caroline Kennedy had better not be whining about how people are mistreating her.
She chose to come out and try to take Hillary’s Senate seat. No one forced her to do that. She has absolutely no experience in any public office whatsoever and she’s 51 years old. Yet for some reason, she expects to be handed this appointment on a silver platter. Are those the facts, or are they not?
There are plenty of QUALIFIED women who could be appointed to the seat (cough cough Carolyn Maloney cough cough). If SOCIALITE Caroline Schlossberg wants it, let her run for it. I might even vote for her if she could convince me she gives a r*t’s *ss about anyone but her rich, connected friends like Mike Bloomberg and Chuck Schumer, whose publicity offices are running her campaign to win Gov. Paterson’s heart.
But if her recent “listening tour” of Upstate NY is any indication – she visited the politicians, not the people – then she doesn’t care about the voters of NY at all.
Unacceptable. And yes, I’m from New York.
December 25, 2008 at 5:44 am
Carolyne kennedy asks to be TIME’s person of the year « Not Your Sweetie
[…] Dayum! And Bloomberg tried to be so discreet in his support! […]