New York Governor David Paterson has finally ended the six week game of who would be his appointment as US Senator to replace Hillary Clinton on Friday by naming second term Representative Kirsten Gillibrand from the Albany area to serve until 2010 when she will have to defend the seat, and then again in 2012 when the full term begins.
My thoughts on governors selecting replacements for Senate seats for up to two years, while at the same time all vacancies for US Representatives are filled by special elections, has been permanently affected by the ridiculous performance of both Governor Rod Blagojevich in Illinois and Governor Paterson in New York. Both showed irresponsible behavior in the selection process, although of course, no one could ever match Blagojevich, who now faces his impeachment trial in the Illinois State Senate this week and is going on all the news shows to defend himself in a way that makes him ever more a spectacle and an embarrassment to his state, the fifth largest in population.Â
But Paterson’s performance these past six weeks is also an embarrassment and makes one wonder why Lieutenant Governor nominees are not considered more seriously by Governor nominees. If it had not been for former Governor Eliot Spitzer’s outrageous moral indiscretions early in 2008, Paterson would never have been seen as qualified for Governor, and yet now he picks by far the least qualified of potential Senate nominees, once you get past the tragic collapse of the Caroline Kennedy balloon.
As stated on an earlier date, it was clear that Andrew Cuomo, the son of the former Governor and present Attorney General of New York, should have been the choice of Governor Paterson. Now it is more likely that Cuomo will either challenge Paterson for the Democratic nomination for Governor in 2010 or will try to take the Senate seat from Senator Gillibrand.
Gillibrand comes across as attractive and bright, and ironically worked for both Hillary Clinton and Andrew Cuomo during the Clinton Presidency while Cuomo was Housing Secretary in the late 1990s. However, her stand for the National Rifle Association brings her into conflict with most New York Democrats and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, an Independent, who is vehement in his demand for strong gun control legislation. There is no way that I can see that Gillibrand will NOT be challenged for nomination in 2010.
Instead of solidifying the political situation for the Democrats in New York, Governor Paterson’s actions and ultimate decision on the Senate seat make it very likely that both he and Gillebrand will have a battle for their positions and will therefore give the Republicans a good chance to take advantage of the situation and possibly win what could have been guaranteed Democratic victories. Somehow, New York deserves much better than Paterson and Gillebrand!