Kennedy

cross posted on College Dems of NY blog: http://www.collegedemsny.com/blog

Caroline Kennedy for Senate? In New York? Replacing Hillary Clinton? Are you kidding me?! Governor Patterson has reportedly talked with Caroline Kennedy about filling Hillary Clinton's Senate seat, according to ABC News: http://blogs.abcnews.com/...

Another Senator Kennedy? The crazy speculation about Hillary Clinton's Senate seat may not be so crazy after all. A Democrat who would know tells ABC News that New York governor David Paterson has talked to Caroline Kennedy about taking the seat, which was once held by her uncle, Robert F. Kennedy. It's not exactly shocking that Paterson would reach out to one of the most highly respected public figures in New York, but this is: Sources say Kennedy is considering it, and has not ruled out coming to Washington to replace Hillary Clinton in the Senate.

I think Caroline Kennedy would be a perfect fit for the Senate seat. Think about this match made in heaven: one powerful woman replacing another for a Senate seat in a state that craves icons larger than life. Caroline Kennedy definitely foots the bill.

I saw Caroline Kennedy speak twice when I went to the DNC Convention in Denver and not only is she a great speaker, but she knows the issues. What better way to replace a Clinton than with a Kennedy? New Yorkers would love it. The netroots would love it. And Governor Patterson would look good with a tough election for governor coming up.

Your thoughts?

Believe it or not, Mike Bloomberg comes into play in this post about “Clean for Gene” and 1968. Here is my opinionated examination of the context of the tumultuous race and then my even more opinionated thoughts on how it might apply to hypotheticals involving Barack Obama.

3. "Clean for Gene" & R.F.K. - Eugene McCarthy believed he had no hope of beating President Johnson from the left in 1968, but he did it anyway. Gene announced that he was running to be the voice of the movement for a negotiated settlement to the Vietnam War.

Subsequently, his candidacy took off on College Campuses across America. In New England, where there is a citizen-to-college ratio of roughly 1:3, young volunteers were the key to McCarthy's surprise finish in the New Hampshire primary. That fall, antiwar students in New England and elsewhere went "Clean for Gene," cutting their hair and shaving off their dirty hippy beards in order to canvass and GOTV for McCarthy.

When McCarthy won 20 of the 24 NH delegates, President Johnson crapped his pants. Four days later, previously chicken Robert F. Kennedy announced he wanted in on that action. After the new year, LBJ folded. McCarthy was still huge on campus, as Kennedy once joked, “Gene gets all the A students and I get all the C students.” As somebody who banked on his youthfulness and intelligence, Kennedy bristled at losing the support of the intelligentsia and college campuses.

More after the bump