Okay, that was funny.

J.

He’d never see Cuomo anyway, what with him being blind and all.
/rimshot

Wow, he’s a blogger with Bill Frist diagnostic skills. Now thats MENSA material.

Andrew Cuomo put a call into the Gov. that went like this:

AC – Hi gov! Listen, I’ve been doing some thinking. If Caroline gets the Senate seat, you’re going to have to deal with me at your reelection. Caroline isn’t a threat to you. I am. If you appoint me, I’m doing the DC boogie and I’m outta here. Watta ya say?

Gov – Let me get this right. I don’t have to see your sorry ass again if I send you to DC?

AC – You got it.

CLICK.

Gov – Eh Mary, get Caroline on the phone for me.

No she doesn’t. I don’t know much about the constitutionality of legacy seats, but I would assume the Senate seat would go to son Patrick, not niece Caroline.

Oh, and Keith O reported that she has NOT withdrawn her name.

Let’s hear your laughable “thoughts” on an alternative scenario, with supporting evidence. I could use the snorts.

J.

I dismiss the “Ted’s health” theory because I can read a calendar. Ted’s illness was announced last May and it was largely considered a death sentence. He had surgery in June, only attended one night of the Democratic convention, and was hospitalized for a seizure in September. Caroline announced her interest in the seat on December 15.

Ted’s health was front and center for most of last year, including a rush to the hospital in September. If it was a factor in Caroline’s decision to seek the seat, then it was most likely a “join the family business” force, keeping a Kennedy in the Senate, than a “free up time to spend with him” one.

No, the biggest change in the whole situation was Caroline’s chances of getting the seat. Her disastrous interviews and sheer unfitness for the job were outweighing her assets — which mainly consisted of her name and her ties to Obama. Ted’s seizure on Tuesday was a convenient excuse for a face-saving withdrawal from what had become a humiliating ordeal.

To take Caroline at her word is to assume that she wasn’t fully aware of Ted’s health issues — which were front-page news for almost a year — until his second seizure, on last Tuesday. That she was not kept in the loop to the travails of her uncle, the patriarch of the family, from the announcement of his illness, his surgery, his appearance at the convention where she played a major role, or his prior seizure that resulted in him being rushed to the hospital. I’m not buying that.

Yeah, it could be possible that the fix is in, to give her Ted’s seat instead. But that would piss off a LOT of Massachusetts Democrats — for decades, Kennedy and Kerry have camped in the Senate, blocking other Democrats from being able to rise through the ranks. There are a LOT of Democrats in Massachusetts who think that they are entitled to at least a chance to be in the Senate, and Patrick will be under tremendous pressure to give the seat to someone who’s paid their dues in the Bay State — not hand it over to a carpetbagger who will, in all likelihood, tie up the seat for a couple more decades.

Patrick is NOT popular, is up for re-election next year, and could really, really use some allies in the race. The vaunted Kennedy machine has lost much of its power; it can get Kennedys elected, but that’s about it. Appointing Caroline would not help him much, and would in all likelihood piss off those who think they deserve the seat — and will not offer much support for Patrick’s re-election.

I could very easily be wrong. The fix could be in for her to take Ted’s seat. But I think my reasoning — based on established facts — is not only plausible, but quite probable.

J.

She’s got some ambition, some smarts, some legacy, and wouldn’t have much trouble raising money. She realizes that the bad press of the moment is ridiculous considering she’d be replacing a Senator who was pretty much a carpetbagger who moved in and won on her name recognition (and won big.) Timing is key, but the timing probably looks better next door in Massachusetts.

I’m not sure Barney Frank would make a great Senator, though it would be fun to watch various heads explode.

About what?

J.

“…Her concerns about Senator Edward M. Kennedy’s deteriorating health (he was hospitalized after suffering a seizure during President Obama’s inaugural lunch on Tuesday ) prompted her decision to withdraw, this person said. Coping with her uncle’s condition was her most important priority, a situation not conducive to starting a high profile public job.”

…rather than open it and remove all doubt, yadda yadda yadda.

No, I think enough people told her it wasn’t gonna happen, and she decided to keep a little dignity.

J.

I wonder if “personal reasons” would have to do with Ted Kennedy’s health? Who knows.