Happy New Year, countdown hits 20 days and counting

Happy New Year.

There are 20 + days to go now until Senator Hillary Clinton becomes the Secretary of State and Governor David Paterson appoints her replacement to the U.S. Senate from New York.

It has been over a month since my last post and what a bizarre time it has turned into on many fronts. The most bizarre of which has been the entry of Caroline Kennedy into the mix. She has inserted herself into a mix that she doesn’t belong in. There is no shortage of highly qualified candidates out there to fill this post. Any of those mentioned before on this blog and in many news reports—from congressional representative Brian Higgins, Nydia Valesquez, Nito Lowey, Kirsten Gillibrand, Steve Israel; to AG Cuomo and of course Tom Suozzi. All of these potential replacements are elected officials who have campaigned, have been vetted by the media and New York voters and have governed.

Granted, the Kennedy name is attractive and the access to fundraising cash is attractive. But we could do a lot better for Upstate New York and for all of New York, to pick a more qualified person who understands the plight of New Yorkers who have been waiting for 20 years for a turn around that would help to put the state back in the right direction. Picking Caroline Kennedy would do nothing to put NYS back in the right direction.

Picking a two year place holder like Mario Cuomo or Bill Clinton or Carl McCall or someone else for a two year stint until voters can pick in a primary would be a lot better for New York and New Yorkers than to anoint a Senator with little or no experience with the issues that matter most to most New Yorkers.

Please, Mr. Governor, don’t pick Caroline Kennedy.