There has been a lot of talk, and some action, regarding attempts to unseat Senator Gillibrand. Several people, on both sides of the political aisle, have been mentioned as possible contenders, and a couple of them have gone so far as to form exploratory committees.
They all have one serious problem -- Kirsten Gillibrand is an extremely bright, politically savvy person who can raise an enormous amount of money. She comes from a politically active family, and has shown the rare ability to rise above her early indoctrination (her father was a Republican lobbyist, and her first political job was as an intern for Al D'Amato).
Since becoming a Senator, her views on guns and gays have "evolved," to use the popular buzz word. She has spoken publicly in support of universal healthcare coverage, including a public option. These positions will win her downstate votes. They may cost her something upstate, but not much.
The main reason for assuming continued strength upstate is that none of her potential challengers comes from anywhere farther north than Peekskill, and all but one of them hail from NYC or Long Island. Senator Gillibrand is positioning herself brilliantly, both on issues and geographically.
In a primary, she will win upstate handily, and between her evolution on issues and the support of Senator Schumer she will gain plenty of downstate votes to win. In a general election she will do even better, earning a lot of upstate Republican votes as well as virtually every Democratic vote in the state (can you see a Democrat voting for George Pataki or Peter King?).
Even Rep. Israel would have been at a serious disadvantage. For every upstate vote he gets, he loses two or three from NYC. If he tries to focus on NYC/Long Island, he loses by such an enormous margin upstate that there is no way he makes up for it.
CQ Politics has the scoop; Congressman Steve Israel is telling the New York Congressional delegation that he'll challenge Senator Gillibrand in the 2010 Democratic primary. His challenge represents a serious threat to Gillibrand's political life. Unfortunately for progressives, he doesn't represent the type of challenge from the left that some of us crave.
Congressman Steve Israel will be the chair the DCCC's Recruiting Committee, responsible for working with our Members and allies to identify and recruit topnotch candidates in districts around the country. Israel has been a Member of the Recruiting Committee for the past two cycles when Democrats made an historic 54 seat gain.
"Congressman Steve Israel's aggressive leadership of the Recruiting Committee is critical to our success this cycle," said Chairman Chris Van Hollen. "Steve is a savvy, battle tested campaigner who will be an enormous asset to our candidates."
Congressman Steve Israel said, "I'm looking forward to continuing my work with the DCCC Recruiting Committee in a new leadership role. An aggressive offense is an essential part of our strategy for success this cycle. The DCCC will continue to recruit the best candidates in districts around the country and ensure they have the infrastructure and support they need to hit the ground running."
I've got a suggestion for Rep Israel. Start close to home and get us a great candidate for the district next door, NY-3.
One of the big subtopics that was mentioned throughout the Inauguration Day coverage was who Governor David Paterson would appoint to the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Hillary Clinton, who will be approved by the U.S. Senate to become President Barack Obama's Secretary of State.
The national media seems to think that Caroline Kennedy will get it. That is, of course, because Caroline Kennedy is a national figure. But as New Yorkers, we know that there are more options than just Kennedy and perhaps, more qualified options.
We all know that Attorney General Andrew Cuomo is also being considered, but he seems to content with staying on as Attorney General. There is a possibility (a very real possibility) that Cuomo would force a gubernatorial primary in 2010. Cuomo has statewide appeal, but whether or not that translates into him wanting to become a U.S. senator is up to him.
One person who has been mentioned but not given much of a chance is Rep. Steve Israel. While Israel isn't from upstate, he has traveled upstate in the past to assist former congressional candidate Jon Powers and he traveled upstate recently to meet with leaders, including Democratic Party leaders in Genesee, Livingston, Orleans and Wyoming counties.
I'm not going to agree with Rep. Israel on everything, but he does have a history of being concerned with upstate, especially the rural areas of New York. That is a great trait to have, especially when Caroline Kennedy only made stop in the major cities of New York and didn't take time to visit some of the rural areas that make this state great.
My preference would be to have someone who is progressive and who would represent upstate well. I would also like to see diversity with the choice, meaning that Paterson should pick either a woman, Latino or an African American.
But, what has been repeated over and over again is true: This is Paterson's pick. Whomever he selects will be our senator until 2010. Then, if we don't like his choice, we can pick our own.
A very reliable source tells me to watch for announcements regarding Congressman Steve Israel's entry into the race/selection contest for Hillary Clinton's seat (note: I realize he's been or less in the "race" for a while). Look for something in an upstate paper about this over the next few days.
What are people's thoughts on Israel as a possible Senator?
Earlier today 10 New York Democrats voted to eviscerate the 4th Amendment and to retroactively excuse the lawless warrantless surveillance of tens of millions of Americans by an out of control Executive as well as the telecom companies that that facilitated these crimes. Their votes were disgraceful and we should never forget them, but the majority of New York Democrats stood up for our Constitution today and we shouldn't forget their votes either. The following New York Democrats stood tall today:
Clarke (NY-11)
Hall (NY-19)
Hinchey (NY-22)
Israel (NY-2)
Maloney (NY-14)
McNulty (NY-21)
Nadler (NY-8)
Rangel (NY-15)
Serrano (NY-16)
Slaughter (NY-28)
Towns (NY-10)
Velazquez (NY-12) (My Congresswoman. Way to go, Nydia.)
Weiner (NY-9)
It should probably go without saying, but all New York House Republicans (with exception of Tom Reynolds, who was apparently napping) voted for this abomination.
I've told many stories from the NYSDRC convention but Rep. Steve Israel, who I have seen speak on two occasions now, told a very sad story. But it was a sad story with a happy ending.
Rep. Israel also wrote this story on his blog. You must hear the whole story, so here is the first part of the blog entry.
Joe Soukup, a homeless veteran who survived Vietnam with a Purple Heart, decided to end his life in a suburban shopping center on February 14, 2007.
He had been living in his truck for three years, often parking at the Mayfair Shopping Center in Commack. On this particular day, an ice-storm was bearing down on Long Island and the truck was almost out of gas.
At that point, Joe thought there was nothing left to live for. He figured he had just enough gas to drive to a bridge. There, he would let the ice storm take him to the death he avoided in Vietnam.
Then, something happened. Maybe it was divine intervention. Maybe it was common sense. Joe decided if he was going to die, he should do it with dignity at a Veterans hospital. He calculated that he had just enough gas to make it to the VA Hospital in Northport and he drove there.
When he arrived, a social worker pleaded with Joe to go to a Salvation Army shelter. He refused, noting that he would have to give up his home -- his truck -- to pay the fee. The VA staffer said, "You keep your truck. I'll personally pay the fee."
That was the first time Joe felt like he had received help from the government.
The second time was when he came to my office. Tom McGlennon, a veterans advocate, persuaded Joe to put aside his distrust of government and let my office help him seek an increase in disability payments for his Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Joe was just starting to turn his life around. He kicked a drug habit. He took anger management counseling. He began understanding that the flashbacks of grisly combat in Vietnam were just flashbacks. He was diagnosed with PTSD, but the government gave him a senselessly low rating. It took months of phone calls, frequent pestering, and navigation through an endless bureaucratic maze to get Joe Soukup what he was owed. At one point, we were even caught between conflicting decisions by two separate branches of the VA. Then, on March 27 I called Joe to tell him that we secured a retroactive payment of $57,834 and monthly checks of $2,527.
After a long silence, Joe said, "That's a lot of money."
We helped rescue Joe Soukup from homelessness. But every night in America, there are an estimated 200,000 veterans who are homeless. 400,000 veterans have experienced homelessness at some point. And 23% of all homeless people are veterans. They served our country, won medals and fought battles but now shiver in the cardboard shelters and trucks they call home.
The federal government has a fundamental, "buck-stops-here" obligation to leave no veteran homeless. And yet, this White House has looked the other way. Or it has not opened its eyes wide enough to see the Joe Soukups under bridges and in parking lots across America. Or they have made the callous decision that in an era of limited budgets, it is more important to provide subsidies to oil companies, HMOs, and financial lenders.
There can be no higher priority than ending the homelessness of veterans in America. There can be no greater shame if we fail.
Sure, my office helped rescue Joe Soukup from homelessness. That's one down...and 199,999 to go.
Rep. Israel will be working hard to strengthen our Democratic congressional coalition here in New York. But with this story, you see that Israel is also a very strong and effective representative. Kudos to him for his action on this issue.
