The Empire State has been recast as Camelot II. The daughter of the late President hit the bricks today, launching a Hillary-like “listening tour” of Syracuse, Rochester and Buffalo. She turned on the Irish charm, graciously asking Syracuse Matt Driscoll’s for his blessing and counsel about how Washington can help his battered city. Meanwhile, Attorney General Andrew Cuomo stews. He has been criticized for lobbying too hard for the job that he thought was his until Caroline tossed her tiara into the ring after my choice, environmental activist Robert Kennedy Jr., bowed out of the race. A Siena College poll released today finds that 26 percent of voters believe Gov. David Paterson should name Andrew, son of former Governor Mario, to the Senate. Twenty-three percent back Kennedy. Thirty-one percent, however, say the “fix” is in and Sweet Caroline will get the job. Only 16 percent believe Paterson will select Cuomo. The upshot: Andy is not going to Washington any time soon.
Kennedy did a complete run around of the upstate press corps during today's charm offensive. She fielded no questions in Syracuse and the Buffalo News reports that Mayor Byron Brown said Kennedy had asked for a private meeting with neither reporters nor photographers present. Kennedy is advised by political consultant Josh Isay, the man with the golden Rolodex who runs Knickerbocker SKD. He counsels the “always in the media” Sen. Chuck Schumer, NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg and Buffalo’s Brown.
Caroline has plenty of communications aces up her sleeve. The New York Times notes Kennedy can count on Ranny Cooper, Weber Shandwick Public Affairs president and former chief of staff to Senator Uncle Ted; Gary Ginsberg, executive VP for global marketing/corporate affairs at News Corp., advisor to CEO Rupert Murdoch and confidante of Caroline’s brother, the late JFK Jr., and Stefan Friedman, the former political reporter at the New York Post who has just signed on as Caroline’s spokesmen. That’s an A-list that is hard to beat.
Murdoch’s Post is already in the bag for Caroline. “Kennedy's selection would be a welcome sign of Paterson's willingness to reject the politics of pander and special-interest pressures merely to satisfy some ethnic or geographic quota,” it editorialized on Dec. 16. “The state needs a senator of stature, with a willingness to tough it out when circumstances require. To the surprise of many, New York got exactly that in Hillary Rodham Clinton. And we believe it can do so again with the appointment of Caroline Kennedy to fill Clinton's seat.” That is quite an impressive endorsement for a woman who had been out of the public eye for years.
Murdoch has a special place in his heart for the Kennedy clan. It was Sen. Ted, who is gung-ho about his niece entering the family business, who granted the Aussie a waiver to buy the Post even though News Corp. owned Channel 5 in NYC. It’s now payback time.