It’s easy to feel for New York Governor David Paterson. He bumbles his way through selecting a replacement for former Senator Hillary Clinton (it wasn’t a good sign when the beleaguered governor of Illinois handled his pick a senator game with a whole lot more ease). After settling on Kirsten E. Gillibrand, some in Paterson’s camp start with anonymous comments dogging out Caroline Kennedy, the initial front runner for the gig until she dropped out. I’ll put this out there: anyone who tells a reporter dirt, with no name attached,  is a  coward.

So the Paterson name is a little bit sullied and he doesn’t need anything else added to his plate. Now comes a tale about  Michelle Paige Paterson, the governor’s significant other, sending a mass emails to people asking them to support her man with a letter or two. No problem there; however, she sent the plea from her work email. A problem.

“She knows that she needs to keep her work as first lady and her work for the company separate, and we are reinforcing that,”  said EmblemHealth spokeswoman Ilene Margolin;  EmblemHealth is Mrs. Paterson’s employer.

I’ll leave the context of her request alone (I do love her swipe at the “new media”), but the larger problem is who is running the public relations department in the governor’s household? What Paterson partisan thought it would be helpful to start some low ball whispering campaign against Kennedy? And why hasn’t the governor fired the folk involved? The sloppiness of finally getting to Gillibrand  is easy to forgive (with a few drinks), but there is no message discipline from the governor’s camp. Surprising seeing how he is no political hick. He comes from a political family and used to be the minority leader in the state Senate. This pedigree  is not helping him and if Paterson keeps up with the missed cues (and crazy budget troubles!) it will be real easy for someone to take him down in the next election.

(Albany, New York) Caroline Kennedy has ended her quest for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Hillary Rodham Clinton, halting a campaign that began with popular support but withered quickly over criticism about her experience and her reluctance to answer questions about her finances.

Kennedy made the announcement in a terse statement released early Thursday, ending hours of uncertainty surrounding her intentions as she appeared to waver in her decision to seek the office.

“I informed Governor Paterson today that for personal reasons I am withdrawing my name from consideration for the United States Senate,” she said in the one-sentence statement.

Her spokesman, Stefan Friedman, wouldn’t comment further. A spokesman for Gov. David Paterson, who will make the appointment to the open seat, also would not comment.

The U.S. Senate seat was once held by Kennedy’s assassinated uncle, Bobby Kennedy, and her initial announcement that she wanted to be considered was met with both excitement from supporters and skepticism from those who maintained that she was simply trading on her famous name to get into public office.

Her uncle, Sen. Edward Kennedy, suffered a seizure Tuesday at the inauguration of President Barack Obama. The veteran lawmaker has been treated for an aggressive brain tumor.

The New York Times cited a source it didn’t identify as saying his niece withdrew out of concern for her uncle and his illness. But the New York Post, which was the first to report his niece’s withdrawal from the Senate contest, cited an unidentified source as saying she dropped out because she learned Paterson had decided not to choose her.

The Associated Press initially reported Kennedy had withdrawn from the race Wednesday evening, but corrected the story about an hour later after the person who gave that information said it was an error. Kennedy later issued her statement saying that she would withdraw, hours after Clinton became head of the U.S. State Department.

Kennedy’s decision boosted the chances of several other candidates, including Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, who surpassed Kennedy in statewide polls last week.

Paterson said Cuomo had outstanding credentials for the job. Cuomo was the housing secretary under President Bill Clinton. Cuomo was elected attorney general in 2006 and has since led national reforms in the student loan industry and had a role in reining in corporate spending on Wall Street.

Cuomo is also the most popular elected politician in New York in polls – higher than Paterson, whose approval rating, while still high, has been slipping.

Paterson has asked potential candidates to respond to a 28-page questionnaires. The forms ask about personal finances and other background issues, many of which Kennedy has long shielded from the public.

Kennedy, an author, lawyer and fundraiser for New York City schools, has long guarded her privacy, and the questionnaires were expected to include some closely guarded Kennedy financial data. Paterson had said he thought the candidates’ responses would be confidential because it was his personal request that they fill them out.

But the state’s open-government expert and good-government groups told the AP that once the forms were written and submitted to the governor at least some of the responses would be subject to public review under the state Freedom of Information Law.

Kennedy jumped to the top of statewide polls in early December, but her public support waned following a brief upstate tour and a few press interviews.

She was criticized as reluctant to answer questions, and her knowledge of New York and its issues were suspect. She was also mocked nationwide for her frequent use of “you know” and “um” in interviews and was branded a lackluster campaigner.

In addition to Cuomo, other contenders include Reps. Carolyn Maloney, of New York City, and Steve Israel, of Long Island, along with a strong upstate candidate, Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand, whose district runs along the Hudson Valley. Other hopefuls among the 10 or 20 Paterson said were under consideration include U.S. Reps. Jerrold Nadler and Brian Higgins and Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown.

The Kennedy reports came hours after Maloney, some Democrats’ top choice, was named chair of the Joint Economic Committee in Congress. That’s a significant move because Paterson had made it clear the next senator’s top job should be to help land a federal stimulus package to help New York out of its historic fiscal crisis.

It’s a good day for Hillary Clinton supporters. Clinton is officially the Secretary of State and Caroline Kennedy has taken her name out of consideration for the Senate. Kennedy, who for the most part has led a rather quiet life, made it known when Clinton got picked to work in the Obama administration that she wouldn’t mind being Clinton’s replacement.  The heat started real quick and some would say that Kennedy’s media offensive made things more difficult for her.

Why she dropped out is the topic of much speculation. Some say she’s worried about her uncle’s health. Others contend she stepped aside  because Gov. David Paterson wasn’t going to pick her (I’m willing to bet the folk pushing that theme never wanted Kennedy anyway).

So now New York is less one senator and there is no idea when Paterson is going to make a decision. On Tuesday he told NBC’s  Andrea Mitchell (who kept pushing the “you’ve picked Caroline” meme), that his choice would be announced either Friday or Saturday. I love the irony that an embattled governor from Illinois can make a Senate replacement choice, while the governor from New York seems to be caught in a media storm doing the same process.

I was against Kennedy  from the start. Unlike some, her money and lack of formal political experience were not the things that bothered me. Instead it was a sense that family dynasties in politics are slightly out of tune in a democracy.

Caroline Kennedy is widely believed to be the frontrunner but Paterson also is said to be considering New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo who has been touted as a possible challenger to Peterson’s re-election bid for the governorship.

Other names that have come up include openly gay Assemblymember Daniel O’Donnell who introduced a gay marriage bill in 2007 in the legislature and shepherded it to passage in the house. The GOP-controlled Senate refused to consider the bill.

O’Donnell, who is the brother of lesbian celebrity Rosie O’Donnell, has said he will introduce the bill in the new session.

O’Donnell has confirmed he has been approached by Paterson and met with the governor on Christmas eve for a very “informal” discussion. But he also said that he did not approach the governor and is not actively campaigning for the Senate appointment.

O’Donnell was the first openly gay man elected to the Assembly. If he were appointed to replace Clinton he would be the first openly gay US senator.

Paterson said that 15 contenders are interested in the job and he’s already spoken to or interviewed about 10.

Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi of Long Island and representatives Carolyn Maloney, Steve Israel, Jerrold Nadler, Kirsten Gillibrand and Brian Higgins are reportedly among the 15.

Paterson said he will not make an appointment until Clinton is confirmed as Secretary of State.

Kennedy has the support of the vast family’s political machine and is believed to be the favorite of President-elect Barrack Obama, although he has not publicly voiced an opinion. Kennedy, along with her uncle Sen. Ted Kennedy, was an early supporter of Obama.

Paterson said for the first time Thursday that Caroline Kennedy’s lack of legislative experience is a “minus” to her qualifications as a possible appointee to the  Senate.

The governor also said Kennedy has many positives despite never holding elective office.

“Caroline Kennedy obviously does have a tremendous relationship with [President-elect Barack Obama] that’s certainly a plus,” Paterson said. “She does not have much political, I mean, legislative experience, which is a minus.”

Kennedy is on record as supporting marriage equality for gay and lesbian couples.

Kennedy is seeking the Senate seat being vacated by Hillary Clinton who has been nominated by President-elect Barack Obama to be Secretary of State.

Kennedy is one of several people seeking the seat. NY Gov. David Paterson has not indicated when he will make his selection.

Kennedy’s position on same-sex marriage puts her to the left of both Clinton and Obama, who have said they believe marriage should be limited to opposite-sex couples but that they support civil unions for gay couples.

It does, however, put her on a par with Paterson, who supports legislation in New York state to allow same-sex marriage.

Kennedy’s position was contained in a policy statement released by her spokesperson after The Buffalo News sent her inquiries involving several policy areas.

“Caroline supports full equality and marriage rights for gay and lesbian couples,” Kennedy spokesman Stefan Friedman said.

Friedman also said that Kennedy “supports President-elect Obama’s plan to work with our military leaders to begin a responsible withdrawal.” He said she supports a ban on assault weapons and the expansion of health care coverage to all Americans.

Among the others seeking Clinton’s Senate seat is NY Attorney General Andrew Cuomo.

I have nothing against Caroline Kennedy. Unlike a few of her cousins, she has kept her picture off the tabloids. From all accounts she keeps her own counsel and is one of those who knows the use of silence, a rather refreshing trait in a media culture that peddles the loud.

With that said, I’m not sure she should be picked to replace Hillary Clinton as New York’s junior senator. Sure there is the delicious irony of Kennedy, who worked hard to get Barack Obama elected, taking Clinton’s spot (it’s time I got over my issues with a certain type of Clintonista), but irony can only do so much.

Despite all the skills she brings to the table, her last name worries me. Do we need another Kennedy in the Senate? Didn’t New York have a Kennedy as senator back in the day? Are political dynasties a good thing?

Sure the rhetoric of democracy and its realities lived on the ground (we are all created equal but some are more equal than others) never match. Those vagaries can be lived with but it doesn’t mean political power should be handed over to families.

While last night will be remembered for Michelle Obama painting the lives of her and her husband in hues  middle America understands (which is sort of annoying because black-American life and history is as American as baseball and apple pie), the night really belonged to old lion Ted Kennedy. Recovering from complications due to brain cancer, the Democratic stalwart promised the cheering crowd that come early 2009 he “will be there next January on the floor of the United States Senate.”

Kennedy’s presence was all about passing the torch and he made it clear his political struggles and dreams have been picked up by the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.

“There is a new wave of change all around us and if we set our compass true, we will reach our destination, not merely victory for our party but renewal for our nation,” Kennedy said. “This November the torch will be passed again to a new generation of Americans . . . With Barack Obama, and for you and for me, the country will be committed to his cause.”

And one cause is to mend the breach that has convinced us how different we are from each other.

“Barack Obama will close the book on the old politics of race and gender and group against group and straight against gay.”

Like any political titan, Kennedy was willing to throw a curve because I’m willing to bet most in the audience were not expecting to hear a nod to gay inclusion. But maybe that is why Senator Kennedy has earned so much good will among rank and file Democrats. Ultimately they understand he’s going advocate for those who have been pushed aside.