Pat Dollard

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Sarah Palin-Lite Junior Senator from New York, Kisten Gillibrand. Trust me, Governor Paterson, like many Democrats are giving the finger back to a very heavy-handed, would be Dictator, Barack Obama, who is now 0 for 2 in forcing Governors to appoint radical Leftist cronies and friendly sycophants to United States Senate seats. She’s also obsessed with fighting the war on terror, and opposed to a perversion of marriage.

NY Post:

ALBANY – Gov. Paterson, defying the liberal wing of his Democratic Party, has chosen little-known, NRA-backed, upstate Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand to succeed Hillary Rodham Clinton as New York’s junior senator, it was learned last night.

The surprising – and, for many Democrats shocking – decision to pick the conservative Gillibrand, 42, from Hudson in Columbia County, was disclosed by the governor in calls to party officials and some members of the state’s congressional delegation, many of whom said they were unhappy with the selection, sources said.

Gillibrand, a mother of two occasionally resented by colleagues for being an aggressive self-promoter, was strongly backed for the post by Charles Schumer, the state’s senior senator, who said a woman and an upstater was needed on next year’s ticket.

Paterson’s decision – to be officially announced today at noon at the state Capitol – was made just 24 hours after Caroline Kennedy took herself out of the running.

The decision was a major rebuff to some of the state’s best-known Democrats interested in Clinton’s seat, including Attorney General and former federal Housing Secretary Andrew Cuomo, for whom Gillibrand once worked as a junior lawyer; Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi, and Reps. Carolyn Maloney of Manhattan and Steve Israel of Suffolk County.

Sources said “at least five” members of the state’s Democratic congressional delegation called Paterson to protest the possibility of Gillibrand’s selection. One, Rep. Carolyn McCarthy of Nassau County, even threatened a primary challenge. Gillibrand faces a special election in 2010.

Democratic activists predicted that Cuomo, son of former Gov. Mario Cuomo, would also “seriously consider” challenging Paterson in a primary next year.

Calls were made from Paterson’s office to leading Democrats and Republicans throughout the afternoon, inviting them to a special meeting room attached to the Capitol for “a major announcement.”

The inclusion of several prominent Republicans among the invitees was an early sign to insiders that Paterson planned to pick an upstate Democrat.

Gillibrand has won two successive elections in one of the heaviest GOP districts in the state, first upsetting incumbent Rep. John Sweeney and, in November, defeating former state GOP chairman and multimillionaire Alexander Treadwell, in one of the most expensive races in the nation.

Liberal Democrats have been wary of her because she ran for re-election with the backing of the National Rifle Association, opposed the federal TARP program to rescue banks, and has been less than enthusiastic about gay marriage.

Politico:

Here’s a rundown of Gillibrand’s strengths and weaknesses as she prepares for a closely-contested election, likely against Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.), in 2010:

PROS:
1. Crossover appeal. Gillibrand has won over Republicans in one of the most conservative Congressional districts in the Empire State. She worked assiduously to court the many local Republican officeholders in upstate New York upon winning the seat in 2006 — reminiscent of Clinton’s work winning upstate voters in 2000 — and won a landslide re-election victory with 62 percent of the vote.

2. Fundraising dynamo. Gillibrand was the most prolific fundraiser among House Democrats, raising over $4.7 million for her reelection bid. She should have little trouble raising the money necessary to run in what is expected to be the most expensive Senate race in the country.

3. Checks all the boxes. Paterson was looking to pick a woman to balance the statewide ticket in 2010. He wanted a candidate from upstate New York. He needed someone to be well-received by both the Clinton and Schumer camps. Gillibrand accomplishes all three.

CONS:
1. Working class cred? Gillibrand certainly hails from a very privileged background. Her father was a prominent New York lobbyist and attorney. She attended an all-girls prep school, went to Dartmouth and was criticized as a carpetbagger for living a Manhattan high-rise when she first ran for Congress. She has proven she can win over voters in her district, but can the largely unknown congresswoman sell her biography to working-class voters in a closely-scrutinized Senate race?

2. Primary challenge in 2010? Because of her opposition to gun control and perfect vote rating from the National Rifle Association, Gillibrand has already drawn scathing criticism from progressive groups and the prospect of a primary challenge from Long Island Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (whose husband was murdered by a crazed gunman 15 years ago). A divisive Democratic primary could sap her campaign warchest and turn off liberals in a general election.

3. Opens up House seat. Democrats have a VERY thin bench of candidates in this ancestrally Republican district, and the House vacancy gives Republicans a chance to showcase their competitiveness in the post-Bush era. Already GOP officeholders are preparing to run in an upcoming special election, but there is no obvious Democratic successor.