Kennedy or J-Lo: Who's Better for the Senate?
A local Congressman raises the question as he challenges Caroline Kennedy's qualifications
By MICHAEL CLANCY
Updated 8:44 AM EST, Thu, Dec 11, 2008
Jennifer Lopez or Caroline Kennedy? Who is more qualified to be Hillary Clinton's replacement as New York's junior Senator?
Rep. Gary Ackerman, a veteran Queens Democrat wants to know.
"I don't know what Caroline Kennedy's qualifications are," the 25-year Congressman said on Steve Malzberg's WOR conservative chat-fest, becoming New York's first prominent Democrat to openly challenge the credentials of JFK's daughter as a potential replacement for Sen. Hillary Clinton.
""Except that she has name recognition, but so does J.Lo," Ackerman said, according to the New York Post. "I wouldn't make J.Lo the senator unless she proved she had great qualifications, but we haven't seen them yet."
The New York Times reported Tuesday that Sen. Ted Kennedy personally lobbied Gov. Paterson, Sens. Chuck Schumer and Robert Menendez (D-NJ) on behalf of his niece. Both Paterson and Kennedy denied the report.
“We just haven’t talked at all,” Paterson told the Times. “He hasn’t sent any message to me from anyone. And no one has even called me and said they’ve spoken to him.”
But that's not to say that Paterson isnt' feeling any heat from some quarters.
"It's important for the candidates to focus all of their activities on trying to establish that they are the best candidate, and not on trying to assert any undue influence," said Paterson was quoted as saying in the Post.
First Published: Dec 11, 2008 7:20 AM EST
You Might Like
You have 2000 characters left
