New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand Must Convince Her Constituents
Like an actress auditioning for the role of a lifetime, Kirsten Gillibrand deftly elbowed aside her competition. Among the marquee names who wanted to be the junior U.S. senator from New York: Caroline Kennedy, who dropped out, and Andrew Cuomo, who didn't make the cut.
It was the 42-year-old sophomore in the House of Representatives who landed the job. Now, three weeks after Gov. David Paterson gave her the nod in a 2 a.m. phone call, a truth emerges about life as the anointed successor to Sen. Hillary Clinton: One man selects, but millions elect.
Thus, the woman who served 754 days as a Democrat in the House representing a Republican enclave finds herself auditioning across the Empire State, 19 million strong—not least in New York City, where there is no shortage of opinion, most of it high decibel. Already Gillibrand, 99th in seniority, has gotten an earful as she touts conservative positions on fiscal issues and liberal views on social ones. Newsday took aim at her "short but troubling" voting record on gun control and immigration. A House Democrat slammed her as a "poster child for the NRA." A New York Times writer said Gillibrand's positions are evolving "at a rate previously seen only in science-fiction movies."
What does Gillibrand think of her reception from New Yorkers? "I think it's fine," she says from the Capitol, adding: "It's going to take time. They don't know me. They didn't elect me. They haven't voted for me. I haven't had the chance to campaign. I haven't had the chance to serve them. I have confidence that when they do get to know me, they will know I'm going to put them first and put their priorities first and really fight for them every day."
Today one of her battles is with a stubborn cough. Another is with the clock, made clear by an aide bent on keeping her on schedule. Gillibrand keeps talking, answering questions about the economic stimulus, legislation, constituents, her British husband (a venture capitalist), their two young sons, and what she's reading (Three Cups of Tea). She is poised, unfailingly polite, and never off the record.
On being appointed: "I was extremely grateful and very excited. Also surprised."
On how she sold herself: "As a congresswoman, I had a very successful constituent-services operation. And I had been able to develop a level of trust and accountability in my district, which was so strong I won re-election by a 24 percent margin."
On her priority: "To create jobs."
On what she calls "Congress at Your Corner": "I'd go to grocery stores, bookshops, coffee shops, senior centers, florists . . . for an hour or two and just meet constituents, talk to them about their issues, and open case files if they needed help."
On her philosophy: "God puts us on this Earth for a reason, and he gives us certain talents, and it's certainly my goal to use those talents in a way that helps the most people I can."
On her command of Mandarin Chinese, which she once spoke and read: "Bu hao," she says, for "not good."
Born in Albany to two lawyers, Gillibrand later saw her parents divorce and her father, long a public defender, turn to lobbying. She attended the same prep school as Jane Fonda. At Dartmouth, she majored in Asian studies, picked up awards in English and physics, and was captain of the squash team, graduating magna cum laude. Her law degree is from UCLA, and her specialty, securities law, saw her earnings reach $509,269 in 2005, before her first campaign. She was a partner at the firm led by David Boies, Al Gore's attorney in the 2000 recount.
Gillibrand just released three years of tax returns, so such details (as with the $970 the couple gave to charity in 2005) are public. She is a fan of transparency and social networking. Her Facebook page brims with 2,343 supporters. The long questionnaire she filled out for Paterson, as he considered people for the appointment, is on her campaign website. In the House, she even posted the names of groups asking her for earmarks.
Her interest in politics was fueled by her late grandmother, a Democratic activist in Albany. By age 10, Gillibrand was doing grunt work in the local mayor's race. Years later, she was raising campaign dollars for the likes of Bill and Hillary Clinton and John Kerry. Ties to top Democrats and major donors helped fatten her own war chest. Gillibrand took in nearly $5 million, an impressive sum, for her last House race, a number dwarfed by the $20 million to $30 million she'll need for re-election to the Senate. To keep the seat, she has to run in 2010 (for the rest of Clinton's term) and again in 2012.
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Reader Comments
9/11 Nukes
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HRC
CSH of IL: stop repeating inaccurate Clinton smears. For starters:
*In the days following 9/11, Senator Clinton effectively secured $20 billion for NY’s recovery to ensure that all of the promised funding was delivered. Clinton also worked with the families in demanding the creation of the 9/11 Commission and then to implement its findings.
*Senator Clinton successfully advocated for the hundreds of First Responders still suffering from serious health problems as a result of their work at the Word Trace Center, and successfully fought for legislation to improve emergency communication systems. The NY Firefighters endorsed her for President, calling her “their hero.” She also sponsored (along with Senator Burns) the Ensuring Help Arrives Near Callers Employing 911 Act (ENHANCE Act), which was signed into law in December 2004.
*Senator Clinton successfully extended health coverage for National Guard and Reserve soldiers who had none, and she successfully fought to preserve combat pay for injured National Guard and Reserve soldiers recovering in the hospital and passed a law establishing health tracking for returning soldiers. She also successfully fought for enhanced body armor for out troops.
*Clinton authored and helped to pass legislation to assist family caregivers in accessing affordable and high quality respite care. Each year, 44 million Americans care for an adult family member who has a chronic illness or disability. Clinton’s Lifespan Respite Care Act provides hundreds of millions in grants for states and localities to increase the availability of respite care in their regions, and to help families care for their loved ones.
*Clinton successfully fought the Bush Administration to ensure that Plan B would be available to millions of American women.
* In 2003, Clinton introduced the Pediatric Research Equity Act which gave the FDA authority to secure pediatric studies and labeling of drugs that are widely used for children. This legislation was signed into law in December 2003
* that all of the promised funding was delivered. Clinton also worked with the families in demanding the creation of the 9/11 Commission and then to implement its findings.
that all of the promised funding was delivered. Clinton also worked with the families in demanding the creation of the 9/11 Commission and then to implement its findings.
*Clinton successfully sponsored legislation to extend $2.7 billion in unused State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) funding, providing nearly $1 billion in additional funding for New York.
*Clinton successfully fought to increase “Renewal Communities,” providing incentives to areas in need of economic redevelopment.Areas designated renewal areas received important tax incentives and development initiatives worth an estimated $400 million in New York alone.
CSH of IL
I don't know where you were living in NY, but to say Hillary did nothing for NY is absolutely ridiculous. I get so tired of uninformed people repeating inaccurate criticisms of Hillary's supposed inexperience, when the woman has been working tirelessly for almost 40 years to improve the lives of average Americans. Just for starters:
*In the days following 9/11, Senator Clinton effectively secured $20 billion for NY’s recovery to ensure that all of the promised funding was delivered. Clinton also worked with the families in demanding the creation of the 9/11 Commission and then to implement its findings.
*Senator Clinton successfully advocated for the hundreds of First Responders still suffering from serious health problems as a result of their work at the Word Trace Center, and successfully fought for legislation to improve emergency communication systems. The NY Firefighters endorsed her for President, calling her “their hero.” She also sponsored (along with Senator Burns) the Ensuring Help Arrives Near Callers Employing 911 Act (ENHANCE Act), which was signed into law in December 2004.
*Senator Clinton successfully extended health coverage for National Guard and Reserve soldiers who had none, and she successfully fought to preserve combat pay for injured National Guard and Reserve soldiers recovering in the hospital and passed a law establishing health tracking for returning soldiers. She also successfully fought for enhanced body armor for out troops.
*Clinton authored and helped to pass legislation to assist family caregivers in accessing affordable and high quality respite care. Each year, 44 million Americans care for an adult family member who has a chronic illness or disability. Clinton’s Lifespan Respite Care Act provides hundreds of millions in grants for states and localities to increase the availability of respite care in their regions, and to help families care for their loved ones.
*Clinton successfully fought the Bush Administration to ensure that Plan B would be available to millions of American women.
* In 2003, Clinton introduced the Pediatric Research Equity Act which gave the FDA authority to secure pediatric studies and labeling of drugs that are widely used for children. This legislation was signed into law in December 2003
* that all of the promised funding was delivered. Clinton also worked with the families in demanding the creation of the 9/11 Commission and then to implement its findings.
that all of the promised funding was delivered. Clinton also worked with the families in demanding the creation of the 9/11 Commission and then to implement its findings.
*Clinton successfully sponsored legislation to extend $2.7 billion in unused State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) funding, providing nearly $1 billion in additional funding for New York.
*Clinton successfully fought to increase “Renewal Communities,” providing incentives to areas in need of economic redevelopment.
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