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By Bill Altreuter

Paterson's kung fu is pretty impressive. He got a woman, and upstater who'd made her political bones, and he managed to do it without sacrificing meaningful seniority in the House. And he managed to nudge aside a member of one of America's most powerful political families, without making a big power play. In fact, he looked pretty classy. Very impressive. Kirsten Gillibrand's name had surfaced in the early going, but hadn't drawn a great deal of notice-- the rap was that it would be difficult to keep her district in the Democratic column if picked, and then a lot of high-profile names and favorite sons took over the conversation. (Can anyone have seriously thought Byron Brown was a contender? Byron, you can put your hand down.) Paterson has made a pick that he owns, rather than one which might own him, and that's smart. Even better, as Steve Kornaki notes, "[r]edistricting is two years away, and New York will almost certainly lose a House seat. With so few Republicans in the delegation, Democrats are facing the prospect of pitting two of their own against each other in a primary. But with Gillibrand gone, her district could simply be carved up, protecting every other Democratic incumbent." You don't want to play mumbly-peg with David Paterson, man. He'll steal your leg.

All that said, I can't say I'm crazy about her politics. She is as Blue Dog as they come, and that's not what I favor in my senators. Her strong Second Amendment credentials may move Carolyn Maloney to a primary challenge, which might make the pick look worse in hindsight.

Full post as published by Outside Counsel on January 24, 2009 (boomark / email).