The Hollywood Liberal

Meet N.Y.’s New Senator

Caroline Kennedy she ain’t. On Friday, New York Gov. David Paterson tapped Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand to take over the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

So who exactly is this Gillibrand character? As it happens, Ms. Kennedy isn’t the only one with big political connections to her name. Regarding issues, Gillibrand just changed her tune when it comes to her stance on gay marriage—a shift that might dampen some of the criticism coming from within the Democratic Party.

Bloomberg:

Paterson chose Gillibrand, 42, a Hudson Democrat whose sprawling mostly Republican district is near Albany, bypassing better-known Attorney General Andrew Cuomo. The twice-elected congresswoman voted against the assault weapons ban and the $700 billion financial bailout bill—positions at odds with Paterson’s.

Gillibrand was an upset winner in the 2006 congressional elections when she defeated four-term incumbent Republican U.S. Representative John Sweeney, 54. Her appointment takes effect Jan. 25, Paterson said.

“I believe I have found the best candidate to become the next senator from the state of New York,” Paterson said. “She is dynamic, she is articulate, she is perceptive, she is outspoken.”

Gillibrand said she will support women’s rights and same-sex marriages as well as programs that create jobs and bolster manufacturing, technology and health care.

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Obama’s Clean Break: Hours after his inauguration, Obama ordered a freeze on new regulations at all government agencies and departments and the withdrawal of all final or proposed regulations not yet published in the Federal Register.

IRAQ

The Bush Record: After using false intelligence to launch the war, Bush “surged” 30,000 troops to Iraq in 2007 and vetoed all attempts to end the war.

Obama’s Clean Break: Two days into his presidency, Obama called on U.S. military leaders to start to plan for a responsible withdrawal.

DIPLOMACY

The Bush Record: In his first term, Bush — in contrast to President Bill Clinton — “generally avoided robust efforts” to resolve the Middle East conflict. Bush demeaned diplomacy with “terrorists and radicals,” likening it to the “appeasement” of Nazi Germany.

Obama’s Clean Break: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton rejected the “rigid ideology” of Bush and pledged to exercise “smart power.” Stressing diplomacy, Obama and Clinton “appointed high-level emissaries to handle the Arab-Israeli issue and Pakistan and Afghanistan.”

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