Comments on: Conservative Dem Kirsten Gillibrand Picked For Hillary’s Seat http://donklephant.com/2009/01/23/conservative-dem-kirsten-gillibrand-picked-for-hillarys-seat/ Big Teeth. Huge Ass. Surprisingly Reasonable. Tue, 14 Feb 2012 14:03:13 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: John Burke http://donklephant.com/2009/01/23/conservative-dem-kirsten-gillibrand-picked-for-hillarys-seat/comment-page-1/#comment-435460 John Burke Fri, 23 Jan 2009 17:49:14 +0000 http://donklephant.com/?p=12961#comment-435460 Justin -- Gillibrand is not in any possible meaning of the word a "conservative." That's the New York Post's Fred Dicker making mischief by tagging her with that label and positioning it as Paterson "defying the liberal wing" of the Democratic Party. As far as I can see in dozens of news stories, a handful of liberal Democrats have gone on record opposing her appointment. But she has strong support from both Schumer and Clinton, not to mention Paterson. Are they not in the "liberal wing?" Gillibrand has voted as a moderate, a centrist on some issues. She's a member of the Blue Dog Coalition. Her non-liberal stands and votes in the House have mainly been about taxes and budgets. She voted against the Wall Street bailout. Given the daily torrent of criticism of that from liberals, what's the matter with that? And she's pro-gun rights. If she weren't, she never would have been elected in a rock-ribbed Republican upstate district where every other voter is a hunter. As a Senator representing the whole state and needing the support of the statewide Democrtaic Party, I suspect she'll shift a bit on some issues. She'll certainly be as staunch an Obama supporter as anyone in the Senate. Justin — Gillibrand is not in any possible meaning of the word a “conservative.” That’s the New York Post’s Fred Dicker making mischief by tagging her with that label and positioning it as Paterson “defying the liberal wing” of the Democratic Party.

As far as I can see in dozens of news stories, a handful of liberal Democrats have gone on record opposing her appointment. But she has strong support from both Schumer and Clinton, not to mention Paterson. Are they not in the “liberal wing?”

Gillibrand has voted as a moderate, a centrist on some issues. She’s a member of the Blue Dog Coalition. Her non-liberal stands and votes in the House have mainly been about taxes and budgets. She voted against the Wall Street bailout. Given the daily torrent of criticism of that from liberals, what’s the matter with that?

And she’s pro-gun rights. If she weren’t, she never would have been elected in a rock-ribbed Republican upstate district where every other voter is a hunter.

As a Senator representing the whole state and needing the support of the statewide Democrtaic Party, I suspect she’ll shift a bit on some issues. She’ll certainly be as staunch an Obama supporter as anyone in the Senate.

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