The Upper East Side will not be denied adequate representation in the United States Senate, it appears: Congresswoman Maloney is putting together a real campaign to fight for the Senate seat currently held by Paterson appointee Kirsten Gillibrand. City Hall News:

Rep. Carolyn Maloney is moving forward with her prospective Senate candidacy, signing Cindy Darrison as a fundraiser and Josh Isay of Knickerbocker SKD to do communications for her. She is planning to make an indication of her candidacy by the end of the month, though the formal creation of a Senate exploratory committee may wait until as late as the fall, according to several in Maloney’s camp. She will not start any major effort to fundraise before the end of this quarter on June 30.

People who hire Isay tend to be serious. Now watch Rahm Emanuel put on his combat boots and stomp Maloney; like, say, he did with Steve Israel's already-functioning campaign for the same seat.

Bet ya nobody saw this coming, but blogospheric reaction to the idea of Caroline Kennedy filling Hillary Clinton's Senate seat has been, drumroll, mixed. Aravosis takes a wait and see approach:

It could be a good political move for Governor Paterson. Rep. Nita Lowey would have been an obvious choice to replace Senator Clinton, but she took her name out of contention. Picking any other N.Y. House member would just get all the other members of the delegation irritated at Governor Paterson.

Jane Hamscher says Thanks but no thanks.

Now that the Democrats are in power, she'd like to come in at the top. We have absolutely no idea if she's qualified, or whether she can take the heat of being a Kennedy in public life. She's certainly shown no appetite for it in the past. She'll have a target on her back and if she can't take it, if she crumbles, she will become a rallying point that the right will easily organize around.

The woman has never run for office in her life. We have no idea how she'd fare on the campaign trail, or how well she could stand up to the electoral process. She simply picks up the phone and lets it be known that she just might be up for having one of the highest offices in the land handed to her because -- well, because why? Because her uncle once held the seat? Because she's a Kennedy? Because she took part as a child in the public's romantic dreams of Camelot? I'm not quite sure.

Atrios and Markos agree with Jane.

Al Giordano over at The Field - the best political blog on the web as far as I'm concerned - sees Kennedy's strengths as displayed in the Obama campaign. and in her extensive network.

An appointment of Caroline Kennedy to the US Senate from New York is qualitatively different than it would be, say, for Robert Kennedy Jr. or another member of the family: She, more than any other of her generation, brings the reins and detailed knowledge of the family organization for which she has been (I'll use a phrase that's provocative but not to be scoffed at once you've given it a minute's thought) the "community organizer" among the Kennedys, the administrator and attaché that has been most responsible, among them, for complying with the details once Ted Kennedy has exercised the broad stroke leadership.

Finally: Anybody who underestimates Attorney Caroline Kennedy, who wants to view her as somehow lightweight or just a celebrity name inside a business suit, does so at the risk to his and her sense of reality. Her skill sets are not merely adequate, but, rather exceptional and extraordinary. She was "no drama" before "no drama" was cool. And her appointment, if it comes, will be a gift that keeps on giving before and after Ted Kennedy moves on to the great battleground beyond.

So much for lockstep bloggers, I guess. There are probably as many people with opinions on who should succeed Hillary as there are people with keyboards, perhaps more. At the end of the day, however, the governor is going to appoint whomever is politically useful to him; if that's Caroline Kennedy, she'll be a Senator.  read more »