Reply #76: interesting but unconvincing

[sloane]

I have yet to read something that really convinces me that negative rumors about Caroline were started in Patterson's office, rather than by any of (lots) of people/reporters who didn't support her bid for the Senate, for what could be a whole variety of (legitimate) reasons.

I appreciate that this piece reports actual facts regarding the Gilibrand-related contributions to Patterson's campaign, but I still don't find this line of reasoning convincing. For one thing--strategically, it makes some sense for Patterson to want to balance the borough-centric (exclusive) representation with someone from upstate (which is less blue). And I'm not sure how much $ is involved in gubernatorial campaigns, and 50k is by no means insignificant--but even without Kennedy giving any money directly to his campaign--had she been chosen Senator and been supportive of him, this very fact could easily have gained him far more and possibly larger contributions to his campaign, from people who were supportive of her and, by extension, came to support his bid for election. Furthermore...money aside, the Kennedy "brand" would be an asset to him and have a PR value that would be hard to quantify or place a monetary value on--but by any estimate, it would be worth far more than 50K. , David Alexrod is quoted as having said (the night before Super Tuesday): "As for Caroline’s endorsement, someone said to me she’s the purest brand in American public life.”

I don't know enough about Patterson to have strong feelings about him one way or the other, and I'm willing to accept that he may (or may not) have been set against Kennedy toward the end, at least--but if so, I think his motivations must have been much different than what's outlined here.

On his marketing blog, John Tantillo analyzed Caroline's candidacy from a branding position just before the new year--predicting that she would not only be Senator but also the first female President.

I wonder if she's out for good or will throw her hat in the ring again later...perhaps after a lot of work with a speech coach?

http://blog.marketingdoctor.tv/2008/12/31/caroline-kennedy--a-brand-that-will-be-president-2.aspx:">Tantillo's full post on the Caroline Kennedy brand