This is the senator that is most directly responsible for forcing my senator, Al Franken, from his job, prior to any investigation. Based on that fact alone, I could never support her. She's a grandstander, and one can only hope that the large democratic candidate pool will quickly eliminate her.
12
It's hilarious to read the Times picks, then read the "unpicked".
I guess I'm with the unwashed here. Gillibrand is a shameless opportunist who led a lynch mob against Al Franken, after he was set up by right wingers. She's the senator from Roger Stone. Oh, and a former Big Tobacco lawyer. When I was young and too broke to pay my rent I turned down a lucrative contract to work for a big tobacco company, and I hold politicians to the same standard. You fail, Gillibrand.
What is it with New York? They elect Gillibrand and Chuck, "let's bring back the fillibuster!" Schumer. What a bunch of Wall Street phonies. Get some real Democrats in there.
14
She's an ambitious fraud. She was a big supporter of NRA stances before she became a senator and I don't forgiver her for throwing Al Franken under the bus. While what Al Franken did was not exemplary behavior, it was not enough to force him out of office IMO.
13
Her grandmother is not someone to look up to, and was the furthest thing from an independent woman -- she served the Democratic mayor of Albany for years, in the decades-long machine that controlled all aspects of the city's government.
If Gillibrand goes any further in her campaign, I assume more will be printed about the Corning machine and her grandmother's role in it. Not pretty.
8
Kirsten Gillibrand is a consummate opportunist who climbed over the back of the MEETOO movement in order to try to "own" the issue. Instead with her attack on Al Franken she degraded the MEETOO movement by her patently false equivalency.
Coming from a hack Albany public relations family of climbers, she talks like a squeaky duck, and speaks "down" to her audiences as if they're a bunch of little children to be chided.
She's over-media-coached, stilted and fake.
She can't be trusted to hold a single position on principal, the moment the opportunity field changes she will jump.
In a huge field of candidates where we can find easily half a dozen better qualified and more representative alternatives.
Her midnight telephone defamation campaign against Senator Al Franken denied him a fair investigation, even though others tried to guarantee he would get one. Where did that go?
What Gillibrand did accomplish was to deny Democrats an articulate voice on critical matters, like the Kavanaugh hearings or Barr.
She should do her job as NY Senator, which she just got reelected to for a six year term, and speak up for the federal workers being denied a paycheck.
She should support the other, superior and better qualified candidates already declared and restrain her back-stabbing spiteful second-grade school class president tendencies.
29
@jwp-nyc - Sorry to say that our senator from Mass. - Elizabeth Warren, was railroaded onto the bandwagon calling on Franken to resign. I confronted her on this recently when she was trolling for support of her own presidential run, and she backed away, saying, "Well, we all got calls from Senator Gillibrand saying we had to take a stand. Frankly, I wished we gave it more time." I thought that was pretty interesting. Warren's got her own baggage, but she's been pretty tough holding the line on Wall St. and I'm sure Gillibrand would do anything having worked for big tobacco.
7
Great, another female democrat that finds all men guilty before proven innocent. I don't see where any of these democrat party women think they would get the American male vote. They are all the same.
9
@ Frisco
Great, another woman-hating Republican or Libertarian or otherwise affiliated man who takes any critique of misogyny as all-out hatred of all men regardless of their character and behavior and ethics.
How men like you can't understand why most women prefer being with men other than than you and others with your attitudes and cosmology boggles the mind.
1
The Democratic Party is "business as usual". Nothing has changed. They want voters to focus on race and gender and who is "next" in line to be nominated at the corporate coronation event. Just food for thought...have you noticed that with the government shutdown, the common thread is that workers are in dire straits with the loss of just one paycheck? Why is that?
I couldn't care less what color or what gender or even what planet you come from....if you stand with workers 100% and not take the legalized bribes from the party's rich donors, then the working class would be much better off, but they're not! Both parties work for big business...period. And until that changes, the centrist, corporate Democrats like Gillibrand are DOA.
8
Kristen Gillibrand threw Al Franken under the bus. Allies do not do that.
14
@Sharon allies of whom? accused sexual predators?
2
@Meg
Falsely accused. Set up by right wing political operators and their Fox News-appearing "victim". Sheesh, and we call the Trump voters gullible.
4
Imagine.....just months ago she promised NY voters to serve her full term. Just what I feared.....a Dem DJT who will lie out of their teeth for advantage while preening for the cameras and audience. Disgusting.
11
I prefer Al Franken.
This woman seems to be one who takes advantage and changes her mind too often.
Franken was great as a committee questioner.
She should realize that humor is Al's background and he didn't need to lose that in order to be a Senator.
16
I plan to give Senator Gillibrand exactly the same opportunity to explain herself that she gave Senator Franken.
This election must be about character and authenticity. This “young mom” has demonstrated neither.
17
I sincerely hope Senator Gillibrand reads each and every one of these NYT comments about her announcement.
It could save her and her relatively few supporters (judging by the almost universal sentiment expressed in these comments) alot of time, money, and embarrassment. Maybe she can recover from her perceived treatment of Al Franken by her next senatorial election, but I tend to doubt it.
16
She said she was going to serve out her full term as senator if re-elected. Did she lie or just change her mind? Even if the latter, if a single voter cast his ballot for her on that premise, it's simply not OK.
22
@Richard Rubin - I would wager good odds she will get to finish her term after getting creamed in the primaries, losing NY by a wide margin to the field.
5
@Born Yesterday
She is probably the only candidate that I could not support for - I would not vote for Trump I would write in a vote.
4
Meh.
Next Dem. Please.
6
When the NYT Picks are this different than the reader picks, you can be sure the Times is getting the story wrong.
8
@Phil I was going to make the same observation. Perhaps whoever is making the 'Picks' is an advocate of the #MeToo movement?
The bias is palpable.
7
@Scott J. I assure you whoever is making the Times picks is a Gillibrand fan, not an objective observer. The most popular post says "Two words: Al Franken" and nails the coffin shut.
2
@Phil There seems to be a very dedicated team of men who are always quick to comment and express their aggrieved feelings because they are feeling very threatened and wronged by feminism. I suspect that this demographic of commenters, however vocal, doesn't at all reflect the actual attitudes of most New York Times readers.
1
Al Franken did not grope an unconscious woman. This was obviously a gag with a willing participant. His ouster was engineered by Roger Stone, and Gilligrand, who is a complete cypher, saw her chance to dispose of a rival.
Franken never got his hearing, and I'm certainly not going to give Gillibrand hers.
10
Reading all the comments here it is interesting that the a woman who would make a superb candidate -- balanced, experienced, knowledgeable, plain spoken, direct, candid with a long record of liberal accomplishment and a forthright position of issues of importance to Democrats, with a heartland understanding of the United States is not mentioned at all.
But I think she will be. I think there is a far greater likelihood that Sen. Amy Klobuchar will be the first woman president that there is that Gillibrand or Warren will be. If the choice is going to be a woman, and it should be for Democrats, it will likely be a choice between Senators Klobuchar or Harris.
8
@Carl Zeitz personally I'd prefer Harris who is less of a plodder than Amy (and also would energize California), who just isn't as sharp as she likes to think she is. Witness how easily Barr slipped out of her questions, and she didn't call him on the evasion, just complained about it on media.
Like every other Democrat, she wants to provide free stuff...and like every Democrat, she says she can provide it by taxing only "the rich".
But, like every Democrat, she has never explained the math, probably because it doesn't add up.
Eventually, she will have to tax the middle class, but she refuses to say so until she thinks you aren't paying attention.
The Alternative Minimum Tax was supposed to hit only very rich people taking very unfair deductions.
Being a middle class worker in New Jersey with high state taxes and high real estate taxes, I had the high honor of paying the AMT for many years. I am sure many taxpayers from the tri-state area had the same honor.
3
She led the Lynch mob against Al Franken and her explanation is that she "couldn't keep silent." In other words she cannot control her emotions. We already have a president who cannot control his emotions and we don't need another.
12
However great she may be, it is too bad, and not good PR, for her to have missed a vote -- on maintaining sanctions on Russia despite Trump's attempts to lift them, no less -- in order to announce her candidacy.
2
I think it's apt that she did this on a comedy show.
7
Did she mention taking on the corporate-military-industrial incarceration nexus? Is she another apologist/proponent of neoliberalism, with a garnish of identity politics and feel-good gaslighting tossed in for the PC smuggerati?
2
She won't have my vote after what she did to Al Franken - ending his career and sacrificing one of our best progressive senators while political posturing over a boorish, yet harmless prank . He was a comedian at the time and publicly apologized for a bad joke. It has been said that the Democrats eat their own. I'm sure the Trump Republicans had a big laugh considering. I suspect thousands of Democrat men and probably women feel the same way about Gillibrand and she doesn't have a chance for being nominated.
13
Senator Gillibrand handled the advent of the #MeToo movement very badly. Victimizing men – like Al Franken – is no more effective at creating productive change than men victimizing women; it’s the same ineffective, unproductive, damaging paradigm.
I am a lifelong Democrat, served as the very first (in 170+ years) full-term Democratic Supervisor – and sadly, only woman to date – of my hometown community of 25,000 in upstate New York. I also worked on the 2008 Obama campaign in inner city Pittsburg; a peak life experience.
So, how is it in the last 2 years Senator Gillibrand, and the larger field of Democrats, are suddenly great candidates for President?
Nope, I’m not buying it. If there are so qualified, why didn't they give Hillary a run for her money? I sincerely respect all of these candidates, but where were they in 2016?
Should we be choosing our leaders “by default?” Republicans tried to compare Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz, younger men in 2008, to President Obama simply because they too, were young; President Obama was a once in a generation leader. And most of these Democratic hopefuls are not better candidates in 2019 simply because we have a caliber of leader like Trump in office.
Maturity, wisdom, experience, temperment…these are priceless leadership qualities. The only candidate truly qualified - flaws and all, including his mistakes with Anita Hill – today, is the very same candidate more than qualified 2+ years ago…Joe Biden.
4
I'll take Sherrod Brown and Amy Klobuchar - you can choose among yourselves who is on top between them - I will vote either way.
No to Kristin, No to Cory and No to Beto.
I also like Kamila Harris but wish she came from a rust belt state or Florida
10
It’s looking like the Dems are working hard at giving Trump round two. With maybe the exception of Joe Biden, the crop of democratic presidential hopefuls is less than inspiring. We need more candidates who are fresh and new, with new ideas, versus the same stale politicians. We need someone to challenge this country to do right by itself, and break the cycle of broken promises and absolute corruption. We need a leader who will ask how our elected officials how in good conscience how they can morally allow themselves to be paid while 800000 federal workers go unpaid, how in good conscience they receive platinum healthcare while their constituents go without, how in good conscience they would be party to a tax overhaul that gives more money to those who don’t need it, while saddling the rest of us with the bill for that overhaul . If you’re out there and are truly interested in serving the citizens of this country, and not yourself, please step forward as I would love to vote for you
1
I am concerned by all the comments about Al Franken and "due process".
Due process is a legal term, not a political term. Franken created a political problem for Democrats, and the problem had a political answer - he was dumped. This was the sad but necessary solution, and Gillibrand was not wrong to spearhead it. This was not a legal problem, and it should not have had a legal solution.
Blaming Gillibrand for his demise is wrong-headed. It would have been hypocritical to keep Franken in the Senate. His swift departure showed seriousness of purpose and integrity in the Senate, just as Franken's stupidity displayed a juvenile entitlement that is beneath our collective dignity.
6
@Cousy-Bull! Spearheading the downfall of Franken was no more than political opportunism or, even worse, taking out a rival. This whole notion of false equivalence does nothing but empower the Republicans and make the Democrats look like craven fools who eat their own.
6
Oh, now I understand why she was leader of the pack going after Franken. Just couldn't figure that one out. :) Good thing there are plenty of other potential nominees to choose from.
11
I want to like her, but there's a lot in the way.
She pretends to be a person of the people - upstate, conservative New Yorkers - when it suits her. But she went to Dartmouth, married a British venture capitalist and worked at a top law firm. Those chosen experiences speak louder than her narrative, and those things will not play well in purple states.
She is terrible on Israel and civil liberties. I have heard nightmare stories of how she treats her staff.
I am grateful for her advocacy on behalf of military women, but this is not her moment to run for the presidency.
13
Gillinbrand has an Al Franken problem and without his support she sinks as there are so many other choices. I don’t think she can get reelected in NY if she had a real primary challenger. Like maybe AOC in 6 years when her term is up
13
I think Gillibrand has the ability to elevate the discourse and raise the bar in the primary elections. I think she's more electable than Warren (less easy to demonize) and I admire how consistent she's been on issues during her career.
My gut says that her and Biden on the same ticket would trounce Trump. I'd be happy with that result of course but it's not going to push America where it truly needs to go and that scares me.
The only candidate that really gets what is at stake in a broader sense and has a vision for a truly different future (albeit somewhat of a Utopian vision) has not yet declared candidacy and is consistently maligned by this paper.
1
Losing Al Franken at this critical time caused irreparable harm to our country. I do not support Gillibrand.
30
Never. Not a chance.
21
"she was forming an exploratory committee.."
The committee should explore the comments in this section
23
D.O.A.
15
Franken was denied a hearing and he himself, in his last speech before the Senate, denied most of the seven accusations made against him. The facts have never been determined. Some of his accusers were "anonymous" and never had to prove their claims. Franken asked for a hearing before the ethics committee and was denied it by Gillibrand, who likely eagerly jumped at the chance to eliminate Franken from the field of possible serious threats to her own Presidential aspirations.. while simultaneously conveniently polishing her image. She claims that she silenced him "for the good of the country", but it did the country very little good to eliminate a powerful Democratic Senator. However it did help Gillibrand scramble closer to the top of the 2020 heap. I think she eliminated him for the good of herself.
29
If Al Franken declares his support for the grasping opportunistic junior senator from New York, she can count on my support too.
11
Gillibrand is very much the "junior" senator from New York, rarely being seen away from Sen. Chuck Schumer's shadow. She should stay there.
Hillary Clinton, also from New York, far outweighed Kirsten Gillibrand in accomplishments and qualifications to be a national candidate and how did that turn out? Gillibrand as a candidate is Hillary-lite. It is unlikely that Gillibrand could win any state not on the east or west coast, the sole exception being Illinois. She could lose the Brexit states of PA, MI, and WI by an even larger margin than Hillary and throw in Minnesota for good measure. America's heartland would be solid red and the presidency would be returned to Trump.
7
I don't have a problem with Sen Gillibrand's politics or priorities as expressed herein, but...
in what world is a 52-year-old woman a "young mother"?
Make smart policies. Don't say stupid things.
12
Her announcement sounded like she was running for the school board. No stature.
12
We already tried nominating a shape-shifting senator from New York for president. The result is not one I would like to repeat.
The problem with politicians like Gillibrand is that you can't really know what they honestly believe. Is she truly a conservative NRA advocate? Or is her current performance as a liberal advocate the real Gillibrand? Or does it just depend entirely on what is politically expedient for her at the moment?
Not all elected officials are like that. Whether liberal or conservative, there are plenty of peope out there who have firm convictions. Democrats should nominate one of them. Among other things, voters are not idiots and enough of them will be able to see through an inauthentic performance.
14
I am hoping for a candidate who knows the value of NATO, respects our allies, and recognizes that globalism isn't not a dirty word.
And yes, a moral compass please.
3
There are so many better choices than Kirsten Gillibrand for a presidential candidate. If you want a younger Hillaryesque limousine liberal as your choice then Kirsten might be the way for you to go. However, Donald Trump would devour her quicker than a bag of fries in the first week of her candidacy. Time and time again the Democratic Party delivers contestants who are all soft edges, stand for nothing in particular, and inspire voters no better than a white noise machine. Look to the voices of change, not to those of placation.
13
I'm a good old fashioned liberal with a firm streak of pragmatism, and like most people, I'm opinionated. I can't stand Gillibrand after the whole Franken thing. I like people who think long term and if she wins, I would probably vote Republican (which I have never ever done in my life) or not vote at all. From pro gunning to her stupid interpretation of me too movement. It's easy to rewrite history after it has happened. The Franken thing made me realize she's short sighted.
19
"According to CNBC, Booker, Harris and Gillibrand have been making a very different pitch of late – on Wall Street. All 3 potential candidates have been "reaching out" to financial executives lately, including Blackstone’s Jonathan Gray, Robert Wolf from 32 Advisors and the Centerbridge Partners founder Mark Gallogly. Wall Street, after all, played an important role getting the senators where they are today. During his 2014 Senate run, in which just 7% of his contributions came from small donors, Booker raised $2.2m from the securities and investment industry. Harris and Gillibrand weren’t far behind in 2018, and even the progressive Democrat Sherrod Brown has solicited donations from Gallogly and other powerful executives.
When CNBC’s story about Gillibrand working the phones to woo Wall Street executives came out, her team responded defensively, noting her support for financial regulation and promising that if she did run she would take “no corporate Pac money”. But what’s most telling isn’t that Gillibrand and others want Wall Street’s money, it’s that they want the "blessings" of financial CEOs. Even if she doesn’t take their contributions, she’s signaling that she’s just playing politics with populist rhetoric which will allow capitalists to focus their attention/attacks on Sanders and Warren, who have shown a real willingness to abandon the coziness of the D party with the Finance, Insurance and Real Estate".
Working people....these candidates are NOT your friend!
11
Senator Gillibrand is significantly less qualified than Hilary Clinton for a presidential run in terms of her experience on the national political stage. Speaking as a Western New Yorker, I believe she's also been a much less effective senator than Clinton was, state-wide. When you add to this the animus that many feel toward her for her perceived railroading of her fellow Democrat, Al Franken, it's hard to see how she could possibly win a national election, when Clinton could not.
17
The Senator needs to come clean on her move on Senator Franken and reconcile the tension between righteous action and an opportune political hit by being first to detect blood in the water. It should not surprise anyone paying attention that much Democratic financial support from Minnesota will find its way to Gillibrand's opponents, including whoever runs against her for the Senate seat in 24.
More significantly, any Democrat who fails to carry Minnesota in a national election will have much to explain. Hillary barely carried the state she should have dominated by that much.
The opportunism tag does not come from nowhere. Conservative, NRA friendly, Wall St. connected, even leaving out Clinton entanglements, cannot help but support skeptical observation. Ambition alone suggests the kinds of compromises she is capable of making, to say nothing of her long record of judgments.
14
Each candidate has their own ideas about how to take care of their campaign contributors’ special interests. The public free for all among Democrats should be an interesting contrast to the secret dealings that took place in the Democrat Senate when Obamacare was being debated.
Good judgment is essential for a president. Obviously Trump is on the negative side of the graph when it comes to exercising reasonable judgment about anything. Gillibrand did herself in with her treatment of Al Franken.
Also, part of good judgment is knowing when to stand back, get out of the way, and know that there are better people than you for a job. Gillibrand does not have that quality and overestimates herself--as do some other aspiring Democratic presidential candidates for 2020. Trump, of course, is pathologically disturbed in knowing when to shut up, get out of the way, and let others with better credentials, experience, and skills move ahead.
In fact, I would like to see Franken put his name in as a 2020 presidential candidate. I am pretty sure he could do better than Gillibrand in the Democratic primaries. Franken had a reputation for being smart and serious about his work in the senate as well as the ability to work well with others. Gillibrand's tactic was one strike and you are out--maybe to get Franken out of the way for the 2020 presidential primaries, who knows. Many of us believe in second chances.
23
Gilliland disparaged Bill Clinton and was not exactly 100% pro-HRC. Wasn't HRC somewhat of a mentor to her? Gillibrand was quick to say that Al Franken should go after his misbehavior. She seems like the quintessential opportunist. If trump is still around, I fear Gillibrand would be soundly beaten and could we endure 4 more years? We may be able to squeak by the next two. Maybe. No, Gillibrand, no thanks.
15
Al Franken. And no, he did nothing reprehensible, but there was never a public airing of the charges because of KG and her 'enough is enough' and "assault is the same as harassment" and no definition of harassment, just a statement that nothing was acceptable - ???. And Schumer was key in that railroading of an excellent pro-women Senator, also.
29
@Cynthia Hennecke Yes. I am shocked to see so many comments stating that Franken "groped 8 women". Indeed, there was no investigation, no plea, and no judgment. If there were more evidence than a film of a comedic scene that was intended to be outrageous - along with the story of an unwanted kiss - I never saw it. KG set women back in her 15 minutes of #metoo fame by lumping the behavior of a comedian acting on a set to that of perpetrators of sexual harassment and assault.
17
Many Dems blame Gillibrand for Al Franken's resignation. Rightly or wrongly, this feeling persists. It seems to me that given how divisive she is within the Dem electorate, perhaps she should follow Franken's lead and, for the good of the party as a whole, step aside (from a 2020 run. I don't think that she should resign from the Senate). She can take one for the team, as it were, and remove the quite pervasive belief that she lead the charge against Franken to bolster her 2020 cred and get rid of a potential 2020 competitor.
22
Someone really should tell her not to bother.
Number one, she could never win nationwide.
Number two, many Democrats, like myself, won't forget her kneecaping Al Franken.
She'd never get my vote.
She should stay in the Senate, where she can do some good.
29
@EK I would never support her in the primaries, but if she were nominated I would hold my nose and vote for her.
Voters will never forgive her for depriving Senator Al Franken of his right to due process in the senate ethics committee. Her willingness to throw him under the bus was a shrewd political calculation based on the certainty that Minnesota would produce another democratic senator. She's probably angling for a cabinet position in Senator Warren's administration. Warren 2020!!!
14
I'm sure she's very impressive but after her attack on Al Franken I doubt I could ever support her.
19
“I’m going to run for president of the United States because as a young mom I am going to fight for other people’s kids as hard as I would fight for my own,’’ she said. She's 52. As our President has shown us, words mean what you want them to mean, that's it.
And let us not forget her long-term and very vigorous work for Phillip Morris(Altria), as the Times reported March 26, 2009:
"But a review of thousands of documents and interviews with dozens of lawyers and industry experts indicate that Ms. Gillibrand was involved in some of the most sensitive matters related to the defense of the tobacco giant as it confronted pivotal legal battles beginning in the mid-1990s."
13
Gillibrand reminds me of Tracy Flick in the movie "Election".
5
I like Gillibrand's chances on the national stage better than those of Warren, Booker, or Harris. Most of the field is aiming straight for left-field, with years of right-wing media bias stacked against them. Gillibrand actually has past experience convincing "purple" voters to take a chance on her, and her relative anonymity among voters could be an opportunity.
As for Franken, much as I love him, he's a grown-up, who had to deal with the consequences of his actions. I hold hope that the undercurrent of misogyny that runs through the anti-Gillibrand sentiment here is not indicative of how all women candidates are likely to be treated by the "no one but Sanders" crowd.
Unfortunately, hard experience tells me that much of America - left & right, urban & rural - isn't ready yet for Madam President.
9
@Girl on the IRT ".. .I hold hope that the undercurrent of misogyny that runs through the anti-Gillibrand sentiment ...Unfortunately, hard experience tells me that much of America - left & right, urban & rural - isn't ready yet for Madam President."
Please, let's not go down this road again.
5
@Girl on the IRT
Franken was set up. At the very least, he should have been allowed to undergo an investigation, which he wanted. Roger Stone had predicted that something was going to be revealed about Franken days before the picture of the "groping" surfaced, and which had been around for years. Furthermore, the actress in the picture is a conservative talk show host and traveled in the same circle as Stone. Where were the dems to investigate the connection?
The other claims seem bogus, especially because it makes no sense that Franken would grope a woman in public in front of her husband. The other allegations should have been investigated.
9
Please Democrats, select someone who can win!! This may be the most important election in a century & is a must win for the future of our country.
Gillibrand has no pertinent experience for the most challenging executive job in the world. This is not the time to make some sort of political statement. Democrats must run a viable candidate with applicable experience - a governor or mayor of a large city for example - who can appeal to the vast number of voters who are moderates but want a President who can manage the huge federal bureaucracy and bring the country back together.
54
@Richard Huber
So called "executive experience" is a very overrated qualification for the presidency. Look at the so called executive now in that chair. What the country needs now is someone with a moral compass, knowledge of how the federal government should work, an actual interest in the well being of the United States and its people, and the wisdom to make the right calls.
Sen. Gillibrand has all of these qualifications - whether or not you agree with her policies.
3
@Barry "What the country needs now is someone with a moral compass, knowledge of how the federal government should work, an actual interest in the well being of the United States and its people, and the wisdom to make the right calls.
Sen. Gillibrand has all of these qualifications - whether or not you agree with her policies. "
Except for the "moral compass" thing.
9
@Barry I too embrace the possibility of a governor-as-candidate, because I think the leadership qualities of a successful governor translate most appropriately to the presidency. As to Mr. Trump being a "successful executive," check out his bankruptcies, his record for non-payments, and his habit of misrepresenting his achievements. With me, I think you'll realize he's a NOT.
2
The election is almost two years away, and already two senators are now dividing their time being doing their jobs in the Senate and begging for money/giving campaign speeches/running for office.
This is insane. We need to limit both campaign timing and campaign funding.
71
@Petsounds
AMEN!!!! I think candidates should not be able to announce their intent until 1 year before the primaries (which should be held on the same date in all 50 states) and not actively campaign until 6 months before the election.
5
@Petsounds
More to the point, DJT declared himself a candidate already (first to do so) so he could raise money and he is in fact already running 'campaign' adds to drive up support for his wall among his base. If you haven't seen the ads... they are alarmingly fascist.
I'd prefer the laws be changed so no one could run before 1 year prior to the election but under the current situation I'd be just fine if every Senator jumped in the race tomorrow... Republican Senators too. Well... except Mitch.
1
she has changed her position to many times on issues to get my support
1
I've supported and given money to her senate campaigns in the past, but her uncompromising decision to lead Democratic senators to derail a good colleague's career was a major miscalculation. In so doing. she demonstrated a level of selfish ambition that is simply too destructive and too divisive. Unless and until Al Franken decides to endorse her she will remain rock bottom on my list of Democrats and relegated pretty much to the 'Anyone But Trump' category.
44
@WK Green Al Franken's ability to be influential in the senate was destroyed by his track record of groping women (8 that we know of). I thank Senator Gillibrand and others for seeking his removal. It shows something long overlooked in campaigning: standing for what's right.
A popular senator who gropes women isn't "what's right."
Al's gone and he did it to himself. A woman led the pack and was joined by her colleagues in ushering him out.
She's got my vote for that.
9
@AmesNYC Groping women? You mean like in the posed photo where he looks like he's about to grope someone?
Gillibrand is a naked opportunist and I willl support anyone but her.
12
@AmesNYC Yet Franken asked for investigation of those allegations before being forced out.
4
I’m a leftish registered New York Democrat who thinks Gillibrand is a good senator who’s right on just about every issue.
But — she has close to zero chance of being elected president. It’s just not going to happen. And while I’m on the subject, Rep. Gabbard of Hawaii has absolutely no chance. Rather, they should help matters by trying to convince someone like Sen. Sherrod Brown to toss his hat in the ring. Or get behind Biden, or maybe Sen. Warren, who seems to me to be the only woman with a chance to win. We need a reality check, not hopeless vanity campaigns.
17
It tells you something that she's a sitting senator from NY and The Times puts this below the fold.
10
I will not forget how Gillibrand forced Al Franken to resign without due process just to ride the #meto wave.
No way that I would vote for her.
47
I will never support Kirsten Gillibrand for president. Her craven ambition was on full display when she bum-rushed Al Franken from the Senate.
Never.
56
@Tim Craven ambition is what puts people in office. Franken had it — and gropey hands, too.
Lots of men do.
Are you going to punish all the women who call them out on it?
You'd rather have a groper than someone who pushes back against it.
That says everything about why women can't win.
1
She's not ready- and only an idiot announces on Colbert of they want to really be taken seriously.
15
All right!!
My question is who is making money off of telling these delusional people they have a chance to become president? Gillibrand has no charisma, no message, no fight. For all Trump’s many, many egregious faults, there was at least a point (yes, a poisonous racist one) he wanted to make with his campaign.
8
Nope, no way. After the spotlight-grabbing way she trashed Franken in a rush to judgement, I can not support her.
42
We are watching debut of a candidate who has not a scintilla of a chance of winning the primary, let alone the election. None. Zero.
Forecast: Hillary Clinton will wait until the very last moment to announce her candidacy
She will view herself as party savior and avenging opponent, and heroic figure. Democrats would cave yet again
But she will wait around until the last moment to cut down on the length of time critics will have to denounce her, her record, her ankles, her pantsuit and ad nauseum.
This is NOT the scenario I, as a Democrat, long for; it is a scenario that is entirely plausible. This is because Democrats are at sea about who would be a winning candidate.
It is Oprah who could flatten Trump. She is internationally traveled and admired; she is businesswoman and philanthropist, and has the ability to get along with anyone. She would know how to delegate and would brush off Trump abuse like a fly from her collar.
She has built her reputation on being able to bring dissimilar people together to talk out their differences in peaceable ways.
But keep your eye on Hillary...
4
It shows an ugly side of the Dem party when people blame KG for the repercussions Al Franken faced after his own sexual harassment was revealed. She did not force him to grope unconscious women.
If Al Franken were a republican, KG would be touted as brave and bold, and many more would have called for his dismissal before her. It's a shame that the Dems lost such a strong party figure, but what's even more shameful is Al Franken's behavior. This past election showed us that the future of the Dem party is very bright- with exciting, passionate, diverse and young politicians being elected all over the country. The dems are stupid to keep mourning Al Franken, and as stated earlier, it sheds light on a part of the dem party that is worth deserting- corrupt behavior is excused if you agree with the agenda. We are better than this!
I like KG. She is credited for spearheading the resolutions to the 2013 gov't shutdown (along with many other women in the senate, FYI). She is sometimes discredited for being "opportunistic," but I would much rather have a politician who is willing to evolve their opinions with their constituents and the times, rather than refusing to do so to protect their pride.
9
@HGS -- The Dems? What English speak that be? Wow. As someone who thinks the whole Me Too is a bit too much with little nuance, I am upset at the whole Franken thing. But I would feel that way even if he were a Republican or the tooth fairy. won't vote for her and would probably not vote for the first time in my life. And if you think that Franken's behavior is just so awful, and think that Trump's groping isn't, and he's still in office, then obviously you have a fondness for moral relativism. Harvey Weinstein, Bill Cosby -- to me those are lines that have been crossed too far and too deep. You can't erase human nature.
9
@HGS Nonsense.
8
@HGS You missed most of the Franken story, I guess. The picture was misrepresented. There were other pics of the woman kissing Franken with her leg up on him and one of her pushing her rear at another entertainer. Context! And groping - what is that? He brushed against someone when she was leaning on him during a photo op? I guess we'll never know because KG made so much noise that Schumer talked Franken into resigning before and ethics hearing.
16
So she played the woman card and the mommy card right off the bat. Neither of those, alone, qualify someone to be president. If she's this tone deaf from the get-go she'll make a very early exit.
44
As a former NYCer, I was never impressed with Gillibrand's work on behalf of the state and as a woman, I think the claim that she's done so much for womens' rights is an insulting overstatement. Nor has she ever done much to challenge any of Schumer's problematic stances. So, not my choice for President by far. That said, I think a "crowded Democratic primary" would serve the voters much better than what we have had in the past, if the media could try to do their jobs this time.
17
Am struck by how many of these comments are by men upset by what happened to Al Franken. I happened to have like Al Franken and thought he was a good Senator. I also thought Bill Clinton an excellent president, but didn't like him much at all as a person and while the relationship between him and Monica Lewinsky was consensual--she was clearly a subordinate and the relationship would have clearly be grounds for dismissal at universities and many corporations (those corporations that at least adhere to their own "no relationships with subordinates" policies, which far too few corporations do). Women are rightfully tired of the excuses made in the name of political expediency (but we need to keep Franken seat in the Dems column) to overlook bad behavior.... and it is why so many women Democrats helped us take back the House.
Why are women always the light-weight when Bernie is a 70+ old wealthy socialist in a predominately white, Protestant state with lots of baggage (including allegations he didn't treat women on his own staff fairly) who has achieved far less in the Senate over the years that Gillibrand?
Both Gillibrand and Harris are tough players in two of the most Democratic states in the country and between the two account for 90 electoral college votes between them.
Sanders' state has three.
4
@Sandi Sonnenfeld I am struck by your assuming these Al Franken posts are all penned by men?
And while your support of a junior anti-immigrant Big Tobacco candidate like Gillibrand is cause for concern you are right--she's from a big state. So there's that.
11
@Sandi Sonnenfeld Franken got a raw deal led by KG's persistent 'enough is enough.' The picture needed context, conveniently omitted. Anyone who leans against someone to get a picture taken can't then cry 'he touched me' - now that the original hysteria of the MeToo movement has passed and we remember that rape and harassment are not the same thing - and that brushing against someone doesn't really count as either, we should revisit the Franken issue because it was totally misjudged - or, rather, never judged by an ethics committee.
4
@Sandi Sonnenfeld I'm a woman, and I consider her treatment of Mr Franken abhorrent. He asked for an investigation of the allegations and was instead railroaded out.
6
Ms. Gillibrand is a conservative, pro-gun, Wall Street wolf hiding in sheep's clothing. We ain't buying her act.
35
@Bruce Savin
She's mouthpiece for Schumer.
5
@Amy And Schumer never wanted Franken in the Senate
1
Unless New York goes red, I will not vote for her after she railroaded Al Franking out of the senate, one of the few smart democrats. Besides, she is a lightweight and has not displayed any intellect or passion on any issue.
I accidentally caught her announcement on Colbert. She flirtatiously fondled his hands as she announced her candidacy. How ironic considering her claim to fame is chastising men for unwanted sexual attention.
Besides, running on the mantra of #MeToo will not endear her much male support, which she will need to win.
If democrats follow identity politics again and feel compelled to have a woman on the ticket, they will surely lose the midwest again.
Brown-Beto or Biden-Beto 2020
34
@dba It only required reading two comments in order to find the word "lightweight". My work is done.
1
@dba I was sickened by her flirty behavior, too.
3
Never. Not in a million years. If she thinks that she has even a shred of a chance to win even one primary after her cynical treatment of Al Franken then her political judgment is severely wanting.
58
@W. Freen
A thousand “recommends”.
10
I cannot understand Gillibrand's appeal to anyone on the left. Or the right or the center, for that matter. She was once right, now she's left. Super-left; as if she's trying to make us forget how she abandoned her once-moderate (with a soupcon of true conservatism) politics so effortlessly, with nary a peep, in order to gain the favor of downstate liberals. You could call it the passion of the converted, but I don't think so. I think it's pure opportunism. The Democrats deserve better than that.
27
A notorious New York flip-flopper who stands for whatever advances her own elitist status is now running for President?!
Where have I seen this before?
Oh...right.
“I will serve my six-year term” (November 2018)
You're right, Ms Gillibrand. You will.
Liz Warren 2020.
27
@Allentown. Even in these famously hypcocrtical times, it is still rather stunning to swear you will serve your full term in November and then announce for President just 2 months later.
42
I am a progressive voter: pro-women's rights, anti-everything-Trump-stands-for -- you name it, I am on the progressive side. And Senator Gillibrand would be a terrible candidate. Terrible. Republicans would hoist her by her own petard the instant she steps onto the national stage. She gives lip service to progressive causes but her history has shown that she is easily purchased (big tobacco) and that she suffers from the Democrats worst illness: criticizing friends instead of uniting against enemies. Yes, I am referring to the Al Franken matter. I have no idea why this article characterizes her as being so anti-Trump. She is not nearly anti-Trump ENOUGH. While she was going out of her way to get Franken, she didn't utter a word about either Trump or Roy Moore until she faced a backlash about it. Democrats, please no. We need a warrior and Gillibrand just ain't it.
74
@Belzoni Ditto Belzoni - I'm an ardent feminist and I can't stand smarmy Gillibrand who equates being a "mommy" with supporting women. There are a lot of other choices we have besides breeding in an already alarmingly overpopulated planet.
Gillibrand is the type of opportunistic coaster who crashes our feminism meetings and wants to talk about their kids. That's not what rights are about. She should stick with the PTA- and from what I understand when she was pandering to up state NY - the N.R.A.
5
At one time, I thought she might be a good candidate. The Al Franken episode bothered me but even more I’m bothered by the seeming silence on two of the three most critical issues (the other being health care): climate change/environment and our “forever wars”. Right now, for a variety of reasons, I’m not greatly enthused about any Dems but let’s see what happens . I probably would vote for her, Warren, Sanders , Brown Klobuchar or Inslee. Please - no Biden or Harris.
3
My only hope for a Dem win is that all these "candidates" eventually come together early enough to build a coalition to insure Trump does not get re-elected. Let them all join in and instead of attacking each other, find common ground and once a candidate is chosen, work with and for them to make sure we win this fight. Be friends, we've enemies enough! And by enemies I'm talking about Putin who is winning thus far.
5
It’s amusing that at age 52 she refers to herself as a “young” mother. Or maybe delusional?
22
She is the mother of young children...ages 15 and 10.
@NYCSandi Then she should have said "mother of young children" rather than "young mom."
No, just no. Remember Al Franken.
36
She willingly accepted Bill Clinton's help to get where she is and then, when she didn't need him any more, said he was unfit to serve as President for the last two and half years of his term. Hypocrisy thy name is Gillibrand
27
Im not really sure why she is running for president. She doesn't seem to be inspired by any of the issues that matter to liberals. She is not a champion of the people, and does not care about the non-white undercaste in this country. Beyond that, she is clearly an opportunist who weaponized the metoo movement in order to go clear the field of one of the Democrats brightest lights (Al Franken). Her treatment of him was cynical--trying to lump him (a comedian) in with people like Harvey Weinstein, just because it would improve her chances. She is a RAT, plain and simple and should have the decency to stay away from the race--and should respect women enough not to lead the charge on cleansing the world of decent men who at some point did something that could be framed as regrettable if it is taken entirely out of context. She has terible character, and her along with Beto O'Rourke are the worst this country has to offer and like him--she has 0 chance of beating Trump and is running an ego-stroking vanity project at the cost of the entire country. SHAMEFUL
30
@nickgregor
She is intentionally vague. She's even more silent on foreign policy
4
No.
Just, no. The most egregious problem with her was her castigation of Al Franken, but certainly not the only one. Her defense of Big Tobacco, her blatant opportunism and her general game-playing put her soundly into the same category of career Republican vultures.
But for how she felled Franken, for me and a lot of voters.... this just says it all.
41
no mention in story that when she, just so recently, sought election to Senate she vowed to serve her full term.... at least former Gov Bill Clinton, making a similar pledge in seeking another term, went through the charade of a "listening tour" to get the blessing of his constituents before plunging into sprint for 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
12
As a California liberal and pragmatist, I found her comments about bringing people together and dealing with institutional racism typical and meaningless. Call me a cynic, but Obama said the same thing and I worked on his campaign and voted for him twice. He couldn’t do it and neither can she. We need someone to talk to us like we’re adults. Let’s have some real policy discussions. People are soooo tired of the same political promises that are spewed year after year. Also, I didn’t like that she voted to get rid of Al Franken.
19
If Gillabrand is the candidate against Trump, it will be the first time in the 55 years I’ve been voting (almost exclusively for the democratic candidate) that I will skip the election. I will not forgive her treatment of Al Franken which was solely self serving Her positions change based on her evaluation of what she thinks is politically expedient and how it will benefit her political ambitions Never, never, never.
39
@Warren D
So having her as president would be worse than having Trump re-elected?????
Give us a candidate we don’t have to hold our nose to vote for. Is that too hard?
6
@A Thinker If he's still around in 2020, I give up
I cannot forget Kirstin Gillibrand's role in the railroading, without due process, of Al Franken. Senator Franken was one of the most effective voices in the confirmation hearings of the "best" cabinet members proposed by Trump. I can't help but think of the role he would be playing in the hearings on Barr, and how much he was missed during the fiasco that was the Kavanaugh testimony. Perhaps Senator Gillibrand sought to eliminate a potential rival for her party's nomination?
47
It was not a good debut. Her message seemed to be I am nice, I am a mom, I will fight for you. That is pretty weak beer. Warren and Harris, to name two, would be much better candidates.
39
Another lightweight enters the race! Kirstin Gillibrand, Kamala Harris, Corey (Spartacus) Booker, Julian Castro. This is a field that is guaranteed to win even more votes in New York and California, and hand Trump a second term. BTW - “I’m going to run for president of the United States because as a young mom I am going to fight for other people’s kids as hard as I would fight for my own,’’ she said. Is 52 now a "young mom"?
58
She was not merely a corporate lawyer. She was a corporate lawyer who was a key strategist for the tobacco companies. She stood beside them when they said smoking doesn't cause cancer.
Her willingness to shamelessly lie no matter what the consequences to others bodes well for her political prospects.
92
Ms. Gillibrand, in my judgement, rushed to a conclusion about the Franken matter. He was not given the opportunity to refute the charge. One of which was of a woman, said to have been accompanied by her husband, who claimed an assault at a public fairground.
we do not need someone who is so rash to jump to judgement in light of the complexities of the modern world. I would definitely not vote for her.
81
When she was appointed senator and asked about the change in her position on gun control she said that until then she had no idea gun violence was such a major problem in urban areas.
I'm sorry but I refuse to vote for anyone who would expect me to be so stupid as to believe this.
And if she believed what she said, then she is too stupid to be president.
83
@Steve
And so re-electing Trump is smart???
@A Thinker Could that possibly be who a Dem would be running against?
@A Thinker It's not a question of "Trump or Gillibrand". We just need to nominate someone else.
10
I have to wonder about Senator GIllibrand's basic honesty and her qualifications.
She was elevated to the Senate to replace Hillary Clinton (who was handed the seat by party insiders after moving to New York State after she and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, left the White House). She accepted re-election to office after clearly stating that she would serve her full term. Now here she is, running for President with no platform other than "I think I'm the nicest candidate".
With Democrats like this, Trump will end up with four more years by default.
47
Gillibrand strikes me as an opportunist.
Photo ops with antisemetic leaders of the Wimen’s March - and still not a word condemning them.
Throwing Franken under the bus without due process. Congressional bigot Steve King was treated with more fairness than Franken.
Nope, don’t think so.
76
I'll never vote for her after what she did to Al Franken.
97
@C
I wonder: if Gillibrand wins the nomination, will Al Franken refuse to vote for her?
She is a lightweight who owes her seat to former governor Paterson. Continues to hold it because we are a democratic state. We Democrats need a strong candidate. She surely does not fit the bill.
31
A lot of Democrats will never forgive her for her self-righteous Al Franken witch-hunt. My prediction...she'll come in last in the early primaries and exit quickly.
102
Al Franken.
She's toast with Democrats. Roasted, toasted and unwanted.
109
Ms. Gillibrand should begin by hiring a new communication team. The day of the Brexit vote, a terrorist attack in Kenya, articles in the Press about Trump's meetings with Putin. That's the day Ms Gilbrand chose to announce her candidacy.
To be honest, I don't think that even the best communication team would have helped. For anyone who has watched the video in which she announces her candidacy, it's obvious she is not ready for prime time and might never be. Me Gillibrand had to hold Colbert's hand to find the strength to announce her candidacy. Not for once did she looked at the camera.
Having said that, I believe Ms Gillibrand will better serve the country in the Senate. She could be the "Nancy Pelosi" of the Senate. The next Democrat in the White House will need a Senate leader like Ms Gillibrand.
"Gillibrand for Senate Leader"
1
@Chaks
What are her qualifications to be Senate leader? Give me some examples of when she showed leadership among her peers in the Senate.
3
I will never forget when Kirsten Gillibrand defeated Republican John Sweeney in the 2006 election to win what was then the 20th Congressional District of New York, a Republican stronghold for 14 years.
I did not have a chance to vote for her because I lived in the 21st Congressional District but literally less than a mile away from the 20th and I was ecstatic that she won.
I told my wife then: "You watch Kirsten Gillibrand. There is something special about her. She's balanced and smart and, best of all, she listens and adapts. I think she's going to be the first woman president of the United States."
I so hope that comes true.
3
Not after she opportunistically ruined the political career of Al Franken. Never. No way.
120
Might consider her AFTER she issues an apology to Al Franken.
20
No thanks! She's best known for shoving Al Franken out of the Senate.
91
A "young mom " ? You're 52, and had the job handed to you.
Show me a candidate that voters chose.
29
@glork
We did choose her.
We chose her in 2006 when she defeated the GOP incumbent in a Republican stronghold district.
We chose her again, overwhelmingly, in 2008.
And, yes, she was selected to replace Hillary Clinton as Senator - because she was the best possible person for the job.
And in the subsequent special election in 2010, we chose her again.
And in the 2012 election, we chose her again.
And in the 2018 election, we chose her again.
Please do your due diligence.
3
I want Al Franken back!
124
@Lebowski2020 yes
1
Her chasing Al Franken from the Senate as if his pecadilloes were equivalent to Trump's outrageous behavior was not her finest hour. For that reason alone I will not support her as Presidential candidate. I will vote for, her as Senator from New York, overall she has done a fine job but I am not in favor of a Savonarola as President.
39
@serban "I will vote for, her as Senator from New York, overall she has done a fine job ..." Mr. Franken was doing a fine job as senator for us here in Minnesota, too. Apparently, this didn't enter into Sen. Gillibrand's calculus in leading the charge to bring him down. Democrats from every state should see that she has no place in national politics.
31
She makes bad decisions and will never have the vote of this NYT reading liberal or my friends. There's better.
100
I have long considered Ms. Gillibrand a serious contender, especially because she is represents the center of the American people rather than either of the ideological extremes.
3
With the few days the govt actually works, you think she would be in DC doing her job, but no don't worry that you have a recess next week and you could have done this then, but NO take a day off work and miss another important vote.
Your NO leader your just another self service clown in DC
With as many of these joker running for office, if they are running for a hiring office they should be FORCED to give up their seat, since they can't do both job.
Maybe the Democrats should hold a round robin final 4 tournament to reduce the number of clowns running for office
21
Senator Gillibrand is wasting her time. I have two words for her: "Al Franken."
160
@jwp-nyc
Exactly! She chose to get on the bandwagon of obviously false accusations. She should be drummed out of Congress or any office for life.
35
@magicisnotreal
She didn’t just “get on the bandwagon”, she initiated it! A pox upon her.
24
@Pundette Maybe he and Louis CK and do a comeback tour together!
I feel good about the senator's policies. A niggling, uncomfortable feeling remains, however, about how she destroyed Al Frankin, who was doing vital, excellent work in the senate, ending his career without due process, which he deserved and welcomed. Passion should never override justice. What does this say about her future behavior?
118
@Ellen. Why did Senator Franken deserve due process? He was accused, so isn't it right he was forced to resign without a hearing or an investigation?
Gillibrand saw an opportunity to stick her knife in the back of a rival and earn points while doing it. But I suspect it will haunt her on the campaign trail.
57
@Sparky
Agreed, Sparky. Just causes lose credibility and momentum when doing damage for personal gain.
7