WASHINGTON–Bill Clinton paused from the ceaseless hand-shaking and picture-posing in his wife’s K Street political headquarters to make a prediction about how the interests of New York city and state would fare under the new administration.
“You know, they have such smart people and a lot of them are New Yorkers,” he told the Observer in a corner of the 10th floor office of Friends of Hillary. “You’ve got Geithner. You’ve got Donovan. Hillary.” Here, a squinting smile.
“So I’m upbeat, he said. “I expect New York to do quite well.”
It was the day before the inauguration, and the former president (and New York resident) echoed the outwardly optimistic view of many New York officials who descended on the nation’s capital for the days of exclusive cocktail parties, political dinners, sacred services and boozy media functions surrounding the historic swearing-in.
But along with the optimism about the country’s new leadership was some nervous uncertainty about New York’s own. With Hillary Clinton still waiting to be confirmed as secretary of state, David Paterson was still doing his best not to give any indication of who he intended to pick to fill her Senate seat.
“I think there have been a half a dozen candidates mentioned, maybe more, who I think would do an excellent job,” said Mr. Clinton, who, unlike most of the lower-profile Democrats around him, might plausibly not have a horse in that particular race. “That’s the governor’s choice and he has enough pressure on him from other people. I’m not going to add to it. I used to be a governor. I’m not going to do that.
For their part, the actual candidates for the job did their best to appear deferential to the governor, and spent what was essentially crunch time for their stealth campaigns granting Mr. Paterson a conspicuously wide berth.
Caroline Kennedy, who arrived in Washington on Jan. 19, scheduled no public events other than visiting with her family and attending the inauguration. (Though Maria Shriver, told the Observer as she left an opening ceremony concert at the Lincoln Memorial that she thought her cousins chances were “good.”) Andrew Cuomo also kept his distance. (Though Lanny Davis, a close Clinton ally, called him “the best qualified.”) The less-discussed candidates engaged in some delicate profile-raising while simultaneously trying not to seem overly eager.
Representative Steve Israel threw a party on the day before the inauguration at the Monocle, a restaurant a few blocks away from the Senate building. Surrounded by New York county chairs sipping on free beer and feasting on free salmon, Mr. Israel offered hugs and kisses and hearty pounds to everyone who came over to say hello.
“This process has been wonderful,” said Mr. Israel, watched by his press secretary as he spoke slowly. “No matter what happens. I’ve loved traveling through the state and I will keep traveling no matter what happens.”
His press secretary nodded with approval.
Mr. Israel and his entourage then headed over to the Smithsonian for Mr. Paterson’s party in honor of the New York Democratic Party. Some members of the delegation, like Representative Jerry Nadler, took the metro, where some straphangers also had animated conversations about Ms. Kennedy’s effort to fill the Senate vacancy.
“There’s not a caste system in our society,” a man in a down jacket said to Barbara Hetzel, a Democratic chair from Allegany County.
“I agree with you,” said Ms. Hetzel, who supports either Kirsten Gillibrand or Mr. Cuomo for the job. “You’re not born into it, you have to earn it. New York is not Massachusetts and we have problems in New York.”
Ms. Kennedy and Mr. Cuomo skipped the event at the Smithsonian, but several of the other candidates made sure to show their faces.
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