It's time to take a chill pill regarding Ms. Gillibrand.

[hedgehog]

The office of Junior Senator from the State of New York is not anything special compared to the role of any other Senator. The junior senator was considered newsworthy while Hillary Clinton was the junior senator because the junior senator was Hillary Clinton. Ms. Gillibrand may or may not make her mark, but she is only 1 vote out of 100.

[Shiver]

1. The way I figure it

She has two years to make her case to the people of New York. She's going from representing a red district to representing a blue state, so if she doesn't shift her views to represent the state...

But then again, I'm over here in Wisconsin. My opinion don't mean shit over in New York :hi:

[TheWraith]

6. How is she supposed to "shift," pray tell?

She's already pro-gay-marriage and pro-Medicare-for-all. What the hell else are we expecting?

[Shiver]

8. I have no idea, to be honest

I hear conflicting reports of her being "pro-corporation", "pro-Bush tax cuts" and "pro-war" that I haven't seen backed up. If these are true, and don't reflect the desires of the people of New York, then she'll have to change her views.

I have no real problem with the woman - 90% from the ACLU, 100% from AFSCME, 96% from AFL-CIO, 100% from the NRA, but has also worked to strengthen laws that keep guns out of the hands of criminals, 5% from ATR... so far that I can see, the good outweighs anything bad.

Then again, as I said before, what I think doesn't matter. She isn't my Senator, and she isn't going to be my Senator. If the people of New York are unhappy with her, or she somehow proves to be too conservative for the people of the state, they'll primary her.

[Telly Savalas]

10. But it's the DLC version of pro-gay-marriage and pro-Medicare for all.

We need someone who can hold these exact same positions but be more progressivy about it.

[AtomicKitten]

2. It's a fait accompli until 2010. Then all bets are off. n/t

[treestar]

3. Chill pills always needed on DU

She definitely seems to be the cause for new threads today!

[BanTheGOP]

4. AGREED

Her voting record is actually more progressive than Clinton's, despite the fact she represents a district that has a disproportionate amount of redneck racist republicanists. That just goes to show you that if you stick to progressive principle, you will generally be more successful than if you try to weasel out a "consensus" with the devil republicans.

[Life Long Dem]

5. Special!

Kirsten Gillibrand
• Voted YES on expanding research to more embryonic stem cell lines. (Jan 2007)
• Ensure access to and funding for contraception. (Feb 2007)
• Voted YES on defining "energy emergency" on federal gas prices. (Jun 2008)
• Voted YES on revitalizing severely distressed public housing. (Jan 2008)
• Voted YES on regulating the subprime mortgage industry. (Nov 2007)
• Voted YES on prohibiting job discrimination based on sexual orientation. (Nov 2007)
• Re-introduce the Equal Rights Amendment. (Mar 2007)
• More funds for NCLB and early education. (Nov 2006)
• Voted YES on additional $10.2B for federal education & HHS projects. (Nov 2007)
• Voted YES on tax incentives for renewable energy. (Feb 2008)
• Voted YES on investing in homegrown biofuel. (Aug 2007)
• Voted YES on criminalizing oil cartels like OPEC. (May 2007)
• Voted YES on removing oil & gas exploration subsidies. (Jan 2007)
• Balance fossil fuels and viable renewable energy. (Jul 2001)
• Protect American jobs from going overseas. (Nov 2006)
• Voted YES on promoting free trade with Peru. (Nov 2007)
• Voted YES on assisting workers who lose jobs due to globalization. (Oct 2007)
• Block NAFTA Superhighway & North American Union. (Jan 2007)
• No lobbyist gifts. (Nov 2006)
• Voted YES on requiring lobbyist disclosure of bundled donations. (May 2007)
• Voted YES on protecting whistleblowers from employer recrimination. (Mar 2007)
• Ban gun registration & trigger lock law in Washington DC. (Mar 2007)
• Medicare for all; allow drug reimoprtation. (Nov 2006)
• Voted YES on giving mental health full equity with physical health. (Mar 2008)
• Voted YES on Veto override: Extend SCHIP to cover 6M more kids. (Jan 2008)
• Voted YES on adding 2 to 4 million children to SCHIP eligibility. (Oct 2007)
• Voted YES on requiring negotiated Rx prices for Medicare part D. (Jan 2007)
• Better and immediate funding for Medicare & Medicaid. (Dec 2000)
• Prescription drug benefit within Medicare. (Jun 2000)
• Improve services for people with autism & their families. (Apr 2007)
• Establish a national childhood cancer database. (Mar 2007)
• Voted YES on requiring FISA warrants for wiretaps in US, but not abroad. (Mar 2008)
• Voted YES on Veto override: Congressional oversight of CIA interrogations. (Mar 2008)
• Voted NO on removing need for FISA warrant for wiretapping abroad. (Aug 2007)
• Voted YES on restricting no-bid defense contracts. (Mar 2007)
• Extend reserve retirement pay parity back to 9/11. (Dec 2007)
• Restore habeas corpus for detainees in the War on Terror. (Jun 2007)
• Voted YES on overriding presidential veto of Farm Bill. (Jun 2008)
• Voted YES on restricting employer interference in union organizing. (Mar 2007)
• Voted YES on increasing minimum wage to $7.25. (Jan 2007)
• Voted YES on retroactive immunity for telecoms' warrantless surveillance. (Jun 2008)
• Voted YES on $23B instead of $4.9B for waterway infrastructure. (Nov 2007)
• Permanent ban on state & local taxation of Internet access. (Oct 2007)
• Iraq: exit strategy & redeploy troops. (Nov 2006)
• Voted YES on redeploying US troops out of Iraq starting in 90 days. (May 2007)
http://www.ontheissues.org/NY/Kirsten_Gillibrand.htm

[PBS Poll-435]

7. Looks like any other Republican resume

:sarcasm: <-- if needed

[hedgehog]

9. It's posts like this that really have me laughing! At the risk of opening old

flame wars from the primaries, I was never very impressed by what Hillary actually did as a US Senator. Fighting violent video games and arranging federal financing for a super mall are hardly stellar accomplishments, IMO. I never heard of Gillibrand before Friday, but I'm looking forward to hearing more.