Kirsten Gillibrand officially jumps into 2020 race, teases speech at Trump hotel in New York

[Dennis Donovan]

https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/17/politics/kirsten-gillibrand-presidential-campaign-2020/index.html

(CNN)Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand officially jumped in the 2020 presidential race on Sunday by declaring her Democratic candidacy with a campaign video titled "Brave Wins."

The New York Democrat launched an exploratory campaign in January, announcing it on CBS' "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," and has spent the past two months traveling to key states.

Toward the end of the near two-minute long video released on Sunday, Gillibrand, speaking directly to the camera, announces she's running for president.

The video ends with an invitation to join Gillibrand at the Trump International Hotel on Friday, where she plans to deliver "her positive, brave vision of restoring America's moral integrity straight to President Trump's doorstep," her campaign said in an announcement accompanying the video.

<snip>

I can't help to wonder how popular she would be on DU had she not forced Franken to resign?

[Vinnie From Indy]

1. *yawn*

[BigMin28]

2. So Gillibrand

Is delivering this announcement on tRump's doorstep? So the idiot will make money off her anouncing her candidacy. Not too bright.

[Renew Deal]

19. How does that work?

She’s going to book a room?

[BigMin28]

31. Is she announcing outside the hotel

or has she rented event space. If her campaign has rented event space at the hotel, that money directly benefits tRump and klan.

[watoos]

3. I'm sorry, I'm all behind her if she wins,

but every time I see her face I see Al Franken's face. I apologize, I can't help it.

[brooklynite]

13. Do you have the same reaction to Warren, Sanders, Klobuchar , Harris and Booker?

[USALiberal]

15. You KEEP asking this. SHE Initiated it, first one. She gets the credit. You have Frankin issues. nt

[SFnomad]

17. To try to blame Senator Franken's resignation on Senator Gillibrand is weak sauce

Are you trying to tell us that Senator Gillibrand is so powerful that if it wasn't for her, no other person would have said that Senator Franken should have resigned?

Because if you are, you're saying that she is so powerful, that she really does deserve to run for President.

[USALiberal]

24. She has 0 chance of winning nomination. Shit, no NY endorsements. That says a lot. nt

[SFnomad]

25. It's 10 months before the first vote and she just announced, it means nothing ... yet

But hey, Inslee has no chance also, but that doesn't seem to deter you much.

[USALiberal]

26. LOL, Nice try......

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/07/us/politics/kirsten-gillibrand-endorsements-2020.html

[SFnomad]

28. That was 10 days before she announced ... but hey, nice try yourself n/t

[Honeycombe8]

32. We can't know what would have been. We DO know that she is the face of the Franken ouster.

She even proudly agreed to that description in an interview not long after.

He didn't "resign." He was ousted, lead by mainly Gillibrand.

She never spoke with an "accuser," or requested their stories be told under oath or in an affidavit, and none of the allegations were criminal in nature.

What we DO know is that Franken had gotten very popular, made critical headway on the Judiciary Committee (getting Sessions to admit to things indicating he had lied), and people were starting to ask him to run for President. Enter Gillibrand, who it had been rumored had the Presidency in her aspirations, demanding he resign.

She'll never be the nominee.

[SFnomad]

37. No, Senator Franken himself was the face of his own ouster

As the weeks went on, more and more people were coming up with allegations against him. By the time he resigned, there were 8 separate accusers, Senator Franken had apologized to one and dozens of Democrats were calling for his resignation. Trying to pin this on Senator Gillibrand is ludicrous.

And you're right, we can't know what would have been. Did Senator Franken resign because one of those allegations had merit? Was there another allegation that was about to come out, that really did have merit, unless he resigned? Was he worried that this was going to become a never ending circus that would take away of the Democratic priorities of regaining control either (or both) houses of Congress? Did Senator Schumer have a private heart-to-heart with Senator Franken and talk him into resigning?

We'll never know the answers to those questions. I can say, for someone that was willing to fight these allegations and ready to clear his name ... he hasn't done any of that in the years since. Have you questioned why he hasn't?

But hey, it's easier to blame someone else and you want a scalp ... Senator Gillibrand is an easy target.

[Honeycombe8]

38. There were no accusers of a crime, none who stated anything under oath, & none who were interviewed.

So we don't really know much about any of that.

We DO know that it started with a manipulation by a Republican gal on Fox News telling about the gag that Franken had pulled with the pic, and how she was offended by that. The Republicans ran with it, and some of our Senators picked up on that, and fell for the manipulation.

It's not just a coincidence, IMO, that Franken was presenting some heavy competition for the Presidential election. Gillibrand had let it be known that she was thinking about running. As were some others.

Franken was getting on tv, and was being asked about people asking if he was going to run for President.

Gillibrand lead the movement to oust Franken. She held a news conference about it, urging him to leave, with another female politician. Then she hit the tv interview circuit. She was asked about being the face of the Franken movement, and she proudly took that moniker.

It was when Schumer joined that Franken saw he had no choice.

So, in Gillibrand's own opinion, SHE is the face of the Franken ouster. No evidence. No interviews or questions asked. No crimes.

She will not be the nominee, IMO. Here's a video of that Republican gal....twerking at the USO entertainment tour (during which Franken took a gag pic of her asleep with him groping her boobs...he wasn't, really..you can see he's not touching her boobs...it's a gag pic; they all acted up and played gags on each other during those entertainment tours. Notice that she is rubbing her rear end against the male lead. The he touches her rear quickly, and then SHE grabs his rear end. Ironic, I'd say.):

[Charlie G]

47. She was the most vocal

The attack dog. And being from NY, I used to support her She took down one of the most effective Senators we had because he might be a strong opponent in the presidential race. She did not call for an investigation, she said Franken should resign.

[dalton99a]

14. I see an insincere, unprincipled opportunist.

Last edited Sun Mar 17, 2019, 01:33 PM - Edit history (1)

[Honeycombe8]

33. +1. nt

[monmouth4]

4. A non-starter for me. At the trump hotel no less? n/t

[SFnomad]

18. Using the tRump hotel as a backdrop is pretty decent optics

It reminds people what we're fighting against

[Honeycombe8]

34. It doesn't matter. It's over for her before it starts. nt

[George II]

23. AT, not in. She'll probably be outside giving her speech/presentation.

[Vinca]

5. I don't think it's a good sign for her, but when I heard the "breaking news" announcement,

I thought she was withdrawing. LOL.

[Kurt V.]

6. from trump hotel? sure this isn't the onion. lol

[brooklynite]

12. It's possible she's using Trump's hotel as a symbol to attack.

[Kurt V.]

29. It's possible. I'm not sure many ppl make that connection. and for the record,

i have no major issues with her.

[Croney]

7. If she's going to be standing outside with a bullhorn, that's one thing.

If she paid him for the use of a meeting room, that's just...weird. Not brave.

[NurseJackie]

8. We deserve better. I don't see her as being "brave" at all.

I'm looking for someone who makes correct choices and thoughtful choices and INFORMED choices and FAIR choices. When any candidate boasts that they view themselves as "bold" or "brave", it reminds me of Bush II's propensity to make impulsive decisions and choices "based on a gut-feeling" rather than based on the FACTS ON THE GROUND... and not based on WHAT'S RIGHT and JUST.

All I'm saying is... we can do better, and I don't trust anyone to be the "Leader of the Free World" who thinks that "brave" and "bold" can be used to justify BAD DECISIONS and UNINFORMED POLICY.

Yuk!

[Dennis Donovan]

9. I agree - she was very centrist when she was my Congressperson...

...with a A+ rating from the NRA. Now, she''s trying to portray herself as "bold" and "decisive". Her (and others including Bernie Sanders) takedown of Franken last year seemed a bit... craven.

[NurseJackie]

11. "...A+ rating from the NRA." --- Wow, I did not know that.

A+ rating from the NRA.

Wow, I did not know that. Thanks for the info.

And here I was, thinking that I already disliked her as much as I possibly could. I was wrong.

She's definitely a bottom-tier candidate. Not 2nd tier... just bottom-tier. She knows she has no realistic chance of going very far with this. Therefore, my question is: WHY? Why is she doing it? And the only reasonable conclusion is that it's a "vanity" campaign.

Maybe she thinks she can shape the debate, but looking at the field of contenders who are much more qualified, she certainly knows she has ZERO chance of winning.

Or, it could also be that she sees herself as a long-shot to be selected as a running mate for the VP slot. By "running" to be the nominee, she's actually just handing-in her curriculum vitae for consideration by the eventual nominee.

I don't like her at all. And her NRA rating just reinforces and cements the negative feelings I have about her.

[SFnomad]

21. You might want to look into that for yourself, you're being misled, but maybe you don't care

She hasn't had a A rating from the NRA for a long time. Since then, she has gotten a F rating.

[NurseJackie]

22. Thanks.

[Rhiannon12866]

41. She did when she was first in Congress

I worked for her successor during the special election in 2009 here in NY-20 after she was appointed senator. We needed to know the positions of both Gillibrand and the new candidate. She's been interviewed on the subject and has said she's evolved on the gun issue and now receives an F rating from the NRA.

[SFnomad]

42. Like I said, trying to play Senator Gillibrand off as if she has an A+ rating is

disingenuous at a minimum. She hasn't had that kind of rating for about 10 years now. She went from A to F and I believe her rating has stayed down in the D and F range.

[Rhiannon12866]

43. All I'm saying is that she had a A rating when she was my congresswoman here in NY-20

But that was in 2009 when I worked for her successor in the special election - and when he ran for another term in 2010. She has changed her position and now receives an F. The topic came up when she was interviewed on the subject and she explained her evolution. When she was in Congress, she became close friends with Gabby Giffords.

[SFnomad]

44. And for Dennis to word it carefully enough to tell the truth, but leave out pertinent information is

disingenuous. Which is why I told Nurse Jackie to look into it herself, because she was being misled.

After 10 years of D/F ratings, to try and play gotcha with her legacy A ratings is a steaming pile. The election isn't 10 years ago or more, it's today. And it's where these people are today and how they got there that matters.

[Rhiannon12866]

45. When she represented this district, she did have an A rating

This is a somewhat rural area and there are a lot of "one issue" voters. She was very popular here - and after years of uncontested Republican representation, we were very pleased to finally elect a Democrat. Even then, she was still head-and-shoulders much better than the incumbent who she replaced. It took her awhile to evolve, think her close friendship with Gabby Giffords was a big part of that.

[SFnomad]

46. That's great, I'm glad for her. It has nothing to do with my reply to NurseJackie

I understand when someone goes from representing one group of people to another that their positions may change. But again, that has nothing to do with my reply to NurseJackie.

I hope that NurseJackie has looked into it and finds out she was being misled, because she was. For the last 10 years, Senator Gillibrand has been receiving D/F ratings from the NRA. That's all that really matters, what her positions are now. And to play off 10+ year old positions as something to not like Senator Gillibrand for, is disingenuous.

Hope you have a good evening ... good night.

[Dennis Donovan]

50. No, there is no ulterior motive...

I simply said she WAS my congressperson and she had an A+ rating.

That's it. YOU read more into it than I actually wrote.

C Ya!

[SFnomad]

53. Yeah, right, sure ... ok n/t

[Honeycombe8]

35. I think the "can't win, little known" people run...

I some of them run to raise their national name recognition, for future aspirations (and may help in committee assignments). It also, in some cases, means an increase in the fee they can charge for speeches. Some hope to get on the ticket as V.P.

There's almost nothing about her I like, down to her child-like voice.

She'll get increased name recognition, though. That started with her infamous Franken ouster.

[NurseJackie]

36. OMG, yes!

There's almost nothing about her I like, down to her child-like voice.

OMG, yes! It's almost comical... not her fault, but exceedingly distracting. God bless her... but she doesn't have the confidence-building image that I believe the Leader of the Free World should put forth. I think some public speaking lessons would serve her well.

[Bengus81]

10. Who cares?? Been a long road since you threw Franken under the bus to this.......

Like no one knew what your "future" plans were way back then.

[Bettie]

16. I thought she had officially joined months ago

not my first or even fifth choice, but there are a lot of good candidates to choose from.

[WeekiWater]

20. Love her. NT

[True Dough]

27. She'll get little to no traction

It's a crowded and talented field of candidates. She won't stand out.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

30. She always looks kind of stunned and off-balance to me.

[Luciferous]

39. No thanks. Even without the Franken issue she's too conservative for me.

[brooklynite]

40. To clarify: the rally will be OUTSIDE Trump's hotel.

[Charlie G]

48. Most candidates when they declare

get some support here. She got none. She is a dead duck.

[Cha]

49. We'll never know.

[pnwmom]

51. The majority of Democratic Senators, including almost all the women Senators,

and Bernie Sanders all called on him to resign.

It's not fair to blame Franken's considered decision, after input from so many of his colleagues, on Kristin Gillibrand.

https://www.politico.com/story/2017/12/06/full-list-senators-call-for-al-franken-to-resign-282175

[lapucelle]

52. I don't particularly like her, but her its important to be accurate about the candidates' records.

Anyone who wants to know more about her past and current stances can go here.
http://www.ontheissues.org/Senate/Kirsten_Gillibrand.htm