All Over Albany

Kirsten Gillibrand's appearance on The Late Show -- and her answer to that question

Kirsten Gillibrand's appearance on the The Late Show Thursday night is embedded above.

The clip has been getting a lot of attention this morning because Gillibrand kind-of sort-of says she's thinking about running for president.

Here's a transcript of her answer when Stephen Colbert asked if there was "another election that you might be concentrating on" -- a clear references to the 2020 presidential election:

So I believe it is a moral question for me. And I believe in right versus wrong. And until this election I actually thought that wrong was winning. And as I've traveled across my state, across the country for all these candidates, I've seen the hatred and the division that President Trump has put out into our country and it has called me to fight as hard as I possibly can to restore the moral compass of this country. Our country was founded on the principles that we should care about one another, that we believe in the golden rule. That I should care about your kids or your kids or your kids as much as I care about my own. And so I believe right now that every one of us should figure out how we can do whatever we can with our time, with our talents, to restore that moral decency, that moral compass and that truth of who we are as Americans.

So I will promise you I will give it a long hard thought of consideration.

Of course, just two weeks ago she said during the Senate election debate: "I will serve my six-year term."

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There's a town hall meeting with Kirsten Gillibrand at HVCC this weekend

Kirsten Gillibrand will be holding a town hall-style public meeting at HVCC this Sunday, August 26. Blurbage:

She'll give brief remarks, answer any questions you have, and listen to your thoughts and feedback on the issues you care most about. All are welcome!

The meeting is at the McDonough Sports Complex on the HVCC campus. See the link above for online registration. Doors open at 4 pm, the event starts at 5 pm and is scheduled to end at 6:30 pm.

There are, of course, one or two or a hundred things one of New York State's US Senators and her constituents might want to talk about right now. So we're guessing this could draw a relatively big crowd -- registering earlier rather than later isn't a bad idea if you'd like to go.

Kirsten Gillibrand on Desus and Mero and The Late Show

More evidence that Kirsten Gillibrand is becoming a national figure: KG appeared on both the Late Show with Stephen Colbert and Viceland's Desus & Mero this week.

The full-length Desus & Mero segment is embedded above. During the conversation they take up the Kristen/Kirsten issue, Mero's campaign for state comptroller, scandalizing Joe Lieberman with the f word, tweeting as a politician, Donald Trump, Russian interference, publicly-funded elections -- and running for president in 2020. Gillibrand fell back on her usual line about being focused on running for Senate in 2018. (Though look for "KG: Good in the 'hood!" bumper stickers.)

The Late Show segment is embedded below. She and Colbert talked about the NRA and giving up swearing for Lent. (Apparently that's not going well.)

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Kirsten Gillibrand on 60 Minutes

This past weekend's 60 Minutes included a long feature about Kirsten Gillibrand.

It covers a lot of what you'd expect -- her ongoing fight against sexual assault and harassment, her call for Al Franken to resign (clip embedded above), the back and forth with Donald Trump on Twitter, even a visit to her family's home on Noonan Lane in Albany.

But Sharyn Alfonsi also pressed Gillibrand on the way her positions have changed on issues such as gun regulation and immigrant since her time in the House. And that was maybe the most interesting moment of the whole segment. A clip (emphasis added):

Sharyn Alfonsi: So can you understand President Trump's position on immigration, since you were there?

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand: No. I think his positions are racist.

Sharyn Alfonsi: You were against amnesty, against sanctuary cities. You supported accelerated deportations. You become senator...Why the flip?

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand: I came from a district that was 98% white. We have immigrants, but not a lot of immigrants. And I hadn't really spent the time to hear those kind of stories about what's it like to worry that your dad could be taken away at any moment, what it's like--

Sharyn Alfonsi: But you're reading the paper--

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand: Yeah. And I just didn't take the time to understand why these issues mattered because it wasn't right in front of me. And that was my fault. It was something that I'm embarrassed about and I'm ashamed of.

KG seems to be reading the recent political currents in a way that differs from a lot of other national politicians. And that sort of response feels atypical for national figure of her stature. So it's interesting to watch if the way she talks about things -- her energy, her demeanor, her style -- represents some sort broader shift.

Kirsten Gillibrand en Vogue

The new issue of Vogue includes a feature about Kirsten Gillibrand in which the author, Jonathan Van Meter, visits the Senator at her home in Brunswick*, eats lunch with her in Troy, and attends events with her around the state. (It sounds like the visit was back in August.) A clip:

"It's a heavy feeling being in Washington," she says. "There are so many important issues at risk. You're in a fighting stance every day. Because the stuff that comes over Twitter is so horrible. The attack on the transgender troops: disgusting, disgraceful, outrageous. It's just endless. And then you try to do your day job of finding good bipartisan work across the aisle... You're doing both all the time. I guess I would describe it as intense. Everything is very intense."

Gillibrand's intensity is in her news and radio interviews, her impromptu press conference on the Capitol steps, her speeches at protests, her Twitter feed. She is exceedingly direct and genuine for a politician, especially when speaking about sexual assault in the military, say, or paid family leave, both core issues for her. And she has a populist streak--she has argued for single-payer health care for a decade--that puts her closer to Bernie Sanders than to Clinton. Of course, she's a quarter-century younger than Bernie and a more likable proposition altogether. "It's flattering," she says when I point out that she's made every Democratic shortlist for 2020. Is the idea of higher office something she thinks about? "I'm entirely focused on 2018. Some of the worst ideas Trump has can be better blocked if we have a majority in the House or Senate or both."

The piece -- with photos by Annie Leibovitz -- checks most of the KG profile boxes, among them: her potential as a presidential candidate, the issues she's focused on while in office (and how they've changed), her work ethic in the Senate and willingness to engage Republicans, a mention of her grandmother.

* Though its location is tagged as Troy in the article.

Kirsten Gillibrand town hall at HVCC

Kirsten Gillibrand will be appearing at a town hall-style meeting at Hudson Valley Community College this Wednesday, August 9. Blurbage:

She'll give brief remarks, then take your questions about everything from health care to the economy.

Staff will also be on hand to answer questions you might have about how the Senator's office can assist constituents. This is the perfect chance to raise your voice on the issues you care about.

All are welcome to come.

That link includes info about how to claim a spot. Capacity is limited. These sorts of events have been well attended around the country in recent months. (You might have heard there have been a few things of interest happening in US politics lately.) So it's not a bad idea to claim a spot sooner rather than lather.

The event is in the gym at the McDonough Sports Complex. Doors open at 4:15 pm. The event starts at 5 pm and will finish at 6:30 pm.

How Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand are voting on the Trump cabinet nominations

Updated February 2

The other day we mentioned that Kirsten Gillibrand had, at that point, voted against each of the Trump administration cabinet nominations -- the only US Senator to do so. She's been getting national attention for that fact this week, and in comments here at AOA people were interested, too.

With that interest in mind -- and to make it easy to find the info in one place for New York's Senators -- we're putting together a running tally of how Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer are voting on the Donald Trump's cabinet picks. We'll update it as votes come along in the Senate.

Let's have a look...

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"Gillibrand is good at having it both ways..."

The National Journal has a big article on Kirsten Gillibrand's rise to prominence in national politics, and the evolution of her positions on various issues along the way. From "How Kirsten Gillibrand Shed Her Past on the Way to Liberal Stardom," by Ben Terris:

It's a stretch to imagine Gillibrand running for president any time soon: There's a Hillary-sized shadow hanging over 2016, and Gov. Andrew Cuomo also appears above her on the New York depth chart. But this is a Democratic Party desperate for new blood and new talent. At 46, Gillibrand fits the bill perhaps better than anyone--and she has begun to build a national persona that can match her ambitions. Her battle against the Pentagon over sexual assaults in the military has won her headlines and praise. At the same time, she's a stunningly adept fundraiser who earns loyalty from her colleagues the old-fashioned way--by doling out money. It's telling that when potential women presidents are mentioned, the list tends to begin and end at Clinton. There is opportunity there.

But to reach that place in the firmament, Gillibrand will have to pull off what many politicians before her have had to do: reconcile her past political identities with her present ones. Gillibrand isn't the first Democrat from a rural, centrist background to try to build a bridge to the progressive wing of the party. (See: the other Clinton, Bill.) And often, it can be easier to accomplish than those liberals trying to convince rank-and-file voters that they are one of them, as both Barack Obama and John Kerry before him struggled to do. But that doesn't mean she won't have some explaining to do on what can be politely termed her evolution.

How she navigates those questions will say a lot about her readiness for the grand stage.

If you've been following along over the past few years, a lot of it won't be new to you. But it's another picture of KG as a persistent, savvy, highly-skilled politician.

Earlier on AOA: "What is required of that money? Because it makes me uncomfortable..."

Gillibrand requests federal designation for the Pine Bush

Kirsten Gillibrand's office announced today that the Senator is asking the US Secretary of the Interior to designate the Albany Pine Bush Preserve as a National Natural Landmark. From the letter KG's office released:

The Albany Pine Bush Preserve is a unique ecosystem located on a 3,200-acre site in Albany County, New York. The preserve is one of the best-remaining examples of an inland pine barren habitat. The open areas and well-drained sandy soils of the preserve support a globally-rare pitch pine-scrub oak community and is home to more than 1,300 species of plants, 156 species of birds, 20 species of amphibians and reptiles, and 30 species of mammals, as well as rare species of butterflies and moths. Among its diverse flora and fauna, the Albany Pine Bush supports the federally-listed endangered Karner blue butterfly, as well as the rare inland barrens buckmoth. The Albany Pine Bush is the site of one of thirteen Federal Recovery Units working to rebuild adult populations and restore suitable habitat for the Karner blue butterfly across the range of the endangered species.

The term "National Natural Landmark" sounds kind of impressive -- and the National Park Service website says "NNLs are the best remaining examples of a type of feature in the country and sometimes in the world." But we get the impression it's a largely symbolic. The designation doesn't change ownership of the landmark, nor does it impose any land use restrictions, according to an FAQ about the program posted by the National Park Service. It's largely a voluntary commitment by the landowner to preserve the landmark. (The Albany Pine Bush Preserve is a state preserve.)

If anything, the National Natural Landmark designation is another sign that people's perception of the place continues to evolve, to the ecosystem's benefit. The last couple of hundred years haven't been kind to the Pine Bush. It suffered from a rather poor reputation in the 19th century. The Thruway and Washington Ave Extension were plowed through it. A mall was built. A landfill sited in it. It's only in the last four decades or so that momentum has shifted in the direction of preservation.

The Pine Bush once covered an area of about 40 square miles -- it's now about 1/8 that size.

There are 596 National Natural Landmarks in the US and its territories -- and 27 sites designated as National Natural Landmarks located at least partially within New York State, according to the National Park Service. The list includes two in the immediate Capital Region: Bear Swamp in Albany County, and Petrified Gardens in Saratoga County.

Earlier on AOA:
+ The Karner Blue and Nabokov
+ Why the Albany Pine Bush is sandy
+ The Rapp Road Community Historic District

"What is required of that money? Because it makes me uncomfortable..."

Kirsten Gillibrand was on the Daily Show Thursday night talking about her admirable efforts to reform how the military handles sexual assault, as well as a few other issues. The first segment is embedded above, and the second after the jump.

The second segment -- especially the extended segment at the Daily Show website -- is worth watching because John Oliver (politely) tries to put the screws to KG over the amount of money she's taken from banking organizations such as Goldman Sachs. It's interesting to watch Gillibrand field Oliver's questions. Once again she displays a remarkable ability to both side-step and reframe the question (that is, not really answer it) while at the same time coming off as totally reasonable and likable.

That's a valuable skill for politician. And maybe it's a peek into the reasons KG is apparently becoming a formidable player in the Senate -- and keeps getting mentioned as an eventual presidential candidate.

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Chris Gibson ranked as most "liberal" Republican in the House

The National Journal does an annual vote rating of Congress members (methodology), then it ranks the representatives and senators on "liberal" and "conservative" scales. And this year, in National Journal's estimate, Chris Gibson ranked as the most liberal House Republican -- with a voting record more liberal than that of 10 House Democrats.

From an accompanying article about Gibson:

Gibson placed the furthest left of all House Republicans in National Journal's 2012 ideological vote ratings. Whether that means he is the most liberal, the most moderate, or perhaps just the least conservative member of the GOP conference is in the eye of the beholder. The way Gibson sees it, he landed near the middle of both ratings in his first term because he balances a pro-growth and an anti-debt agenda, all while representing a district (New York's 19th) that Obama carried twice.

"This is the kind of representation that gets things done, that creates jobs," Gibson said. "We can bring people together in an era rife with partisanship and divide."

After the jump, a quick scan of the ratings for other regional Congress members, and little more about the NY 20th, which Gibson represented until the most recent redistricting. (We'll just say it now... yes, there's a graph.)

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Kirsten Gillibrand on the Daily Show

Kirsten Gillibrand was on the Daily Show last night. KG was there to talk about the Democratic National Convention, and getting more women involved with politics The video is embedded above. And part two is post jump.

Increasing the number of women in politics is one of KG's frequent focuses. She was on a panel about topic yesterday at the convention -- she talked about her 2006 run against John Sweeney and her grandmother, Polly Noonan (a key figure in the political machine that ran Albany). [TU CapCon]

Watching these Daily Show segments reminded us of how Gillibrand often doesn't come across as a typical politician. Instead of the measured, bland presence that many politicians usually have on TV, KG registers as enthusiastic. That's drawn her some flak, but it makes her stand out. And she comes through the TV more like a real person. That's a pretty useful skill for a politician.

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Poll: strong support for minimum wage increase

$8.50

A large majority of New Yorkers support raising the state's minimum wage from $7.25 to $8.50 per hour, according to the Siena poll out today. Of the people polled, support for the increase ran 78-17. The group registering the lowest support for the increase was Republicans -- and even among that group, 58 percent support it.

A few other interesting bits from today's poll:

+ One of Andrew Cuomo's strategies since becoming governor has appeared to be finding ways to allow the legislature to look good (while still doing what he wants it to do). It seems to be working: the number of people saying they have a "favorable" opinion of the Assembly and Senate are at "highest ever" levels* -- in the upper 40s.

+ The Occupy Wall Street movement registered its lowest favorability so far -- 38/52 favorable/unfavorable. The Tea Party's favorable/unfavorable: 38/58.

+ If the presidential election was now: Obama 57 | Romney 37.

+ The percent of people who said "don't know" or have "no opinion" of Kirsten Gillibrand is 25 percent -- the same as it was back in January 2011. We suspect this is roughly the same percentage of people who would feel open about admitting they don't follow politics or government at all. Chuck Schumer's don't know/no opinion: 9. See also: Chuck who?

+ KG still easily beats any of the potential Republicans in a hypothetical matchup for the US Senate.

+ The percent of people who agreed that New York State is on the "right track": 55 percent, a "highest ever" level.

* "Trends reflect questions asked at least twice since the first Siena College Poll in February 2005."

Kirsten Gillibrand, SOPA/PIPA, 2016, and cake

There was some interesting blowback today for Kirsten Gillibrand on SOPA/PIPA -- federal legislation touted as a way for copyright holders to crack down on piracy, but in practice would muck up much of the internet. Under pressure from widespread online protest this week, Congressional leaders took the bills off the table today. [TechDirt] [Wired]

Both Chuck Schumer and KG were co-sponsors of PIPA (basically the Senate version of SOPA), and tech industry people in NYC organized a large protest (with actual, in-real-life people) outside the senators' office there on Wednesday. [BetaBeat]

Apparently in response to the protests and the pulling of the bill, KG (or her office) posted on her Facebook page today:

Whether passing the 9/11 Health Bill, repealing DADT, or my call to action for women, I have always urged New Yorkers to make their voices heard. There has been an outpouring of democracy in action over the last several weeks on PIPA & SOPA. While many of my colleagues and I have worked hard to address concerns with the current bill, it is clear this proposal will not create consensus on how to crack down on the real problem of online theft that threatens tens of thousands of New York jobs in a balanced way that ensures our tech companies will continue to flourish. It is time for Congress to take a step back and start over with both sides bringing their solutions to the table to find common ground towards solving this problem. New talks between stakeholders -- media companies, music and film companies, Silicon Valley and Silicon Alley here in New York is a critically needed step forward. Make no mistake, we must act to protect the theft of intellectual property that costs our economy billions in revenue -- but we must get it right without unintended consequences that could stifle the internet.

Which, in turn, prompted Markos Moulitsas (the Kos in Daily Kos) to argue that KG is "trying to have her cake, and eat it too, on PIPA." And the overarching reason, in his view: she's looking ahead to 2016 and a run for a White House.

[via @patrickboegel]

Speed reading what local Congressional reps said about the debt ceiling deal

Yes, No, Yes, No

The federal debt-ceiling drama ended today after the Senate passed the bill raising the ceiling, and Barack Obama signed it late this afternoon. [NYT] [NYT]

No one seems happy about the deal -- a fact reflected in the votes and comments from local Congressional reps, who split on how they voted...

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Kirsten Gillibrand's push for open government

Kirsten Gillibrand has been pushing the cause of open public data this week. The clip above is her presentation at the nerd-wonk Personal Democracy Forum on Monday -- she talked about her office's disclosure of schedules and earmarks and how's she's pushed for similar disclosure for all Congressional members.

KG also announced this week that she's co-sponsoring the "Public Online Information Act," a bill that would require public info to be made available online in a searchable format before it could be considered public.

It's good to see this kind of support for open data initiatives -- in the Information Age (or whatever you call right now), useful access to data generated by the government should be a civil right. But if KG and other open government people want to really shake things up, they'll push for the federal government (which has money) to help develop tools for local governments (which don't have money) to collect, manage and share public data. The state of access to local public data is currently underwhelming -- even for data that should be relatively easy to post. (When was the last time you searched crime reports online for your town -- oh, right, you probably can't.)

A few cities are already headed in this direction. New York City has made a big deal of it recently, releasing a "road map" toward becoming a "digital city." It's touting the push as a way of increasing civic engagement and economic development. (It already makes some data available via a "data mine.")

That kind of initiative is easier for a place like NYC -- it has a huge budget. The jump is much bigger for local municipalities that can't be even manage to consistently post their press releases online (nevermind in a format that's not pdf).

Chuck who?

The Brennan Center recently released a "report card on New York's civil literacy." Newsflash: it's low, in most of the way's you'd expect (nope, the President can't declare war; the founders weren't trying to found a Christian nation; the Constitution's goal wasn't to increase the power of the 13 original states).

But this bit made us take notice/wonder/laugh wryly: 58 percent of New Yorkers in the survey failed to name at least one of the two current New York members of the US Senate. As the report notes (emphasis added):

Respondents were not given any list to choose from, so they had no opportunity to guess or "refresh their recollection." Kirsten Gillibrand, New York's junior Senator, was appointed less than two years ago, after then-Senator Hillary Clinton was appointed Secretary of State. Senator Gillibrand had never previously run for statewide office, and the fact that her name wasn't widely known is not surprising. Chuck Schumer, though, has represented New York State since 1999 and is a major national player on the political stage. It is significant that so few New Yorkers were able to provide his name when asked, especially when we consider that both senators' names were on the ballot in the November 2010 elections and both were campaigning during the time the poll was conducted.

That's right, Chuck Schumer, who hasn't passed up an opportunity for a press conference -- ever* -- still not at the top of a majority of New Yorkers' minds.

It's worth noting that Schumer did get 65.5 percent of the vote in last year's election, so he's doing OK -- whether people remember his name or not.

The full Brennan Center report is embedded after the jump.

* Unconfirmed, but probably true.

photo: schumer.senate.gov

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New Yorkers to Cuomo: be mine

The Siena poll out today reports that Andrew Cuomo currently has his highest-ever favorability rating -- 77 percent of respondents reported having a favorable opinion of the governor.

People have pretty much swooned over Cuomo. In addition to that crazy-high favorability mark, 57 percent say he's doing an "excellent" or "good" job as governor. Seventy percent say they trust him, over the legislature, to do the right thing for the state. And 47 percent say they would give Cuomo's proposed state budget a grade of A or B. (Let's see what people think after the budget's actually finished -- legislating has a way of killing the mood.)

And get this: 47 percent of respondents say the state is now on the right track (as opposed to 39 percent saying it's heading the wrong way). It's the first time since October 2007 the right track number has been higher than the wrong track.

Kirsten Gillibrand While not in the throes of full-on infatuation, New Yorkers do seem to be warming to Kirsten Gillibrand. KG's favorability mark was 57 percent in this poll, the highest it's ever been. And 52 percent said they'd re-elect her.

Gillibrands moving to Brunswick

Kirsten Gillibrand and her husband have bought a house in Brunswick, near the Troy Country Club. The house -- on more than 2.5 acres with a tennis court -- was $335,000. [WNYT] [TU]

KG and her family had been living at her mom's house in Albany temporarily after they sold their house in Columbia County, so they could move closer to family. Being closer to the airport is probably a nice bonus, too.

Kirsten Gillibrand on the Daily Show

If Jon Stewart is a person of influence, Kirsten Gillibrand got a pretty good endorsement last night.

Sample line, Stewart on KG's efforts in the Senate: "You know what you are? You're The Who in a hotel -- you're just wrecking the joint."

Kirsten Gillibrand reportedly moving to Albany

View Larger Map

Update: We've heard from Kirsten Gillibrand's office that the senator's family is only temporarily moving into her mom's home while they look for a house in the Albany area.
_____

The New York Daily News reported last week that Kirsten Gillibrand sold her Columbia County house and is moving into her mother's old house in the City of Albany.

The house is on Noonan Lane -- off 9W, tucked behind the Thruway. The road became a bit like KG's family's private driveway. Noonan is the name of KG's maternal grandparents. Polly Noonan, her grandmother, was the righthand woman to Erastus Corning. And the forever-mayor apparently spent many a night on the road. From Paul Grondahl's Mayor Corning:

Since [Corning's] wife resolutely refused to attend these events and was never seen at such functions, Corning often attended alone, or he was accompanied, at least to overtly political functions where their companionship would not raise eyebrows, by Polly Noonan. After these functions, whether Polly Noonan attended or not, Corning often made his way back later in the evening not to Corning Hill but to Noonan Lane.

And then the mayor would sit in a recliner, drink scotch and watch sports with Noonan's husband, according to Grondahl's account. [Places and Spaces] [TU]

KG's mother and father -- Penny and Douglas Rutnik (they're no longer together) -- built their house (the one KG's moving into) on the same road, as did two of Polly Noonan's other children. [NY Mag]

As you can tell from the satellite image, it looks like the end of the lane has a bit of a compound feel about it. Hey, you can't be a political family dynasty without a compound.

(Credit to Chris Churchill for picking this story out from the stream between Christmas and New Year's Day.)

The Kirsten Gillibrand storyline shifts

This was a big week for Kirsten Gillibrand. Two pieces of legislation for which she's gained a high-profile supporter were approved in Congress. First, it was the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell. And yesterday, it was the bill funding health care for 9/11 responders.

The legislative successes landed her on the front page of the New York Times today:

Once derided as an accidental senator, lampooned for her verbosity and threatened with many challengers who openly doubted her abilities, a succinct, passionate and effective Senator Gillibrand has made her presence felt in the final days of this Congress.

Her efforts have won grudging admiration from critics, adulation from national liberals and gay rights groups, and accolades from New York politicians across the political spectrum, including Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, who once shopped for potential candidates to oust her.

Even her relentlessness, which once drew mockery, is now earning the highest compliment of all: professional jealousy from her more senior colleagues.

Chuck Schumer said this week that KG's persistence on the 9/11 bill had Senate colleagues asking him to call her off:

You know, some of these senators said: Would you stop her from bothering me? And I said: No! And the result of all that hard work we see today. What a great victory for a new legislator, isn't that fabulous. For any legislator, but for someone this new to do so much so soon is utterly amazing. [State of Politics]

This coverage represents quite a shift in the media's attitude toward KG. Earlier this year as she faced a possible challenge for her Senate seat, stories often focused on issues such as her weight loss and the the tone of her voice. And just this past fall Harry Reid reportedly called KG "the hottest member" of the Senate.

As it happens, this recent arc is roughly similar to one Gillibrand followed here in the Capital Region. She wasn't given much chance of knocking off John Sweeney (though his self-destruction didn't hurt). And there were doubters she could hold onto the seat in the majority Republican district (which she did, easily).

May we suggest a new media frame for KG: not to be underestimated.

Earlier: Don't Ask Don't Tell as Kirsten Gillibrand's signature issue

image: New York Times

Don't Ask Don't Tell as Kirsten Gillibrand's signature issue

KG speaking in the Senate before the DADT vote

Steve Kornacki writing today at Capital New York about how the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell has become Kirsten Gillibrand's "signature issue":

... It is impossible to overstate how perfectly the issue addressed all of her political imperatives. Since her appointment, Gillibrand had been pleading with gay-rights leaders to consider her an ally; this was her chance to prove that she really was. It also promised to boost her overall image with liberal primary voters and her reputation with high-end Democratic donors around New York City, among whom DADT repeal, and gay rights in general, was particularly important. Plus, with Democrats running the White House and Congress for the first time since '94, the stakes were real; this wouldn't be an exercise in symbolism. There was also minimal chance of general-election blowback, with swing voters, especially in blue states like New York, increasingly ready for DADT to go.

... after two years in the Senate, DADT has become Gillibrand's signature issue. Job security may have been her primary motive, but the repeal fight also helped Gillibrand establish her own political identity in the Senate and with New Yorkers, and to develop her own voice.

Kornacki notes that DADT probably would have been repealed without KG's efforts, but "all of her efforts helped ensure Saturday's result." The whole piece is worth reading -- it puts KG's Senate career in context.

For sale: Kirsten Gillibrand's house

Kirsten Gillibrand's home in Hudson is up for sale -- the list price: $1.48 million. [NYT]

Check out this snip from the listing on the real estate agent's site, titled "Gatsby & Spectacular Hudson River Views":

Mesmerizing sunsets and all day long stunning views of the Hudson River and the Catskill Mountains welcome you to a surreal magical landscape that you might think you once stumbled upon in a childhood dream ...this once in a lifetime slice of heaven is the perfect backdrop to make memories generation after generation. Beginning with the private drive guarded by towering shade trees through which the light bounces off Ol' Man River, informal and formal gardens, patios and porches greet you with each gentle rolling slope of the velvet lawn as it rolls down over the river.

There are a handful of photos on the listing page.

The house is listed as having 5 bedrooms, 4.5 baths, a "gracious" kitchen, a "delightful guest cottage," and a barn/4 car garage on 13 acres.

Here's the Zillow listing for the address, which appears to have incorrect info. (The "zestimate" is listed as $717,000.)

KG's office told NYT that the senator and her husband "plan to buy a house closer to family in the Capital Region." [NYT City Room]

Hmm... so what would be a good spot for the Gillibrands? We could see Slingerlands -- big houses, a bit rural, close to Albany and only about 20 minutes from ALB.

photo: Halstead

Congressional debates tonight

Because we know that you arrange your social schedule around such events, here's tonight's lineup:

US Senate: Kirsten Gillibrand and Joe DioGuardi
7 pm on YNN
The Siena poll out this week reported that Gillibrand has large lead, but there should still be some good back-and-forth here. KG is a very capable debater and DioGuardi went after her in a debate last Friday.

NY 20th: Scott Murphy and Chris Gibson
8 pm on WMHT
We're looking forward to this debate because both candidates are accomplished people who seem to be serious about the issues confronting the country -- though they differ greatly on how they think we should take on those challenges. Their debate earlier this week did get a little heated when the flip-flopping allegations came out. Still, there should be some substantial back-and-forth here. And the race is relatively close.