Caroline Kennedy Hires Joe Lieberman’s “Fixer,” Josh Isay

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Tue Dec-16-08 11:35 AM
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Caroline Kennedy Hires Joe Lieberman’s “Fixer,” Josh Isay

Caroline Kennedy Hires Joe Lieberman’s “Fixer,” Josh Isay
By: Jane Hamsher Tuesday December 16, 2008 7:01 am

In her first move after announcing that she would like to be appointed to the New York Senate seat, Caroline Kennedy has hired "major Democratic fixer Josh Isay."
Isay did the honors for Joe Lieberman during his general election race against Ned Lamont, after Lieberman withdrew from the Democratic party and ran as a member of the "Connecticut for Lieberman" party

Of course, at the time Lieberman was getting hammered in the polls by Lamont, and needed to quickly change his rhetoric or risk a loss in Connecticut where the anti-war sentiment was strong.

The month after he was re-elected to the Senate, Lieberman called for an immediate increase of 15,000-30,000 troops.

Isay's ads were critical in deceiving voters and paving the way for Lieberman's reelection. Now that it's clear where Lieberman really stands, Daily Kos polling indicates Lamont would overwhelmingly defeat Lieberman.

It's telling that Caroline Kennedy has never wanted to run for office, and never thought to put her case before the public when she decided she wanted this job. Her first move was to pick up the phone and start working the elites, then hire a political fixer whose specialty is deceiving voters:Text

http://firedoglake.com/2008/12/16/caroline-kennedy-hires-joe-liebermans-fixer-josh-isay/

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Kennedy hires insider to soothe critics
By BEN SMITH & GLENN THRUSH | 12/15/08 7:19 PM EST

Caroline Kennedy.
She’s made her ambitions known and hired one of New York’s top political consultants to gain some altitude.

Caroline Kennedy’s trial balloon candidacy for Hillary Rodham Clinton’s Senate seat was springing a few leaks over the past few days — so she’s made her ambitions more explicit and hired one of New York’s top political consultants to gain some altitude.

After a week of coy courtship and low-key feelers, Kennedy began working the phones in earnest Monday — and signed up major Democratic fixer Josh Isay, who has deep connections to New York powerhouses Sen. Charles Schumer, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the Rev. Al Sharpton.

Kennedy spoke with Sharpton on Monday, and he said he told her about another “lady that wanted to run for U.S. Senate came to Harlem, to the House of Justice, and they told me she wasn’t qualified; they told me she was just there because of who she was married to — and that was Hillary Clinton.”

Sharpton said Kennedy chuckled.

Monday’s outreach efforts came as the 51-year-old former first daughter had begun to receive withering criticism about her lack of political experience.

“She had to work to undo the buzz for the last week — New Yorkers were starting to say, ‘We don’t know her,’ ‘She’s got no experience,’ ‘She’s presumptuous,’” said a top New York Democrat, speaking on condition of anonymity.Text