Caroline Kennedy Remembers Great Uncle Teddy

Ted Kennedy turned family reunions into family history trips. Caroline recalls all the trips they went on. He loved to tell the story of the Midnight Ride of Paul Revere.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Caroline Kennedy Does Weird Interview

Caroline did a Q&A with Politico through a spokesman. She shouldn't have done an interview like this. I could've answered the questions better for her.
She never really answers the questions and the ones she does, are answers we already knew, like her stance on the Iraq war, and it just looks silly to answer through a spokesman. What kind of answer is this? "At this time, Caroline does not have a specific plan to fix New York's financial services industry."

QUESTION 2: Same-sex marriage. Do you support the right of gay and lesbian couples to marry? Do you think it's appropriate that Rick Warren, who campaigned to ban gay marriage, is delivering the invocation at Obama's inauguration? If not, have you expressed that to the president-elect?

ANSWER: "Caroline supports full equality and marriage rights for gay and lesbian couples."

QUESTION 3: Do you think Senator Schumer made a mistake when he successfully pushed to have the Glass-Steagall Act repealed, breaking down barriers between securities firms and banks? What priorities would you set for restructuring New York's financial services industry? And which of the current financial regulatory plans would you support?

ANSWER: "At this time, Caroline does not have a specific plan to fix New York's financial services industry. But, if selected, she will work with President Elect Obama, Sen. Chuck Schumer and Sen. Chris Dodd to pass laws that protect investors and working families across New York and the country."

QUESTION 4: Governor Paterson has promised to deal with New York's deficit by cutting services and other spending, and promised not to impose any income tax increases, even on the wealthy. Do you think he was right to rule out a tax hike?

ANSWER: "Based on what she's read about the budget released a few days ago, Caroline believes that Governor Paterson's budget appropriately includes both revenue increases and budget cuts while still protecting the most vulnerable. On the issue of where to cut or what revenue to increase, she leaves that up to the governor and the legislature. Governor Paterson was one of the first elected officials in the nation to sound the alarm about our fiscal crisis and he has led the charge to get Washington to give aid to the New York because we have been hit so hard by the financial meltdown."

QUESTION 5: Did you support or oppose the war at the time of the Oct. 2002 resolution authorizing the use of force? Is there any way to document your stance? Did you say anything public, or participate in any anti-war demonstrations? And, do you now think that 16 months is a reasonable timeline for getting American combat troops out of Iraq?

ANSWER: "Caroline opposed the war in Iraq from the beginning. She supports President-Elect Obama's plan to work with our military leaders to begin a responsible withdrawal."
Read more.

Obama Says White House Will Become The People's House

First, Obama will hold a press conference today at 11 am announcing Eric Shinseki as his choice to head veterans affairs. 

Also, on Meet the Press this morning, amid all the economic and foreign policy talk, Obama said the White House is really the people's house and he's going to make it more open. Local school children are going to visit and he's going to invite all kinds of artists, poets, musicians and scientists to be a part. It's refreshing to have a president who values art and culture and science. 
Video below:

Wash Times: Mr. Obama, speaking on NBC's "Meet the Press," outlined for the first time a way to showcase the "tapestry that is America."

"We want to invite kids from local schools into the White House," he said. He said he wants the White House to be a forum for "elevating science once again and having lectures in the White House -- traveling to the stars or breaking down atoms, inspiring our youth."

He said he would like to invite jazz and classical musicians and have poetry readings in the White House.

"Our art and our culture, our science -- that's the essence of what makes America special, and we want to project that as much as possible when we're in the White House," he said.

He said he and his wife, Michelle Obama, want to "open up the White House and remind people this is the people's house."

Tom Brokaw officially announced an under the weather David Gregory as the new moderator for Meet the Press.
Also on MTP, Obama vowed tough financial regulations:

Reuters: President-elect Barack Obama said on Sunday he would put strong new financial regulation at the center of his economic recovery program to force more accountability on the banking industry.

Obama again warned that the U.S. economic crisis, which saw the country lose more than half a million jobs in November alone, would worsen before it gets better.

"As part of our economic recovery package what you will see coming out of my administration, right at the center, is a strong set of financial regulations," Obama said in a taped appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press" television show.

"Banks, ratings agencies, mortgage brokers, a whole bunch of folks (will) start having to be much more accountable and behave much more responsibly.

"We've got to have transparency, openness, fair dealing in our financial markets and that's an area where I think over the last eight years we've fallen short."

Obama also said there should be a new era of shared wins and losses. As CEOs are laying off people, they ought to be cutting their $25 million salaries. Of course that can't be legislated but Obama saying it sets a bar.

Obama beamed when Brokaw mentioned that Caroline Kennedy might be interested Hillary's Senate seat in New York but he said he didn't want to get involved in NY politics. 

Meet the Press transcript.

Obama won't allow auto companies to go down:

On international terror

Obama reiterates direct diplomacy with Iran

Obama Transition Staff Chart?

Check out this hierarchy chart from an unknown source. US News and World Report posted it. Al Gore is listed as Climate Czar. Colin Powell shows up as a potential cabinet member in a few spots. Caroline Kennedy is listed as a possible candidate under UN Ambassador. So is Susan Rice. Howard Dean is under Health and Human Services.
Who knows if it's a real working chart, though.
Obama's transition to cost $12 million:

Swamp: President-elect Barack Obama's transition planning will run about $12 million and employ 450 people.

"We recognize that we have only one president at a time,'' said John Podesta, Obama's co-chairman for transition planning, in a press briefing taking place now in Washington. "But President-elect Obama wants to ensure that we hit the ground running.''

Obama also will set new ethics standards, demanding that no one who enters his administration had worked as lobbyists for at least two years prior: "He wants to have the toughest rules that are going to stop the revolving door in Washington.''

Caroline Kennedy Staying in Politics

"Whatever I can do to help I'm right there," she told Tom Brokaw on Meet the Press.

Caroline Kennedy and Eric Holder vetted the vice president pool for Obama. She said she came away even more impressed with Obama, the way he listened and brought people together. She also said she was pleased with the quality of people in public service.

She blew off the question of Hillary-- whether Hillary was considered.
I ask, why should Hillary have been considered? She never got over herself.
Brokaw asked Kennedy about McCain's new ad that has Biden saying, during the primaries, that Obama wasn't ready.

She said it proves that Obama has the confidence and judgement to pick someone like Joe Biden, who knows and has worked with McCain.
There are serious problems to be solved, she said.

Brokaw asked: Would you take on a role in Washington, perhaps on education?
"I don't think there is a more important cause."
More on Kennedy's thoughts on the process at NYT

Biden's Strengths

Milwaukee office opens

First, nice job Caroline Kennedy and Eric Holder.
The selection of Joe Biden was pragmatic and smart. As far as change, it's right on the money.

Contrary to the rattling of some (but few) pundits who say Biden doesn't represent change, he's perfect change. Biden is a contrast, yet a complement to Obama.

The choice of Biden says Obama puts governing first and foremost is serious about getting stuff done.

NYT: Chief among Mr. Biden’s strengths is his familiarity with foreign policy and national security issues, highlighted just this past weekend with the invitation he received from the embattled president of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili, to visit Georgia in the midst of its tense faceoff with Russia. From the moment he dropped out of the presidential race, he had been mentioned as a potential Secretary of State should either Mr. Obama or Mrs. Clinton win the election.

He is also something of a fixture in Washington, and would bring to the campaign — and the White House — a familiarity with the way the city and Congress works that Mr. Obama cannot match after his relatively short stint in Washington.

At 65, Mr. Biden adds a few years and gray hair to a ticket that otherwise might seem a bit young (Mr. Obama is 47). He is, as Mr. Obama’s advisers were quick to argue, someone who appears by every measure prepared to take over as president, setting a standard that appears intended to at least somewhat hamstring Mr. McCain should he be tempted to go for a more adventurous choice for No. 2.

TIME: But in the end, Obama picked him for the simplest of reasons: The six-term Senator from Delaware is strongest in areas where the freshman from Illinois is weakest. Biden's tenure in the Senate, his foreign policy expertise, his religion, and his suburban middle-class background, all fill gaps in Obama's own presidential profile.
Most of all, where Obama is reserved and cautious in a political knife-fight, Biden comes out swinging. Tapping Biden is a signal that the Obama campaign is ready for a battle — and to take the risks that come with it.
Biden's experience is his biggest asset. His 36 years in the Senate have earned him chairmanships of the Judiciary and Foreign Relations committees, positions he has used to establish himself as a familiar and respected, if partisan, spokesman for the Democrats on everything from Supreme Court appointments to complex national security issues during and after the Cold War. Obama's lack of comparable experience has him trailing John McCain by as much as 15 points on some foreign policy issues; if a vice-presidential pick can offset voters' concerns on those issues, Biden's resume should help.

NY Post: His ability to steal center stage during any hearing has made him unrivaled for grating on fellow lawmakers' nerves.
He makes his point - often two or three times - quite bluntly, but always colorfully and memorably. And it's usually Biden who makes the evening news and the next day's papers.
His refreshingly unguarded bluntness also has been the source of some of the worst headaches in his latest failed attempt at the Democratic nomination.
In just the last primary alone, Biden's wild mouth managed to run him afoul of Indians, 7-Eleven clerks and African-Americans.
"You cannot go to a 7-Eleven or a Dunkin' Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent. I'm not joking," he said with a C-SPAN camera just inches from his unbridled mouth.
Just a few months after apologizing his way out of that one, he "complimented" Obama and at the same time revealed a comically cliched and antiquated take on race in America.
"I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy," he enthused. "I mean, that's a storybook, man."
Obama's response to Biden's slur wasn't typical. It showed the class that has made him a transformational candidate capable of breaking through previously unbreakable barriers.
"He called me," Obama told reporters. "I told him it wasn't necessary. We have got more important things to worry about. We have got Iraq. We have got health care. We have got energy. This is low on the list."

MSNBC's Chuck Todd: As chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, he has plenty of foreign policy experience -- something viewed as a weakness for Obama. Also, Biden’s most recent presidential bid raised his national profile, making him a politico whom most Americans know, which could help reassure some voters who have doubts about Obama. In addition, whether it has been in recent speeches or on Meet the Press, Biden has showed that he’s up to this veep responsibility: whacking the opposition. What’s more, during his presidential bid in ’07-’08, Biden demonstrated that he’s a very good debater, a quality the Democrats might want to showcase during the vice presidential debate scheduled for October 2. And electorally, Biden could help lock down Pennsylvania, as well as connect better than Obama has in blue-collar Michigan and the "U" of Ohio (Toledo to Youngstown). A few more thoughts… Biden is someone that will play well with older white voters, a demographic group Obama's struggled with, and he’s very popular with labor and trial lawyers, which while helpful financially for Obama and in the Rust Belt, could fire up the business community even more for McCain.

WaPo's just-the-facts of Biden

More Obama Vice President Clues

The announcement could come as late as the weekend, says his peeps, which doesn't really say anything at all. That's just a tease. I'm rolling with Joe Biden for today.

Politico: “I just get the sense with Obama that he has a clear set of priorities in his own mind that have nothing to do with ups-and-downs of the campaign,” said Democratic consultant Dan Gerstein, who thinks Obama’s focus on generational change doesn’t preclude his picking an older, more seasoned running mate.

“It won’t be dictated by age,” Gerstein speculated. “He doesn’t need someone who is young, but it’s got to be someone who is not part of the baby boom, partisan culture wars" of the past two decades.

At the same time, though, Obama has a more immediate concern: reassuring voters who might cast ballots for him — such as older working-class white Democrats, independents and some Republicans — but who have thus far remained skeptical of his candidacy, that he is a safe, acceptable choice.

“The vice presidential pick is always more about telling voters what kind of a potential president the nominee will be, and it’s even more important for Obama than it has been for past nominees,” said Chris Lehane, a Democratic consultant. “Obama's central challenge in this election is to make a certain group of voters comfortable with him in terms of who he is as it relates to being able to do the job. And the vice presidential pick — along with the convention and debates — stands as one of the three tent-foundation events in the general [election] to connect with voters about who he is.”

All the people on the shortlist, aren't necessarily on Obama's shortlist. The only person known to be vetted is Chris Dodd. Hagel's most certainly out. He said he wasn't attending either convention. Caroline Kennedy and Eric Holder have done a great job at keeping the process under wraps:

Despite a steady drone of speculation, little is actually known about Obama’s considerations. Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd is the only aspirant to confirm he’s being vetted by Obama’s search team, led by Caroline Kennedy and Eric Holder. Kaine has told associates he’s being vetted but has not publicly confirmed it. Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius at first denied it, then ceased denying it — which was seized on as evidence that she is being considered. Biden and Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh have declined to comment on whether they’re being vetted, but both are widely thought to be under consideration.

Two Republicans who are close to Obama, Indiana Sen. Dick Lugar and Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel, have also been mentioned, and Lugar — whom Obama cited along with Nunn at the nationally televised candidates forum on Saturday as someone whose counsel he would value if elected president — drew attention on CNN on Sunday by defending Obama against attacks from Connecticut Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman. Read more.

Tim Kaine High On Obama Vice President List

Update 7-29: CNN throws in it's two cents. 

So does Newsweek.

What Tim Kaine, the harmonica-playing, bilingual governor, has to say about Obama.

Also, all these mumblings that Obama needs a military veep, what's to stop Obama from announcing cabinet members, which include military types? Maybe he'll announce his vice president and.... Obama may not have military experience but he's strong on foreign policy (never mind what the media says), so I suspect his veep won't necessarily have military experience either. 

Politico: As Senator Barack Obama turns to the choice of his running mate, Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine has emerged as one of the campaign’s potential finalists, sources familiar with conversations in Richmond and in Chicago said.

Kaine, an early Obama supporter whose biography nicely dovetails with the Illinois senator’s, "ranks very, very high on the short list," said a source who has spoken recently to senior Obama aides about Kaine.

Kaine "is getting a critical examination," the source said.

The 50-year-old Virginia governor is among a handful of logical, and much-discussed, choices to join Obama on the campaign trail. Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, former Georgia Sen. Sam Nunn and Delaware Senator Joe Biden are among others frequently mentioned.

Obama and his top advisers met Monday afternoon at the Washington, D.C., law office of Eric Holder, one of the leaders of his vice presidential vetting team.

More from WaPo:

Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine has told close associates that he has had "very serious" conversations with Sen. Barack Obama about joining the Democratic presidential ticket and has provided documents to the campaign as it combs through his background, according to several sources close to Kaine.

Obama has revealed little about which way he is leaning. And despite rising anticipation that a decision is imminent, campaign officials said an announcement is likely in mid-August, shortly before the Democratic National Convention. Obama's top aides, David Plouffe and David Axelrod, huddled yesterday in the Washington office of Eric Holder, who along with Caroline Kennedy is vetting potential running mates.

Although rumors have circulated about former military leaders and other nontraditional contenders, including Republicans, Obama's pool of prospects is heavy on longtime senators with foreign policy experience. Kaine and Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius are the only state leaders believed to be under serious consideration, sources close to Obama said.

Obama Veeps Down to Six Choices

And Caroline Kennedy, who has been shaping that shortlist, intends to stay on with Obama after her work vetting vice presidential candidates. The once private Kennedy has now been inspired into a political career.

WSJ: Ms. Kennedy and former Justice Department official Eric Holder, co-heads of the search committee, recently completed extensive meetings with Democratic lawmakers and others to discuss possible vice-presidential candidates. They have helped Sen. Obama to winnow the list of potential running mates to about a half dozen, campaign officials say. (Please see related article on Page 10.)

Ms. Kennedy and her team are no longer seeking input from outsiders; they are now working closely with Sen. Obama as he moves toward making his choice. And they don't discuss the selection process on the phone, because Sen. Obama is "never alone, even in the car, now," says one campaign aide.

The committee has tried hard to keep its deliberations secret. Ms. Kennedy declined to be interviewed. Many of the people with whom she's met won't talk about the substance of the conversations.

When the search process draws to a close, Ms. Kennedy will continue working on Sen. Obama's behalf, campaign officials say. Her increasing visibility in the campaign has sparked speculation that Ms. Kennedy, who strived for years to avoid the limelight, may have a political future of her own.
.....

When the presidential race got rolling last year, Ms. Kennedy began taking her children to events -- for both Sen. Obama and Sen. Hillary Clinton. Ms. Kennedy and Sen. Clinton were on friendly terms, according to one Clinton campaign aide. Ms. Kennedy wasn't expected to weigh in during the primary contests.

But her children expressed a strong preference for Sen. Obama, which had an impact, according to several of her friends. Her elder daughter was in college, her second daughter was in her last year of high school, and her son was a few years younger. "The timing was perfect for her to get more involved," says one of those friends. "And her children inspired her." Read the whole thing -- it's interesting.

Obama Vice President Ann Veneman?

Update 7-29: Tim Kaine? 

Update 7-27: Obama's choices narrowed to about six. 

Republican Ann Veneman, who was agriculture secretary for Bush's first-term cabinet.

Politico: The search committee, now led by Caroline Kennedy and Eric Holder, raised Veneman's name — among others — in discussions with members of Congress, said two Democrats familiar with the conversations.

The mention of Veneman's name surprised Democratic lawmakers. The low-profile Republican was close to food and agriculture industries but clashed with farm-state Democrats and environmentalists during her tenure, which lasted from 2001 to 2004.

But Veneman, 59, has a biography that could be suited to Obama's unifying message. A Republican raised on a California peach farm, she rose to become the nation’s first female agriculture secretary. In 2002 she was diagnosed with breast cancer, which was treated successfully. Today she serves as executive director of the United Nations children's agency UNICEF.

The selection of a Republican could bolster Obama's unifying message, a Capitol Hill Democrat familiar with the discussion said.

Obama, Hillary and Caroline Fly Away

As MNSBC points out, Caroline is the veep vetter:

Democrat Barack Obama and his former rival, Hillary Rodham Clinton, flew to New York on Wednesday along with his vice presidential searcher Caroline Kennedy.

Clinton, mentioned as a possible running mate, and Obama were to appear together at two fundraisers there Wednesday night.

The flight came on a day in which Obama touched off new speculation about his choice of a running mate by making an unannounced morning stop at the downtown building where another member of his vice presidential search team, Eric Holder, works.

I hope they make nice.
No rush to make a choice.

Kennedy on Obama's Vice Pres Search Team

Barack Obama named a three-person team including Caroline Kennedy to lead his search for a running mate Wednesday while expressing confidence that the Democratic Party would soon unify after a bruising battle for the presidential nomination.

"I'm very confident of how we're going to be able to bring the party together," Obama said after a brief conversation with Hillary Rodham Clinton, his vanquished rival.

Campaign officials said Kennedy, who is the daughter of the late President John F. Kennedy, as well as former Deputy Attorney General Eric Holder and longtime Washington insider Jim Johnson have already begun compiling information on potential running mates. They disclosed no names.
more

Pittsburgh Rally Video

for those of us on pins and needles today, here are 10,000 people chanting yes we can.

Casey, Caroline and Obama Sunday Rally

update: see the video and the story here
i'm going to make some calls to pennsylvania today. you?

this will be live streamed at cnn.com -- town hall event in reading streaming now!
On Track for Change Rally with Barack Obama in Scranton
Join Barack Obama, Senator Bob Casey, and Caroline Kennedy at an On Track for Change Rally in Scranton this Sunday, April 20th. Below are the details for this event:

On Track for Change Rally in Scranton
with Barack Obama, Senator Bob Casey, and Caroline Kennedy

Riverfront Sports Complex
5 West Olive Plaza
Scranton, PA 18508

Sunday, April 20, 2008
Gates Open: 5:00 p.m.
Program Begins: 7:00 p.m.

The event is free and open to the public; tickets are not required but an RSVP is encouraged. Space is available on a first come, first served basis. Please RSVP using the form to the right.

For security reasons, do not bring bags and please limit personal items. No signs or banners permitted.

Join Barack Obama at an Town Hall in Reading on Sunday, April 20thth.

On Track for Change Town Hall with Barack Obama
Reading High School
801 N. 13th St
Reading, PA 19604

Sunday, April 20th
Doors Open: 10:30 a.m.
Program Begins: 12:20 p.m.

The event is free and open to the public; however, seating is limited and tickets are required. Admission is first-come, first-served.

For security reasons, do not bring bags. Please limit personal belongings. No signs or banners permitted.

Robert De Niro Backs Obama Video

all around funny analysis.
Imagine President Obama
come on people, now you have a reason to vote obama

As the crowd at the Meadowlands awaited Mr. Obama’s arrival, Mr. De Niro made a surprise appearance and received a thunderous welcome. Mr. De Niro said he’d never before made a political speech, and the actor made a special appeal to the young people and first-time voters, saying that Mr. Obama gave them someone to gather behind.
“You wanted to vote, you just didn’t have anyone to vote for,” he said. ” Well you know what? I felt the same way. Until now.”
Mr. De Niro introduced Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts; his niece Caroline Kennedy, the daughter of President John F. Kennedy; and Mr. Obama, who were greeted with raucous applause by the crowd, which had grown to about 3,000 by the time the candidate began his speech.

de niro uses sarcasm to make his point.

Rally at UCLA Photo

the place looks packed
story in la times.

California Democrat Registrations Up

that's according to the liberalOC. i didn't know we had those kinds here.
they also say that republican registration is down.
this is exciting and good news for obama.

Rally with Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey, and Caroline Kennedy
Sunday, February 3
Pauley Pavilion
UCLA
301 Westwood Plaza
Los Angeles, CA 90095
Doors Open: 11:30AM
The event is open to the public but an RSVP is strongly encouraged. Space is available on a first-come, first-served basis.