If you’d just come down from planet Mars and saw the image of this foursome, you wouldn’t need to know the language to know the story: it would be quite clear who’s in charge. What’s not as clear from the picture is who owes (and owed) whom in the great world of politics that they inhabit. But I bet if the Martian had to guess, he (or she) would get it ... Well, who do you think?
Mrs. Gillibrand is not a newcomer to Mrs. Clinton’s orbit. The now former Senator had been a supporter in Gillibrand’s campaign for Congress and vice-versa ever since the new Senator demonstrated her capacity for hard work as the woman she is succeeding.
Meanwhile the trip back to New York for Caroline Kennedy after the Inauguration in Washington was evidently less than relaxing for the once-thought-to-be political heiress. The one-time Senate possible appointee was reported to have been on her cell, very “agitated’ about something.
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| Ms. Kennedy and her husband Mr. Schlossberg |
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There remain all kinds of theories over how Ms. Kennedy lost out on what to many looked to be a sure thing. The most sensational rumor now given publicly as one of the “reasons” why she was passed up by the governor, was an alleged relationship with Times publisher and scion Arthur O. Sulzberger Jr. who is often referred to in the press as “Pinch” (Sulzberger Sr.’s nickname is “Punch”). Mr. Sulzberger recently left his wife and marriage also.
This rumor is not new. It’s been a topic of discussion for many months now. There have been two blind items about it for the discerning reader in the NYSD.
True or false, Ms. Kennedy and her husband Mr. Schlossberg have still been seen out socially at dinner parties and a deux or with family at local restaurants very often, looking quite copasetic, as they say. In fact Mr. Schlossberg has been observed to be looking quite attentive to his wife. In other words, they don’t look like a couple who are having marital problems. Although who knows.
There are others, astute observers of the passing parade who believe the real reason Ms. Kennedy did not make the cut was two fold. One, her public performance “campaigning” was just plain lousy. Her manner of articulating her thoughts ran dramatically counter to the enormously positive public image life has bestowed on this very attractive woman.
“And then she opened her mouth,” dispelling thousands upon thousands of words a lifetime of pictures had spoken for her.
While this was very damaging to her almost fairytale public image, altering it forever, “astute observers” also believe the decisive reason she was passed over was because she made “fatal” errors in her political coming-out. She did not know how to play the game; and in the end she was aced out by someone who did. Or I should say, “someones” who did. And do. And will continue to. As it should be.
Meanwhile, Merrill Lynch’s now erstwhile leader John Thain is the man of the hour thanks to his $1.2 million dollar executive office décor – a job accomplished by Michael Smith, the West Coast interior designer who has now been chosen to freshen up the private quarters in the Obama White House.
Mr. Thain and his wife are naturally acquisitive when it comes to luxurious living. A couple of years ago they bought a two bedroom apartment at 740 Park Avenue for $27 million – a record for a two bedroom jobbie, and spent another year (and no doubt a small fortune) renovating, refurbishing, furnishing the place. The Thains have taste and have a reputation for achieving it, with money apparently being no object.
Whatever they spent and however they spent it, it is a drop in the bucket to the billions in bonuses that were awarded this year by Mr. Thain to his underlings/ employees/associates at Merrill Lynch. Merrill Lynch reported a loss for the first nine months of 2008 of almost $12 billion. That’s okay, they have a rich uncle named Sam, who coincidentally is the same uncle supported by the American taxpayer.
Mr. Thain had been brought into the job a little more than year ago as a “Mr. Fixit” to turn around the failing, once-proud brokerage firm and investment bank. He had been co-president of Goldman Sachs and then head of the New York Stock Exchange where he had been hired to restore its public image after Richard Grasso collected a centimillion dollar salary and bonus for his executive services. The White Knight.
Also this past week, the WSJ revealed that only last November Bernie Madoff was pitching his fund to the very rich investment banker and backer of Home Depot Ken Langone for a potential $500 million investment. The possible bonanza went awry, according to the report because Mr. Langone smelled something fishy. Or a rat. So the cards fell where they might have for Bernie and the rest is history. |
