Why did Caroline Kennedy decide to withdraw her bid for the New York Senate seat?

Answer 1

Why did Caroline Kennedy withdraw from consideration for Hilary Clinton's US Senate seat? Kennedy's own explanation was simple - "personal reasons." Not very helpful. Speculation about this question is still rampant, two weeks after the story broke (2/6/09). There are five plausible explanations. First, she withdrew because of some embarrassing personal information. Nannygate. Unpaid taxes. Imminent divorce. Mental instability. Those explanations seem unlikely. She's smart enough, and had enough expert advice that she wouldn't have made the bid, if something like that was lurking. Second, she withdrew because of Ted Kennedy's illness. Even less likely. His illness was revealed several months ago, and has not worsened significantly lately. Again, she would not have made the bid, had that been an issue. Third, she was told by the Governor's people that she was not going to be picked, and was allowed to withdraw to save face. Unlikely, since if that were the case, they would certainly have choreographed the announcement better. The governor's office would not have described her actions in such unflattering terms. Everyone would have been polite and apologetic and regretful. Fourth, she realized she had blown it, by campaigning so clumsily, and that she was out of the running, so she withdrew to avoid embarrassment. Quite possible. Her campaign was REALLY clumsy, and betrayed a degree of political naïveté and ineptness that would have made it difficult for her to campaign for re-election. This is paradoxical, as she campaigned quite successfully for Obama. Moreover, the consensus among political insiders is that she could have been quite successful in the Senate, where her intelligence, wit, and name would have been persuasive. But her campaigning for Obama was risk-free, and on her own terms, therefore far less stressful and challenging. Fifth, she realized (belatedly) that she did not want to give up her life of luxury and leisure. This is the theory advanced by a New Yorker article in the 2/2/09 issue, supported by input from a close friend and colleague of Caroline's. Given what the article also says about Caroline's zero tolerance for friends who talk about her without permission, one has to conclude either that the statements from the friend were authorized by Caroline, or the friend decided she valued public notoriety more than Caroline's friendship. If the latter is the case, then this explanation could be true. If the former is the case, then we still don't know for sure, as this could be simply a fabrication to conceal the truth. I think the truth is a combination of four and five. She blew it, partly because her heart wasn't really in it. She saw the opportunity, realized it might never come again, was interested, but didn't have time to think it through, took the leap, performed poorly because she started to realize she had made a mistake, and finally withdrew because she knew it was the wrong choice, and it looked like she would not be chosen. By the way, did you see Dave Letterman's tirade about this? Was that sycophantic, or what?