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Clinton juggles campaign, Senate duties

By David Freedlander, amNewYork Staff Writer
More stories | dfreedlander@am-ny.com

February 15, 2008

Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., listens to a family tell their story during a campaign stop at the Fair River Oaks Council in Dayton, Ohio, Thursday, Feb. 14, 2008. (Carolyn Kaster, Associated Press / February 14, 2008)

With Hillary Clinton stumping around the country on a presidential run that has already gone on longer than any other in history, some New Yorkers may be wondering how the city's interests are faring in the Capitol with one less senator around.

While her voting attendance record has taken a hit, her supporters say she's doing just fine, thank you.

"She is a very capable person, and she is more than capable of doing two things at once," said fellow New York senator, Charles Schumer. "She is doing just as she has always done, delivering for the people of New York."

Clinton's dozens of staffers say they haven't allowed dreams of the White House to distract them. In fact, they find themselves working harder on constituent issues while she's stumping.

"Senator Clinton is committed to working on the issues that are important to her constituents throughout New York ... and continues to work as hard for them today as she did on the day she took office," said Christina Falvo, the senator's state director.

Falvo noted that Clinton lobbied in Washington on behalf of Starrett City residents to keep their homes affordable, helped acquire federal aid for victims of last summer's tornado in Brooklyn, and has been working closely with 9/11 workers and victim's families.

Clinton, however, has missed a quarter of the votes of the 110th Congress (2007 through 2008) according to an analysis by the Washington Post. That accounts for more missed votes than more than 90 percent of her colleagues.

She has been criticized by some for missing out on a few hot button votes over the past year, including the confirmation of attorney general Michael Mukasey, the recently passed economic stimulus package, and this week, the stripping of immunity from telecom firms that helped the government tap phone calls.

Her chief rival for the Democratic nomination, Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, has missed even more votes - about a third - in the 110th Congress, though he has made it to four times as many votes as she did in the last month.

"There are only so many hours in the day, and you have to wonder if someone is on the road campaigning and fundraising how they can do the job which they are paid to do," said Susan Lerner, executive director of the New York office for Common Cause. "Who is your constituency if you are running for higher office? Once Hillary started running for president you could argue that she began weighing her votes in different ways."

Sometimes those who public officials are elected to serve find that they can't get a fair hearing when their local pol has an eye on a higher office.

"I don't know of any private industry which would pay someone to take time away from their job to solicit another one," said Tony Nunziato, a Middle Village civic activist who has been trying to get his congressman, Rep. Anthony Weiner, to help in efforts to save the rapidly deteriorating St. Savior's Church in Maspeth. He said Weiner's focus on an upcoming mayoral run and Clinton's on the presidency has meant that neighborhood concerns fall on deaf ears.

"They are focusing on going and raising money for future endeavors when they have a full-time job and should be focusing on the things the people who elected them need," Nunziato said.

Weiner did not return several phone calls seeking comment.

Some government analysts noted that it is simply a quirk of the American political system that allows, or rather, makes it necessary, for politicos to hold one job while they stump for another.

"The reality is we don't give politicians a pause where we say, 'we'll give you a sabbatical for two years while you go seek higher office,'" said Steve Jarding, a lecturer in public policy at the Kennedy School of Government. "In reality, it's just not possible to balance the two. Most political figures are essentially asking the electorate for understanding."

Regardless, by the time the presidential race is over, it is unlikely to matter how good of a senator Clinton or Obama were.

"If she loses \[the presidency\] then, yeah, missing votes and that kind of thing is something her opponent could use against her the next time she runs for the Senate," said former Mayor Ed Koch, who ran for mayor while serving in Congress. "And if she wins, what difference will it make?"