Gov. David Paterson blames calls for him to step aside on race

[Cash_thatswhatiwant]

ALBANY - Gov. Paterson blamed a racist media Friday for trying to push him out of next year's election - launching into an angry rant that left even some black Democrats shaking their heads.

"The whole idea is to get me not to run in the primary," Paterson complained on a morning radio show hosted by Daily News columnist Errol Louis.

He suggested that Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, the country's only other African-American governor, also is under fire because of his race.

"We're not in the post-racial period," Paterson said.

"The reality is the next victim on the list - and you can see it coming - is President Barack Obama, who did nothing more than trying to reform a health care system."

Paterson said the campaign against him is being "orchestrated" by reporters who would rather make the news than report it.

But critics said the governor should blame his own blunders.

"He's given the media more than enough to feed on with the incompetence shown in his administration," said state Sen. Kevin Parker (D-Brooklyn), an African-American.

"To quote Michael Jackson, he should start with the man in the mirror," Parker said.

Even state Sen. Bill Perkins (D-Harlem), a black supporter of the governor, urged him to be more like Obama by staying "focused on the message."

Paterson has been the target of Democrats who fear his low approval ratings - 18% at their lowest and about 30% now - will endanger the party next year if he decides to run for his first full term as governor.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2009/08/21/2009-08-21_g...

[Smarmie Doofus]

1. Not sure if it's race, but he *has* received relentlessly bad media coverage.

So far I've not heard a persuasive argument from DEMs for ditching Paterson.

He's cut services. (They've *all* cut services.)

He was mean to Caroline Kennedy. ( Stop; yer killing me.)

Re . media overage:

>>>Even state Sen. Bill Perkins (D-Harlem), a black supporter of the governor, urged him to be more like Obama by staying "focused on the message.">>>>

Objective reportage does not generally include paragraphs that start with the word "Even". That's commentary, thinly ( and poorly) disguised as reportage.

80% or so seem to want him replaced as governor, if the surveys can be trusted. I suspect fewer than 20% of the 80% would be able to tell you *why*.

[democracy1st]

2. its not race dumb ass quit making excuses for your bs failings

[saltpoint]

3. This is a pretty dumb move by Paterson. He's already on his political

death bed and now he's taunting the treatment team.

Paterson does not appear to enjoy the support of a huge majority of voters in his state. His polling numbers are unelectably low owing to the perception by that majority that he is not the best guy for the job.

[baldguy]

4. He has been subject to the standard double standard.

He's just as ineffectual as Pataki was, but without the stupid policies & obsequious kowtowing to his national party. Of course, the same local media who bent over backwards to praise Pataki either go out of their way to criticize Paterson, or totally ignore him. It may be because he's black; it may just be because he's a Democrat.

[stray cat]

5. So now he calls constituents who disagree with him racists - that should endear him

[Solomon]

6. There you guys go again with this shit.

Yeah. I really believe that. That he calls anybody who disagrees with him a racist.

I wish you guys would just get off it sometimes. It's old.

[ecstatic]

7. Patterson was doomed the moment he (and his wife) opened up about past affairs

It kind of turned things into a circus. I don't know the specifics of what he is doing in NY, but it does seem like all he gets is negative press, even though he is trying to secure equal rights for all.

And since he's headed out the door anyway, I'm glad he told it like it is. People don't like to hear the truth. Yes, I cringed when I first read the headline but I believe the Gov. may be on to something.

I have no idea what's going on with Gov. Kilpatrick but I know most of the attacks on Pres. Obama are coming from racist sources!!!

[saltpoint]

8. It would be great to hear from New York State DUers on the

likelihood of Paterson's survival in his present job.

The impresson I'm getting is that the polling is overwhelmingly discouraging for him in a Democratic primary generally and against Andrew Cuomo especially.

[Igel]

9. Oddly, his saying it's so makes it so.

"We're not in the post-racial period" becomes not an observation, but a speech act making this not a post-racial period.

He's flubbed things up. Lots of repubs have, too, and yet while he's done some things 'right' he's also screwed up. As a newbie, he might be allowed this; but he's done it egregiously, and he's not really a newbie.

He's played and he's lost. So, yes, "The whole idea is to get me not to run in the primary." Not because people don't want a vision-impaired high-skin-melanin person in the governor's chair, but because they won't want him it in. In some cases, they want somebody with (R) after his/her name, anybody with a (D) need not apply--his race may make it worse, but for the most part that's beside the point. In other cases, want somebody with a (D) after their name in that seat, and figure that "Paterson (D)" cannot be that name, so why run him?

It doesn't help that he can't muster any good will even for members of his own party. If they're not with him, they're against him--because they're racist. Eh. And again, Eh.

[WI_DEM]

10. That polls indicate he can't win may have something to do with it

politicians may also call for white dems who have low poll numbers not to run again too.

[Curtland1015]

11. NY State DUer here... Patterson has done a pretty lousy job.

I like the guy, personally, and he had the bad luck to inherit this job at a bad time.

That said, he's shown next to no REAL leadership skills. The Republican "take over" of the state senate being the most recent situation.

He seems like a nice enough guy, but I don't know if he's cut out for the job he was given. Nothing at ALL to do with race.