NY Gov. David Paterson: The Racists Want Me Out
Here in the Empire State, Governor David Paterson is in trouble and there’s no two ways about it. Though his approval numbers have actually rebounded a bit lately, the upward trend still leaves him hovering in the neighborhood of 30 after hitting a low of 18 earlier this year. (Maybe he should run for Congress instead? Those sorts of approval numbers are par for the course there.) And in a way, you almost have to feel sorry for the Governor. Much of the tide he’s fighting was not of his own making.
He arrived on the heels of Eliot Spitzer’s resignation, a story we already know all too well, and it left a shadow on his own administration from day one. Also, he managed to arrive just when an already sour economy headed south in a big way and the perpetually deadlocked state legislature continued to paint the budget with red ink. In a desperate effort to turn things around, Paterson deserves credit for trying to push through some tough spending cuts across the board and bail out the fiscal ship. A coalition of groups which would have been affected quickly mounted a multi-million dollar media campaign encouraging voters to “tell Governor Paterson to stop endangering our state” and the efforts collapsed.
Now, though, Paterson is adding to his own problems. As primary season approaches, Democrats in New York are reading the bloody writing on the wall and thinking that they either need to get a new candidate fast or risk losing the governor’s mansion to the Republicans. Paterson, sadly, decided to almost immediately play the race card.
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.
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 is quickly losing whatever sympathy he might have had.
“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.”
Governor, they’re not trying to push you out because you’re black, and I suspect you already know that. This is New York. We elect people of every color, religion and sexual identity here on a regular basis. (Well, except Republicans, but you know how they are.)
They’re out to get you off the ticket because your own party thinks you’re going to take down the ship with your dead weight. The state’s books are a mess, jobs are sill hemorrhaging away and you were just the right guy in the wrong place at the wrong time. If you try to blame your troubles on all those racist people in the New York media (*cough*) and among the voters, you’re going to make a laughing stock of yourself. Either find a plan to turn things around fast and put it in place with your name on it or get ready to pack your bags – whether of your own volition or on orders from the voters.
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Oh boy, so which one will flank him at his next press conference Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton of both?
Will one or the other bring Gates with him?
[rolling eyes]
And for the bonus question: Will opposition to the Dems' health care nonsense be directly called “racist”?
For your Bonus question hard to say, but not worth watching Contessa Brewer to find out.
My head hurts… I'm so tired of hearing about the “racist” media from folks like you Governor Paterson. Talk like that only flies in the barber shop. And most of the time, the old black man in the corner will say:
“Shut up fool and take your damn medicine like a man!”
I'm currently in Michigan (though I don't know for how much longer; I'm likely to move again soon). Our own state here, with some vegetation and with people similar to that of Upstate New York, is also beset with Old Blue Nation governance (T-Steel knows already about how it's hostile to business in practice if not in philosophy, too).
The state is facing hard times in Lansing, the state government seat, where the budget must be balanced. The most interesting event related to this is a Dem legislators' effort to replace multiple, separate, lavish health benefit plans in the various county and municipal governments with a single, unified plan run by the state. The various unions and other fiefdom rulers are opposed to this. Also of note are future uses of closed-down prisons. In addition to being a possible site of hosting people from the Guantanamo prison, these prisons were also offered to California to host prisons that California doesn't have room for, because it chose to spend vast sums on other things instead. California has just rejected Michigan's offer, because it is (what else?) too costly. The state is approaching worse times.
Yet, at least so far, Governor (Jennifer) Granholm isn't blaming our problems here on sexism.
I'm suddenly reminded again of Ray Nagin.
This reminds me of the story about the boy would called wolf.
I believe I was the last remaining supporter of Governor Paterson. Even though I have first hand experience with some of his “issues,” I still believed he was a good man and was trying to do the right thing.
His playing the race card has lost me as a supporter.
Governor Patterson, remember, was not elected. He replaced Eliot Spitzer who had shot himself in both feet by engaging prostitutes while prosecuting prostitution rings. Governor Patterson came with baggage, as anyone who has ever lived in NY and knows the rabid corruption of Albany, including old old pol and longtime boss of the state legislature, Joe Bruno, who recently stepped down 'to spend more time with my family' meaning he was about to be indicted.
I dont believe the race card (Meaning you are exiling me/ being bad to me/ accusing me/ etc. becasues I am brown,black, white, red, etc, plays well for well off and high officed black/latino/anglo/asian/native american people… in part because the most venal discriminations most often come to the poor of any race.
Is there discrimination by race. Believe it.
But, re Gov Patterson, the fact is, many people dont like him, dont like his friends, dont like his way of doing state business (vis Caroline Kennedy fiasco he contributed to, his own pecadillos with women, his failed oversight of an entire state that is bankrupt without him moving to do anything about it, his friendships with bad actors up at Albany.
It isnt because Gov. P is black. It's because many believe he is not competent to meet fiscal crises and have political relationships with straight arrows instead of mealymouthing around with the old degraded pols.
In our generation, Governor P's and mine– my coming from a deeply ethnic minority group too… that some of us were taught to take it on the chin if the critique is deserved and to assess and do better, but some of us learned we might unjustly get our way if the conflict can be redefined, going the weaker way and crying chauvinism, racial discrimination, or whatever.
There are discriminations based on race, true. And on features. And on personality style, and on gender, and on education level, and on the economic classes. But, this situation Governor, isnt one of those I dont think.
I'm with TSteels who comes from a younger generation: we have recent generations in our families who suffered greatly. We often have oparents and grandparents who may still judge all matters by whether its cause 'we're different.' But that is a way of necessary understanding that had its need and its time. In the present times, there are other considerations about what's going on when there are impasses or outright conflicts or disagreeable interactions.
There are hate crimes. This isnt one of them.
just my two cents worth.
dr.e
False claims of a racist media from this guy are as bad as false claims of the drive by media by Rush Limbaugh.
Doesn't Governor Paterson get that making these types of contentions are what sets true racial equality back a generation??
I supported Obama because he refused to play this card at every opportunity—
At least until the Dr. Gates incident.
As far as Paterson goes, we got the hand-me downs as far as Lt Gov's go.
If Spitzer picked a strong second I think it would be a different story. We still have a joke of a legislature and the Mayor has to soak blood from a rock to fund programs in NYC.
How does telling the truth set back racial equality? That is so very, very stupid even if what the governor said were not true.
Negro, please!
Expand ?Verified
archangel 1 day ago
Nothing in your essay disproves anything the governor said and I'm assuming that when he became governor he didn't give up his right to free speech. The governor should be praised for telling the truth. The country is full of racists who live for the day to attack blacks and the bigger the more vicious the attacks. Unfortunately our “free” media plays to this crowd simply because that's where the money is.
Face it –his leadership has not been successful– and we can't pretend that it is because of his color. In a color blind society we can't make excuses.
Yes racism still exists, but how did that impact his performance exactly? He needs to take responsibility, not blame a nonexistent foe.