Ok, the headline is nothing but snark, but for those of us living in the Empire State it might not seem like such a bad idea at this point. I mean, why mess around with yet another governor who might build up our hopes only to dash them on the rocks of scandal? Let’s just put in somebody who is already on the docket for some federal crimes. If you’re wondering exactly what it is that I’m going on about today, reports are circulating that the New York Times is getting ready to unleash a bombshell on Governor David Paterson which will result in his resigning from office almost immediately. To be clear here, we are still lacking in confirmation. The story was supposed to break today, but the Gray Lady’s front page, as well as the politics and state/region pages don’t have a whisper about it. The Governor’s office has also denied it.
But that doesn’t mean that the storm isn’t coming. Inside sources still maintain that the Times is sitting on something big, but they may still be dotting some i’s and crossing a few errant t’s to get it right. I was on a call this weekend with some of the GOP figures in the state and it sounded fairly solid. One woman posed a rather light hearted question as to why the Republicans should even bother running a candidate for Governor. “Isn’t it more fun to just sit back and watch them implode one by one?”
Debate still remains over what the alleged scandal may be. Contenders include yet another sex story and some improper channeling of state funds, but it’s all guess work for now. Again, this may be a complete red herring, but the press is acting like there’s fire behind this smoke.
The current cycle actually began with Elliot “Client Number Nine” Spitzer’s victory over John Faso in 2006. I’ve met John several times now, and he has always struck me as a sensible, pragmatic, principled man, a great public speaker and generally nice guy. One has to wonder today about paths not chosen. To this day, if you drive around Albany and Mr. Faso’s home town, you will still see playful bumper stickers which read, “Don’t blame me. I voted for the other John.”
Stay tuned right here. If this turns out to be a big nothing burger, we’ll clear the air. But if we have yet another resident of the Governor’s Mansion go down in flames, all of the hemming and hawing will show up here, I’m sure.