Under Pressure, NY Governor Paterson to Bow Out

by Charles Lemos, Fri Feb 26, 2010 at 11:02:51 AM EST

New York Governor David Paterson will drop his bid for election to a full term. Governor Paterson had come under increasing pressure after the New York Times revealed that the Governor had interfered with a domestic-violence case involving David Johnson, one of his of top aides.

The story in the New York Times:

Gov. David A. Paterson is set to announce that he will not seek election in the wake of reports that he and the State Police intervened in a domestic-assault case against a senior aide, according to a person told about the plans.

He is expected to make the announcement this afternoon.

It would follow a tumultuous Thursday in which, following revelations about the governor’s involvement in the abuse case, many of his political allies suggested he stand down form his bid to be elected. In a brief press availability late in the day, the governor said he would stay in the race, but that he would also seek counsel from other Democrats about how to proceed with his political future.

The state awoke on Friday to calls for the governor’s resignation from newspaper editorial writers, which only added to the increasing belief that it would be impossible for him to run the state and a campaign while the abuse case, and its handling by both he and the state police, is under investigation. He has asked the state’s attorney general, Andrew M. Cuomo, an assumed political rival for the governorship, to investigate the case.

The end of Mr. Paterson’s campaign came less than a week after he formally began it, with a defiant speech at Hofstra University in Hempstead in which he cast himself as an underdog who would fight for ordinary New Yorkers against Albany special interests.

The New York Daily News in its editorial today called for Paterson to step down immediately.

Tags: Governor David Paterson, New York State Politics, NY Governor's Race (all tags)

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About time

Paterson has not been a bad CHief Executive in his time in office. He has stood up strongly for Progressive values and fought good fights for good causes.

But he has shown himself to be politically tone-deaf, and in a Murdoch-controlled media market (NY Post, Wall Street Journal, NY Sun, WABC -770 flagship of HateRadio et. al.) he had no margin for error, even human error from the start.

He was going to waste a lot of good people's money in a Quixotic attempt at redemption, and he is making the right choice for himself and his extended family.

I won't say good riddance, because we are losing a Progressive champion and effective spokesman, but he's toast here.

by dembluestates 2010-02-26 11:58AM | 0 recs

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please

Let's not dress this up... Paterson was terrible. This was overdue, his election chances were lousy to start with, and most reasonable people - including, let's recall, right up to the President - wanted him out months ago. I'm not thrilled with restarting the Cuomo dynasty, but with Albany such a disaster, it's hard to imagine any other sane, decent pol getting in now. Paterson was too much a part of the familiar Albany culture to ever represent a fresh start out of it - and clearly, now, he was picked by Spitzer partly as seat warmer and partly to solidify Spitzer's own vote getting in minority communities. Paterson's governorship is basically the bad result of bald political calculus, a reminder that pure politics will get ya, every time.

This is a much deeper, more fundamental problem than left/right or who's progressive enough. Albany is terribly corrupt and broken, and it's hard to see how that changes anytime soon (not likely with Cuomo, surely not with Rick Lazio). The "Paterson era" was a spectacular disaster. And, probably, just what New Yorkers deserved.

by nycweboy1 2010-02-26 12:40PM | 1 recs

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Albany was a disaster

25 years ago, when I was a student at SUNY-A. Not much has changed.

by Khun David 2010-02-26 04:08PM | 0 recs

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To Paterson...

Goodbye and good riddance! The chances of a Dem governor landslide in November has increased sharply, and the coattails may carry most of the marginal Dem Reps that Charlie Cook and Larry Sabato consider vulnerable back into the Congress. It probably will also carry Kristen Gillibrand into the Senate. After a long time Dems finally got some good news. Now if only madame Ginsburg gets lost soon!

by Boilermaker 2010-02-26 05:08PM | 0 recs

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Well...

…the tide was certainly against Gov. Paterson, and for someone who'd proven such a savvy inside player throughout his career, his seeming obliviousness as governor was mind-boggling. He's gonna have plenty of time to do some soul-searching.

by tru blu 2010-02-26 05:50PM | 0 recs