Paterson Plays the Race Card…What a Joke!
Steve Adubato, Ph.D.
CBS 2 Political Analyst

New York Governor David Paterson has lost it.  He must have decided that his political career is over and it really doesn’t matter what he says anymore.  After screwing up the Caroline Kennedy situation, naming a US Senator in Kaitlyn Gillibrand that came out of nowhere, giving big raises to his closest staff members during a hiring freeze in state government, and making countless bonehead mistakes, Paterson now says that he is just a victim of race.  More specifically, Paterson went on Daily News columnist Errol Louis’ WWRL radio show this past week to say that his problems pretty much stem from a racist media who is out to get him.  Further, he said that President Barack Obama could be next as a target of the white-dominated media looking to make prominent black politicians look bad.  What a joke. 

David Paterson ought to be ashamed of himself.  His 30% approval rating among voters has nothing to do with race and everything to do with the fact that he has been an abysmal leader in Albany.  The audacity of Paterson to play the “race” card while Governors across this country are getting brutalized by both the media and voters shows how out of touch he really is. 

It’s really about race, Governor Paterson?  Tell that to your colleague across the river, Jon Corzine, who has been getting blasted since the day he took office for everything, from New Jersey’s high unemployment rate to his e-mails and big-time money paid out to his former girlfriend and labor leader Carla Katz. 

Race, really Governor?  Tell that to Arnold Schwarzenegger out in California, whose state is running out of money.  The Terminator has had no defense against the onslaught of media criticism. 

But the list goes on.  When Eliot Spitzer imploded, was that about race, or about the fact that he is an idiot and a hypocrite?

Simply put, David Paterson’s problems are about politics— plain and simple.  Democrats don’t want him, because in 2010 they are fearful of him leading the ticket while two Democratic US Senators are on the ballot and the entire state Senate is up for re-election.  This has nothing to do with race, and everything to do with the fact that the Dems don’t want to take a beating next year.

Later on, Paterson tried to say that his comments had nothing to do with race.  Baloney.  It was too late then.  He said what he was really feeling.  He played the victim.  He cried the blues.  He blamed everyone else but himself.  Far be it for me to quote the late Michael Jackson when it comes to political matters, but he got it right when he said you need to “start with the man in the mirror”.  That’s what David Paterson should do, instead of blaming everyone else and playing the race card just because he had no cards left in the deck. 

Let’s just move on and hope that Paterson steps aside and the “accidental” Governor can allow others who are more serious and willing to be accountable for their actions to take the lead in Albany.  I’m counting the days. 

Back to CBS 2 Column