Robert J. McCarthy: Paterson gets feisty
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These are strange days for Gov. David A. Paterson.
Early last week he insisted on drastic cuts in aid to public schools to fill a $3 billion budget gap. By Tuesday he was backing off.
Then he dragged out $400 million worth of that time-honored Albany tradition of “one-shots,” in which state leaders find onetime revenues to plug the hole, go home for a while and worry about long-term solutions some other day.
Paterson even proposed that lawmakers grant him the unprecedented power to make emergency cuts on his own. Chances of that idea succeeding rank right up there with moving the state capital to Machias.
But there’s something to be said about the combative and feisty nature of this governor. There seems to be a sense — maybe for the first time — that Paterson is showing some leadership; that he’s taking on the Legislature and forcing it to do what must be done.
That’s not based on any polling numbers from the experts at Quinnipiac, Marist and Siena — just from the conversations people offer when stuck talking to a political reporter.
Paterson’s fund-raising efforts in Buffalo and Niagara County last week illustrate where he stands these days. Depending on whom you speak to, his event at the new Avant Building was a big flop or something really special.
“It was a very nice event that was well attended by community leaders and a lot of traditional Democratic donors,” said Erie County Democratic Chairman Len Lenihan. “It’s a beautiful building, and everybody was paying tribute to a governor who helped make that happen [with state assistance].”
To another old hand at fundraisers, however, the attendance of about 80 people was “woefully poor.”
“It’s over for him,” the knowledgeable observer proclaimed. And that can make shelling out a minimum of $500 for a ticket a tough sell.
To be fair, organizers had to contend with two postponements of the event in previous months because of pressing problems in Albany. But a similar event held for Paterson last year at the Buffalo Chop House raised an impressive $400,000, according to those who know. Last week’s Buffalo event came nowhere close.
Meanwhile Byron Brown, the mayor of New York’s second-largest city, was nowhere to be seen at Monday’s fundraiser. His spokesmen were not available to discuss whether he bought a ticket, but at least one observer said Brown was conspicuous by his absence.
That’s not surprising. Brown continues to be mentioned as a possible running mate for Attorney General Andrew Cuomo should he decide to run, which most political types believe is inevitable. It is interesting to note, however, that a New York Times story earlier this month outlining who might share the ticket with Cuomo never mentioned Brown as a potential candidate for lieutenant governor. Rochester Mayor Robert Duffy, meanwhile, was mentioned.
The Buffalo event for Paterson all stands in contrast to an upcoming party for Cuomo early next month in Manhattan. That little soiree features rock star Bon Jovi, and a fleet of armored cars is on order to haul away the receipts.
It all adds up to some interesting Albany watching over the next few weeks. Paterson’s get-tough attitude against the Legislature did little to enhance his standing in the polls during last summer’s Senate coup. And the same stance won’t gain him many friends in late 2009 either, as he proposes cuts in aid to public schools and health care.
But even his toughest critics are intrigued. Regular voters are watching with renewed interest, too.
It amounts to Paterson’s toughest test. And if he’s going to continue in a job he seems to love, he’ll have to pass it — and soon.
rmccarthy@buffnews.com
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