can you imagine the effect of having an Obama candidate as the governor of NY?
On Sep 19, 10:35 pm, dick thompson <[email protected]> wrote: > http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/20/nyregion/20paterson.html?_r=1&hp > > Obama Said to Request That Paterson Drop Campaign > > * Sign in to Recommend > * Twitter > * > E-Mail <javascript:document.emailThis.submit();> > > * Send To Phone <javascript:void(0);> > * Print > > <http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/20/nyregion/20paterson.html?_r=1&hp=&p...> > > * Reprints > <http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/20/nyregion/20paterson.html?_r=1&hp#> > * Share > > <http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/20/nyregion/20paterson.html?_r=1&hp#>Close > <http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/20/nyregion/20paterson.html?_r=1&hp#> > o Linkedin > > <http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/20/nyregion/20paterson.html?_r=1&hp#> > o Digg > > <http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/20/nyregion/20paterson.html?_r=1&hp#> > o Facebook > > <http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/20/nyregion/20paterson.html?_r=1&hp#> > o Mixx > > <http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/20/nyregion/20paterson.html?_r=1&hp#> > o MySpace > > <http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/20/nyregion/20paterson.html?_r=1&hp#> > o Yahoo! Buzz > > <http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/20/nyregion/20paterson.html?_r=1&hp#> > o Permalink > > <http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/20/nyregion/20paterson.html?_r=1&hp#> > o > > Article Tools Sponsored By > <http://www.nytimes.com/adx/bin/adx_click.html?type=goto&opzn&page=www...> > By RAYMOND HERNANDEZ > <http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/h/raymond_...> > Published: September 19, 2009 > > WASHINGTON --- President Obama > <http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/o/barack_o...> > has sent a request to Gov. David A. Paterson > <http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/p/david_a_...> > that he withdraw from the New York governor's race, fearing that Mr. > Paterson cannot recover from his dismal political standing, according to > two senior administration officials and a New York Democratic operative > with direct knowledge of the situation. > > The decision to ask Mr. Paterson to step aside was proposed by political > advisers to Mr. Obama, but approved by the president himself, one of the > administration officials said. > > "Is there concern about the situation in New York? Absolutely," the > second administration official said Saturday evening. "Has that concern > been conveyed to the governor? Yes." > > The administration officials and the Democratic operative spoke on > condition of anonymity because the discussions with the governor were > intended to be confidential. > > The president's request was conveyed to the Mr. Paterson by > Representative Gregory W. Meeks > <http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/m/gregory_...>, > a Queens Democrat, who has developed a strong relationship with the > Obama administration, they said. > > The move against a sitting Democratic governor represents an > extraordinary intervention into a state political race by the president, > and is a delicate one, given that Mr. Paterson is one of only two > African-American governors in the nation. > > But Mr. Obama's political team and other party leaders have grown > increasingly worried that the governor's unpopularity could drag down > Democratic members of Congress in New York, as well as the > Democratic-controlled Legislature, in next fall's election. > > Mr. Paterson and his aides did not respond to repeated requests for > comment Saturday. Mr. Paterson arrived on Long Island Saturday evening > to attend a dinner, but walked hurriedly past a reporter who tried to > ask him about the White House request. > > An aide to Mr. Meeks said the congressman could not be reached Saturday. > > "The message the White House wanted to send --- that it wants Paterson > to step aside --- was delivered," said the Democratic operative,, who > spoke on condition of anonymity because the discussions were intended to > be confidential. "He is resistant." > > The general election is more than a year away, but Mr. Obama and his > political team are moving now in part because of signals from Rudolph W. > Giuliani > <http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/g/rudolph_...>, > the former New York City mayor, that he may run for governor > <http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/25/nyregion/25rudy.html>, according to > Democrats who have spoken with White House officials. Many Democratic > leaders believe that Mr. Giuliani's presence at the top of the > Republican ticket could spark enthusiasm among his party's voters, who > might otherwise have little desire to go to the polls. > > Leading Democrats in the state have expressed deep concern about Mr. > Paterson's ability to hold on to the office. But most have been wary of > openly suggesting he step aside. > > The White House move could give them cover to abandon Mr. Paterson and > endorse another candidate, most likely Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo > <http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/c/andrew_m...>, > who has been debating for months whether to take on Mr. Paterson in a > primary <http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/03/nyregion/03cuomo.html>. > > Mr. Paterson, who was elevated to governor from lieutenant governor in > March 2008, in the wake of Gov. Eliot Spitzer > <http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/s/eliot_l_...>'s > resignation after a prostitution scandal, announced in October that he > would seek a full term > <http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C06E5DD1E3AF93BA35753...>. > > But in the intervening months, White House officials have watched the > deteriorating political fortunes of Mr. Paterson with growing alarm, as > his popularity plunged > <http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/10/nyregion/10poll.html> and he > committed a series of missteps that raised questions about his ability > to govern. > > In addition, the relationship between Mr. Obama and Mr. Paterson has > been shaky, dating to the governor's selection of a replacement for > Hillary Rodham Clinton > <http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/c/hillary_...>, > who resigned from the Senate to become secretary of state. White House > officials had received assurances from Mr. Paterson that he would not > pick Kirsten E. Gillibrand > <http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/g/kirsten_...>, > then a little-known Democratic congresswoman from a heavily Republican > district outside of Albany, according to a prominent Democrat who > discussed the matter with a senior White House official. > > The White House and Democratic House leaders were concerned that her > sudden departure from the House would give Republicans a prime > opportunity to reclaim the seat. Aides to the president conveyed those > concerns to the governor, according to Democrats who have discussed the > matter with Mr. Obama's aides. > > In the end, Mr. Paterson selected Ms. Gillibrand anyway > <http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/24/nyregion/24choice.html>, infuriating > White House officials and Democratic leaders in Washington. Making > matters worse, the governor also publicly snubbed Caroline Kennedy > <http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/s/caroline...>, > a close personal friend and ally of Mr. Obama's, who announced in > December her wish to be chosen as Mrs. Clinton's replacement, but then > withdrew her name from consideration > <http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/22/nyregion/22caroline.html> in January, > citing personal reasons. > > The concerns of Obama aides deepened last month, when the governor, > speaking on a radio talk show in New York, suggested that criticism of > him was racially motivated > <http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/22/nyregion/22paterson.html> and that > Mr. Obama would soon suffer similar attacks. Mr. Obama's advisers, who > have long sought to defuse the issue of race, found the comments > inflammatory and expressed their displeasure directly to the Paterson camp. > > The move by the White House will probably bring new attention to Mr. > Cuomo, now the most popular Democratic figure in the state. While only > 30 percent of voters in a Quinnipiac poll last month approved of the job > that Mr. Paterson was doing, 74 percent approved of Mr. Cuomo's job > performance. > > The situation between Mr. Cuomo and Mr. Paterson has been a complicated > one. Mr. Cuomo is still haunted by the fierce backlash > <http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E06E6DE123EF931A25751...> > he stirred in 2002 when he decided to run in the Democratic primary for > governor against H. Carl McCall > <http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/m/_mccall_...>, > the first serious black candidate for governor. > > Now, Mr. Cuomo effectively has the blessing of the nation's first black > president to run against New York's first black governor. That will > probably neutralize any criticism he may face among the governor's > prominent black allies, including Representative Charles B. Rangel > <http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/r/charles_...> > of Harlem, who warned this year that the party would become racially > polarized if Mr. Cuomo took on Mr. Paterson. > > Angela Macropoulos contributed reporting in New York. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. 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