Last week, NY Gov. David Paterson decided to end his reelection campaign following allegations that he and State Troopers improperly intervened in a domestic violence case involving his top aide, David Johnson. Since then, a number of state and national leaders, many of whom are Democrats, have called for Paterson to resign immediately and allow Lieutenant Gov. Richard Ravitch to run the state.
Once praising Gov. Paterson for his work on violence against women, the National Organization for Women (NOW) is seeking his resignation, calling his intervention in a domestic violence case inappropriate and disappointing. “This latest news is very disappointing for those of us who believed the governor was a strong advocate for women’s equality and for ending violence against women,” said Marcia A. Pappas, the group’s President. “We at the National Organization for Women-New York State believe that in spite of the governor’s heretofore excellent record on women’s issues, it is now time for the governor to step down.”
In Gov. Paterson’s world, he’s the victim. In his first comments since pulling the plug on his election bid, Paterson insisted “there is a hysteric that I’ve been a victim of.” Asked whether resigning was off the table, the Governor said, “I don’t know why it’s ON the table.” He added: “I actually have 306 days remaining in my term and in that time I pledge to work just as hard for the people of the state of New York as I have over the last two years.”
But if Paterson can even last those 306 more days, may be gradually becoming a pipe dream within his own mind. Last night, New York State Police Superintendent Harry Corbitt abruptly quit amid the scandal. His resignation comes less than 2 weeks after his boss, Deputy Secretary for Public Safety Denise O’Donnell also quit due to the scandal. Is the writing on the wall for the Governor to be next?
CNN analyst Gloria Borger believes Paterson knows his days are numbered and may simply be hanging on as leverage to an imminent resignation. Being a sitting governor, Paterson can promise his resignation in exchange for leniency once the scandal and its charges further unfold. In many ways, that strategy is all he has left.
At the risk of repeating myself….Another sad state of affairs in American politics_smh.His days are numbered and he's knows it.