President Obama has asked Governor Paterson to drop his re-election plans for next year. Paterson's approval ratings are in the cellar and just about everyone believes that the only Democrat who can win the governor's job next year is Attorney General Andrew Cuomo. Otherwise our state might be saddled with a Republican Governor in 2011, most probably Rudy Giuliani.
This isn't exactly a shocking development but it's kind of depressing. It used to be heresy for Presidents of either party to intervene in state races or primaries. There was a code of national leaders being hands-off, letting the state parties and primary voters work out who the nominees for the various offices would be, then backing the nominees in the general elections. But in the era of 24/7 big money campaigns, where elections can be close and both sides are playing for keeps, hands-off isn't an option anymore.
Hopefully Paterson will listen to reason and Obama can give the man a job in his administration. Seems only fair. It's very ironic: even though I'm a big fan of Obama, let's not forget that he became President in part by fighting through a long, bloody primary and not "stepping aside" to that member of political royalty, Hillary Clinton. And now he's asking our governor to step aside in order to avoid a long, bloody primary with another member of political royalty, Andrew Cuomo.
Just shows you that all politics is situational.
This isn't exactly a shocking development but it's kind of depressing. It used to be heresy for Presidents of either party to intervene in state races or primaries. There was a code of national leaders being hands-off, letting the state parties and primary voters work out who the nominees for the various offices would be, then backing the nominees in the general elections. But in the era of 24/7 big money campaigns, where elections can be close and both sides are playing for keeps, hands-off isn't an option anymore.
Hopefully Paterson will listen to reason and Obama can give the man a job in his administration. Seems only fair. It's very ironic: even though I'm a big fan of Obama, let's not forget that he became President in part by fighting through a long, bloody primary and not "stepping aside" to that member of political royalty, Hillary Clinton. And now he's asking our governor to step aside in order to avoid a long, bloody primary with another member of political royalty, Andrew Cuomo.
Just shows you that all politics is situational.
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