Paterson: Don’t Make Senate Race A Spectacle
Governor Paterson continued his round of interviews following his State of the State Address, appearing this morning on Fox 5’s “Good Day New York” in New York City.
When asked if the Senate race to replace Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is becoming a spectacle, Paterson shot back, “I’m not making it the spectacle. So don’t make it the spectacle and ask me to solve your problems.”
When questioned that he must have a gut feeling on who he is going to pick, Paterson said “I’ve refrained from having a gut feeling because I haven’t interviewed all the candidates.”
He continued the same theme as yesterday that Caroline Kennedy, like the other candidates, have their strengthens and weaknesses. And he downplayed Kennedy’s poor rollout.
“I am going to sit down and talk to her and make my decision based on that,” he said. “I could see that a person who wasn’t in public service could have a little stage fright and would be struggling a little bit, having media interviews.
“Some of us have been here 20 years struggle with the media. So the issue is that all the candidates in the race – and by the way there are other candidates in the race if you’re following along – they have their relative strengthens and areas where they aren’t so strong.”
Paterson went on to point out that whoever he picks, the public will get to vote on his decision in 2010, saying that of the last 38 senators to be appointed by governors, 18 won and 20 lost.
“In the end, the public will make the final decision,” he said.
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Perhaps Paterson is wondering—as a few of us are—whether Caroline shares part of the blame for the careless vetting that was done of Richardson.
Caroline was supposedly in charge of the committee that researched VP possibilities, which included Richardson.
A thorough vetting would have turned up the conflict of interest that has caused embarrasment to both Obama and Richardson.
Curious to ponder what, if anything, Obama’s people offered Richardson for his startling endorsement and his total abandonment of the Clintons, who were long his benefactors.
David Paterson, Caroline Kennedy…what’s the future of our state?
Will Caroline Kennedy be the best choice? With the difficult economic times we are all experiencing in NY and across the country, why the person with the big name? Will she truly fight for NYers??
On another note, when she speaks candidly, she is a horrible speaker unless her speech is written and memorized. Every other word is ‘you know.’ It was sad to listen to a well education person speak candidly so poorly.
Let’s hope the Paterson chooses wisely for this important job.
The selection of a senator to succeed hillary is ipso
facto a polititcal spectacle..apparently david
doens’t have the political chops to deal with it