New York politics is in such a mess, an embarrassment to all New Yorkers and particularly Democrats! 🙁
First, the very intelligent and capable Eliot Spitzer was forced out on March 17, 2008 after only 14 months in office, due to a call girl scandal. This is a tragedy, as Spitzer, who has tried to redeem himself since through participation in news programs on MSNBC and Bill Maher’s HBO program, could have been one of the future stars of the Democratic party if only he could have behaved in a proper manner!
Lt. Governor David Paterson succeeded him, admitted to extramarital affairs right away, and proceeded to botch up the search for a replacement for Hillary Clinton in the Senate, including alienating the Kennedy family in the way he mistreated Caroline Kennedy, before selecting Kirsten Gillibrand, who is likely to gain reelection, but is not at all inspiring.
Now Paterson has been stupidly involved in a criminal case involving a top aide, taking steps to ask the woman, who was assaulted by his aide, to avoid pursuing the case.
As the NEW YORK TIMES makes clear, this is unacceptable behavior, and it is time for Paterson, almost two years in office, to resign, making for three governors in one term.
The problem is that the appointed Lt. Governor, Richard Ravitch, former head of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, was appointed by Paterson in a way seen by many as illegal, since there is no provision in the state constitution for an appointed replacement for Lt. Governor , but the appointment was upheld by the state courts.
Ravitch would be a caretaker governor, finishing out this year, until the election of the next Governor, likely to be Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, son of the former Governor Mario Cuomo, in November over Rick Lazio, the former Long Island Congressman who also ran against Hillary Clinton in the Senate race of 2000.
With all the budgetary problems faced by New York, this is a real tragedy, but in order to move ahead, it is time for Richard Ravitch to become the caretaker governor, and for David Paterson to disappear into the woodwork, as a disgraced governor, in many ways worse than Eliot Spitzer!