NYT Prints Another David Paterson ‘Bombshell’…Does Anyone Care?

by Glynnis MacNicol | 9:01 am, March 26th, 2010

» 3 comments

Just when you thought it was safe to completely give yourself up to the congressional death threats news meme, and the return of Israel to the headlines back comes David Paterson! Paterson sort of managed to slip out of the headlines a few weeks back thanks to one Erica Massa. And then stay out of them thanks in part to the deluge of health care bill headlines. But the ever-intrepid New York Times has just pubbed another piece on the Gov. today and it’s not great. As in, what was he thinking?

Gov. David A. Paterson personally helped draft a statement last month that he hoped would be endorsed by a woman involved in a domestic dispute with one of his top aides, proposing language asserting that there had been no violence in the encounter, according to three people with knowledge of the governor’s role.

On the night of Feb. 16, with The New York Times preparing an article on the aide, David W. Johnson, Mr. Paterson told his press secretary the key points that needed to be included in a brief statement that was sent to the woman, Mr. Johnson’s former companion, the three people said….Ms. Booker refused to go along, telling the mutual friend at one point in the process that she would not participate in “a lie,” according to two people briefed on the exchange…It is unclear, however, if at the time he was told that she had characterized it as “a lie,” the people with knowledge of the administration’s handling of the episode said.

Worth noting, timeline-wise, that Feb. 16 article was the first in a very long series, so perhaps Paterson did not anticipate the frenzy that would follow and that he could manage to pull this off under the radar? Not that that’s a good thing! That said, the Johnson profile followed weeks of speculation about an imminent Times “bombshell” so probably Paterson should have known better….really just in the general sense. Of course, the man appears to be political equivalent of teflon at this point, so who knows if this will even make a ripple.

Albany, David Paterson, David W. Johnson, New York Times, The State of Politics

rosalie

I wish they would leave Goveror Paterson alone ,I think he is doing his job better than some of those liberals in Washington.
they pick on him because he trys to help people that get into jams .
go to the party that did this stupid thing and leave him alone.
to me ,he admits when he is wrong .
I feel if he was guilty ,he would not stand tall.
Cactus

Political teflon? Nah, not really… the reason nothing’s sticking is because the pan is already full, and we know it’s getting tossed out pretty soon…
cleanupnynow

What in the world was David Paterson thinking?

It is so hypocritical for David Paterson to make domestic violence a signature issue of his while hiring woman beaters as his two closest aides. No wonder the NOW and most woman advocates and organizations – his own appointed Kirsten Gillibrand, Nita Lowey among others – want David Paterson to RESIGN NOW.

For too long, David Paterson has used the state as an employment agency for his friends, gal-pals and associates – Dave Johnson, Michael Jones-Bey, Clemmie Harris, Gabrielle Turner, Indira Noel, Harry Corbitt – this practice needs to stop.
David Paterson proved long ago that he could not govern. “The Democratic Conference: Organizational and Operational Structure Report” is an eyewitness account of Paterson’s DYSFUNCTIONAL governing nature.

http://www.politico.com/static/PPM110_demreportfinal.html

This report heavily criticized Paterson’s leadership as Senator Minority leader. His office was criticized for PATRONAGE, LACK OF LEADERSHIP, INDECISIVENESS and INFIGHTING, set against a backdrop of general CHAOS – in other words the office was a ZOO. Those interviewed in the report indicated that its chief of staff the disorganized Michael Jones-Bey had no management skills, and would get DRUNK with staff, often coming in the office with a HANGOVER, and should be fired.

Amazingly, for running such a DYSFUNCTIONAL CHAOTIC office, the disorganized Michael Jones-Bey was hand picked by David Paterson to head the Division of Minority & Women Owned Business Development at Empire State Development Corporation.

His staff and all his friends that he has placed in jobs need to be cleaned out…GET HIM AND THEM OUT NOW.

This UN-ELECTED GOV needs to go now, before more damage is done and more of the wrong people profit from his office.