Tag: David Paterson

NY Governor David Paterson has announced he won't run for re-election. It was only a week ago he announced his re-election campaign.

“There are times in politics when you have to know not to strive for service, but to step back, and that moment has come for me,” Mr. Paterson told a room full of reporters in an afternoon press conference. In the most dramatic moment, the governor raised his right hand and offered what he called a “personal oath,”

...“I have never abused my office, not now, not ever,” said Mr. Paterson, his wife, Michelle Paige Paterson, by his side.

There are calls for him to resign now, which mostly seem to be a result of his alleged intervention in a staffer's domestic violence case: [More...]

Via the LA Times, a New York television station is reporting that New York Governor David Paterson has chosen Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand, a moderate Democrat, to replace Hillary Clinton. WPIX reports:

PIX NEWS is being told that Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand is the reported choice of Governor David Paterson to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Hillary Clinton. Two Congressional sources say members of the New York delegation have been invited to join Governor Paterson for the announcement in Albany at noon tomorrow.

....One of the contenders, longterm Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney canceled a scheduled appearance on "PIX News Closeup" tomorrow because of a "conflict," which she did not disclose. She too will be in Albany. According to the sources, Gillibrand, now in her second congressional term, was favored by Secretary of State Clinton herself. Paterson has been under pressure to select a woman.

She is from upstate New York and viewed as being able to help Paterson in his re-relection bid in 2010.

How refreshing to hear a politician, in this case David Paterson, the new Governor of New York, acknowledge using drugs in their youth and rather than apologize for it or calling it a mistake, point out:

"More Americans have tried a lot more during that period of time and gone on to lead responsible lives and hopefully have lived their lives to their fullest," he said.

Here's what Obama said about his drug use:

"I was a confused kid and was making a bunch of negative choices based on stereotypes of what I thought a tough young man should be," he said of the period depicted in that section of the book. "Those choices were misguided, a serious mistake.

I'll take more like Paterson please.

Update: The New York Times has a list of politicians and their comments on past drug use.

New York Gov. David Paterson will take over on Monday.

He is New York's first African American Governor. He is legally blind. He's highly respected and well liked.

I hope he puts repeal of the draconian Rockefeller drug laws at the top of his agenda.

Paterson is a super-delegate for Hillary Clinton.