MARREN: At least Paterson has his humor

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September 26, 2009

By Tim Marren<br><a href="mailto:tim.marren@lockportjournal.com">E-mail Tim</a> The Lockport Union-Sun %26 Journal Sat Sep 26, 2009, 11:09 PM EDT

All you can do is laugh. That must be the mantra of Gov. David Paterson these days.

Wednesday newsroom reporter Joe Olenick and I shuffled off to Syracuse for the Associated Press annual meeting and awards ceremony. The day seminar included a lunch with Paterson as the featured speaker.

In a room full of editors and reporters, you could sense everyone was ready to pounce on Paterson and ask the first question. Who would be the one to ask about the Obama shun he experienced earlier in the week.

I can’t even imagine being Paterson in a room full of journalists just a day or two after Obama basically told him to “take a breather” from his run for re-election.

“Of all the weeks to have this audience,” Paterson must have thought.

Still he showed up on time, which is more than I can say for countless other politicians I’ve encountered of far less status and importance. He took every reporter’s question and brought his humor with him, something I’ve only heard about from those who have worked with him closely.

“I did not sign up for this,” Paterson said. “I wanted to be lieutenant governor. I had this grand plan that Hillary Clinton was going to become president and maybe the governor would appoint me to the Senate.”

Clinton didn’t win and Spitzer was far from appointing anyone to anything, so Paterson ended up as governor 18 months ago.

Since then, he has made some fans, but many more detractors — at least that’s what the polls say, for whatever it’s worth.

He said he’s seen himself in the attack ads and could sympathize with voters. “I wouldn’t like what I saw either,” Paterson said.

“... That’s why I’m working on my appearance,” a clean shaven and fit-looking Paterson added.

Joking only gets the man so far. A great sense of humor is fine if you’re looking for a date or looking to make it as a comic, but he needs more than that.

Paterson has a great vocabulary, is intelligent and can hold your attention through every word of his speech.

Kind of sounds like ... wait, I’ll think of it ... oh yeah, Obama! Ironic, right?

But alas, Obama has thrown his support behind the more popular Democrat at the moment, Andrew Cuomo.

For me it doesn’t matter, I probably wouldn’t vote for either, but then again, I haven’t seen who Republicans will throw out there. I guess word is Rick Lazio. Not sure about that one.

But no matter who runs or how Paterson fares, at least we all know it will be a laughing affair, which makes it New York politics as usual.

Tim Marren is the managing

editor of the Lockport Union-Sun

& Journal. Contact him at Tim.Marren@lockportjournal.com or 439-9222.

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