Posts
The economic crisis we find ourselves in the middle of is all that the electorate is currently thinking about, and with good reason. When a New Yorker is sitting at home trying to figure out how they are going to pay this month's bills, they are not thinking about ethics reform in the legislature. I would like to stress again, that on a policy level, the Governor is spot on. However, for a Governor who is fighting for his political life (which recent polls may suggest is a fight in vain) is battling it out over ethics in the midst of our financial woes a smart move?
If Paterson is serious about vetoing this bill, which reports indicate he is, then I think this should be the end of him mentioning ethics reform whatsoever. He can not continue to fight for an issue that will fail to resonate with voters in the upcoming election season, he needs to seem more proactive on handling this fiscal crisis.
I do and always have been supportive of the Governor, time and time again in conversations with angry New York voters I've tried to defend the Governor. Splitting hairs on ethics reform is going to make it increasingly difficult to defend an already unpopular Governor.
Afterthought: With Paterson trailing against the apparent GOP candidate Lazio according to Rasmussen, and with Cuomo defeating Lazio by double digits, is it time to turn up the heat on Cuomo to run, and turn up the heat on Paterson to step aside? I mean, Governor Rick Lazio? Scary.
2 comments:
" “If my county was running in the red, I would think the people in county would want to hear from me of how I'm getting out of it. The speech had very little substance to it. The state is in financial ruins and we're talking about ethics.”
- Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente on the State of the State"
Right, it's not like Paterson hasn't talked about the state's finances since almost the day he took office... oh wait, HE HAS!
Besides, does Mr. Picente really not see the relation between ethics and spending? Why are legislators so afraid to confront unions and big business?
"However, I think Paterson needs to understand that to the everyday New Yorker Ethics reform of the Legislature is the furthest thing from their mind"
Are you serious? If you ask an ordinary New Yorker about the legislature, their lack of ethics is likely to be the first complaint off their lips. People recognize that the state's dysfunction, including the fiscal crisis, is directly related to lack of ethics and transparency.
The fiscal crisis is #1 in most people's priority list for Albany but ethics is certainly #2. And people are smart enough to see the link between the two.
Most recognize that the legislature's ethics "reform" is them trying to do the absolute bare minimum to say they did something without really having to change. This fraud is going to hurt the Democrats' chances of retaining the senate.
And if he ever enters the race and has to take actual positions on real issues, I wonder what Mr. Project Sunlight Andrew Cuomo would have to say about this.
Post a Comment