Gov. Paterson has sunk expectations so low that getting a 200 person turnout at a Buffalo campaign event Sunday was seen by some as a positive. "For this governor, getting more than 100 people to show up, it is a sign of strength, so, in fact, he is beating expectations," said Democratic strategist Hank Sheinkopf. "For somebody else, it would have been a disaster," he added. "Somebody would have been fired." Much of the crowd was made up of members of a local union, and not many of Paterson's fellow Democrats showed up in support. "I think people are waiting to see how things work out," said the ever-hopeful official.
At Christie's Restaurant, the state's prominent Dems—Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, for example—were noticeably absent. Local party members, like Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown, who served with Paterson in the state Senate, didn't even bother to show. According to the Daily News the top officials there were West Seneca Supervisor Wallace Piotrowski and Assemblywoman Crystal Peoples-Stokes.
After the event he headed straight to Washington for a governor's meeting, where Arnold Schwarzenegger patted him on the shoulder and asked him how he was holding up. "Me?" said Paterson nonchalantly, "I’m the Teflon governor." The Obama administration hasn't supported Paterson through his rough times, but when asked whether he felt awkward facing the president, he replied “I don’t feel any discomfort.”
