Governor Paterson continues to defend the idea that his administration is not a sinking ship as criticisms keep getting launched at him from all sides. In today's Times, he admits errors in being lax with staff leading to the recent flurry of turnover among his aides but says he think that his managing of the financial crisis could put him back in the good graces of New Yorkers. He called his first year "a real challenge" and told the paper, "In spite of the fact that I get called the accidental governor and all that, I’ve never been treated like one.”
Paterson seems to hope that the return of former chief of staff Charles O'Byrne in a voluntary role will help get things on track saying, “Sometimes you meet people and the two of you together are probably better than either of you separately.” But there are already questions as to just what O'Byrne's responsibilities will be with one Democratic legislator telling the News, "You can't have them as a shadow parallel government run by someone in the private sector."
The Democrats' faith in Paterson seems shaky at best these days. Upstate Congresswoman Louise Slaughter emphasized, “If he fails, we all go down.” The Times also suggests that Paterson's affability and humor, often cited as one of his greatest strengths as New Yorkers got to know him, may be wearing thin with the stakes so high because of the economy. One local poli-sci professor told them that he's still not even convinced that Paterson will stick to his plan of running for reelection next year.
The Times article raises even more criticism of Paterson from being "unable to drive the agenda in the Capitol" to only spending 14 days in Albany since calling for an accelerated budget process three months ago. They cite a staff retreat the governor led soon after being thrust into his new role where he gave an unfocused, rambling speech and that to this day, many around him continue to see him as "adrift."
