Gov. Paterson Doubled Down on Race Comments

Governor David Paterson really should quit while he's behind because he's continuing to dig himself an ever deeper hole. Over the weekend he was busy blaming his poor showing in polls on the color of his skin rather than the paucity of his policy content.

He's been an abysmal failure as a governor, and yet he thinks that the scrutiny he faces from the New York journalists is the result of race? Who's he kidding?

After complaining on a Friday radio show that he is the victim of an "orchestrated" campaign to push him out of office, Paterson told a blogger that some people are uncomfortable with too many black people in power.

"Part of what I feel is that one very successful minority is permissible, but when you see too many success stories, then some people get nervous," Paterson told political blogger Gerson Borrero over the weekend.

Paterson's comment is sure to catch the ear of the White House, which already asked him to tone down his rhetoric after he said Friday that President Obama will be the next target of a racist media.

Defensive and at time self pitying, Paterson indicated he's been stewing for some time

"I have been quiet for 17 months on this issue," he said.

"I played by the rules. It was a very difficult position to find myself in and I've given it my best. I've done the best I can under the very trying circumstances the state is facing."

Paterson created a firestorm last week after telling Daily News columnist Errol Louis in a radio interview that a racist media is trying to kill his chances of running for a full term next year.

President Obama has tried to steer clear of Paterson, which isn't going to help Paterson's reelection chances either.

The problems with Paterson are legion. He's dithered over appointing a replacement for Sen. Hillary Clinton. He talked a good game about being fiscally responsible, and then turned out a budget that spent billions more than last year's budget all while raising taxes (and it's already running a serious deficit).

No, people will rally to candidates of any skin color if they do a good job. Gov. Corzine gets slammed because he's running New Jersey into the ground, but Newark Mayor Cory Booker is held in high regard because he's going a long way to cleaning up the biggest city in the state.

Paterson has only himself to blame for this situation; he could have put together a coherent and fiscally responsible budget, but instead presided over a clown circus that actually became a circus when his former colleagues in the state senate decided to throw the Capitol into a tizzy because they wanted more power for themselves (and the perks to throw to their favorites).