David Paterson

Tuesday, September 18

6:30 pm

Lt. Governor David Paterson
"The Policy and Politics of Stem Cell Research"
6:30pm
Retreat Lounge
37 W 17th Street (b/t 5th and 6th Avenues)
B/D/F/V to 14th Street,
N/R/Q/W to 14th St/Union Square,
1 train to 18th Street
About Lt. Governor Paterson
About New York State's stem cell initiative

David Paterson - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Lieutenant Governor of New York. .. the first African American to hold this position. .... was born legally blind in Brooklyn in 1954 .... In 1985 he joined the campaign staff of David Dinkins for Manhattan Borough President. ..... 1986, he won the seat for his first full term representing the 29th District in the New York State Senate ...... the son of former New York Secretary of State Basil Paterson, who was the first African American NYC Deputy Mayor and the first to run for statewide office in New York ...... The elder Paterson also served in the NY state Senate in the same seat his son occupied. In 1993, David Paterson ran citywide for the office of the Public Advocate ..... Paterson was elected Senate Minority Leader in 2002, becoming both the first non-white state legislative leader and the highest-ranking black elected official in the history of New York State. ...... He lives in Harlem with his wife, Michelle Paige Paterson. They have two children
NYS Senator David A. Paterson
New York State Senator | 30th Senate District | Bill Perkins ...
LIEUTENANT DAVID PATERSON SITE

One scenario is Obama becomes the nominee and picks Spitzer as running mate. That is less likely than him picking Hillary, many would argue the numbers right now show the possibility to be the other way round, and among Hillary's choices Warner just took himself out, Mark Warner of Virginia, the dude used to be a hot candidate for president, then he dropped out, and now thinks he is going to run for the US Senate. That would mean Hillary would not have the option to pick Warner for running mate.

In short, Obama and Hillary are pretty much stuck with each other.

But I was playing out the Spitzer scenario, and I am thinking, that means wing man Paterson gets to be Governor. And I noticed in my inbox a DL21C mail about a Paterson event, and I was thinking I am inclined to go. I have seen Paterson at one other event. Spitzer was a candidate for Governor, and everyone took for granted he would win by a wide margin. And this was my second time of seeing Spitzer, the first time it was too early for him to have picked a running mate. (Eliot Spitzer, Aliza Fatima)

It was the outdoors bar at one end of Union Square. Spitzer teased that David Pollak was getting a little too old to keep leading the DL21C. At the time, I did not realize that was code for taking Pollak off to lead the state party. Spitzer also joked, "on day one, everything changes, and Paterson gets to do all the work."

Until then I knew Paterson as the guy who took Leecia Eve's place. (Who Is Leecia Eve?) I guess Eve was favored by the Hillary-Rangel machine. But Spitzer showed an independent mind. Eve was being touted as New York's own "Obama."

So I am thinking, maybe I do want to go to this event. Let me read up on this guy. And it has been quite a revelation reading up on this guy. When you read up on Paterson, it sounds like it was a revolutionary act on the part of Spitzer to have picked Paterson for running mate. The whole black thing. New York state is not that far ahead, it seems.

Paterson was elected Senate Minority Leader in 2002, becoming both the first non-white state legislative leader and the highest-ranking black elected official in the history of New York State.

This is primitive. Something like this only happened in 2002? It is time for New York City to secede from the rest of the state, I would say.

Now I am most definitely going to see Paterson.

I mean, I pride myself in my political instincts. And Spitzer shows on my radar. He showed early. He is cutting edge. He is the next generation Democrat. This dude dug up some obscure law from the 1930s to raise hell on Wall Street in his previous incarnation. If that is not creative use, what is? At that same Union Square event, this young Pakistani girl was there with her father and elder sister. At the first event, she had managed to get Spitzer to pledge to come to her graduation. I was standing nearby and Spitzer approached that family. I thought he might say, "Hey, how you doing?" The dude wants to talk about "classroom size." I almost burst out laughing. I got the same feeling not long back while I was reading a New York Times article online. Spitzer shows up for Nascar. "We should have impounded Peter's car" is a quote from Spitzer at the end. This guy has a very natural instinct for political power. He is highly creative. And he does his homework. That is some combo.

You can imagine Obama delivering universal health care. But you can't imagine him delivering publicly financed elections. You can imagine Spitzer delivering publicly financed elections. That is the Spitzer appeal. And I sensed that before I googled him up and read up on him. When I did google him up and read his campaign speeches, my jaw dropped. This dude is in a league of his own. His proposals are so far reaching.

If Paterson has stuggled with race in New York, I know from personal experience the Jewish thing is an issue in the South. But Romney is doing pretty good. That changes things. Romney, Mormon. Net worth: hundreds of millions.

Obama-Spitzer could end up looking very tempting. Either a Bush or a Clinton or both have run at the national level since 1976. It is like after 200 years of being a republic, America tired and went back to being a monarchy. For Obama to pick Hillary might be a way to not be able to break away from the 1990s. Bill Clinton could come back to overshadow at least his first year.

One thing is for sure, the running mate has to be a New Yorker. When you are running against Rudy and Bloomberg, you are left with no other option, I think. And Spitzer is more of a New Yorker than Hillary. Hillary moved in to run for office. Nothing wrong with that. She has been excellent as Senator.

Also, a Senator, and a Governor look better than two Senators: better balance.

And you end up with New York's first black Governor. Now that is primitive. This should have happened a long time ago. Obviously the constituencies in the state legislature are not divided based on equal population. I don't know. I am guessing. Kind of like Wyoming having two Senators on Capitol Hill. NYC has been shortchanged.

"Race matters powerfully."
- Barack Obama

And interestingly Bill Perkins holds the seat that Paterson used to hold. That is really interesting. I have gotten to know Bill. I had seen him at many events before. But Obama really did it. We are both very much into Obama. We sat next to each other at the Manhattan For Obama Organizational Kickoff Meeting.

Bill Perkins also shows up on my radar. This guy is moving up. That is so obvious. He is Governor material. Easy. No sweat. Down the line somewhere. It was Bill who gave a rousing Obama cheer at the Bash. (DL21C Annual Summer Bash: Barack Won The Straw Poll) Pollak pulled away the microphone in mock horror. The two got playful.

Fitting In Hillary, Obama, Spitzer
Obama-Spitzer Vs. Giuliani-Romney
An Obama Spitzer Ticket
Obama, Hillary, Spitzer
Eliot Spitzer, Governor

Obama: 2007 Gameplan: Money, Message, Organization



In The News

Clinton, Obama and Edwards Join Pledge to Avoid Defiant States New York Times, United States of North Carolina agreed to sign a loyalty pledge put forward by party officials in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina, Senator a move that solidified the importance of the opening contests of Iowa and New Hampshire. ...... Hours after Senator Barack Obama of Illinois and former Senator John EdwardsHillary Rodham Clinton of New York followed suit. The decision seemed to dash any hopes of Mrs. Clinton relying on a strong showing in Florida as a springboard to the nomination. ....... in these states ideas count, not just money ..... Gov. Jennifer M. Granholm of Michigan said her state’s manufacturing crisis and other issues were more important than the order of the primary calendar.
Obama leads with corporate crowd Chicago Tribune, United States
Clooney hails Obama 'star' quality The Press Association "You've been in a room once in a while with a rock star. He walks into the world and he takes your breath away. ..... labelled a traitor when he questioned the war .... among the first to own a Tesla, a fully electric sportscar, and he is working with the Swiss watchmaking company Omega Watches on a fuel cell project.
Early wins key to Obama strategy United Press International black voters don't base a candidate’s electability on how they do in polls because they don’t trust white voters to tell pollsters the truth regarding how they feel about black candidates. ... Clinton leading Obama by double digits in New Hampshire and holding a slight lead in Iowa ..... In South Carolina, Clinton leads Obama by 8 percent
Obama campaign to explore faith issues Iowa City Press Citizen, IA
Obama to host faith forum in Iowa City Iowa City Press Citizen
Nugget wins Obama 'caucus' Pahrump Valley Times, NV Obama campaign organizer Adrienne Lever said Nevada was formerly 46th in order of voting on the presidential candidates. .... "Now we're going to be one of the early caucus states," Lever said, "which means the eyes of the nation are upon us." .... Lever described the caucus process as a socially changing experience as well. .... "People who lived here for 14 years, for example, who didn't know the Democrats down the street, are all of a sudden starting to know each other," she said. .... "I met him at a household event in Las Vegas. He took the time, wading through the crowd, to listen to people," said Jack Wood. .... "It's the big, multinational corporations that basically owns our government, including the Congress, including the White House," Wood said. .... "He's changing the system. He's not a cookie-cutter (candidate)." .... Obama emphasizes rehabilitation and early education programs like Head Start. .... An partial supporter, Lever said, "I have seen a passion and enthusiasm in this campaign that I have never seen in politics before." .... Campaigner Allison Schwartz said she has never seen such a good turnout for a candidate from voters who never supported a campaign as she's seen with Obama, with "thousands of people following him around." ... "Nevada is once again going to be a battleground state. To those who worked on Kerry's campaign, it was devastating to lose by 21,000 votes," she said.
Obama Urges More US Involvement in Africa Mshale African Community Newspaper, MN told a convention of black journalists in Las Vegas that the genocide in Darfur has continued for the worse because the United States has failed to intervene .... a crowd of more that 3,000 black journalists, who had gathered there for the 32nd annual convention of the National Association of Black Journalists. .... the unanimous vote to send 26,000 peacekeeping troops to Darfur, cast in July by the 15 members of the United Nations Security Council .... Since 2003, when the conflict in Darfur began, the United Nations estimates that the Janjaweed, an Arab militia backed by the Sudanese government, has killed at least 450,000 black Africans. Members of the militia continue to set homes ablaze and have driven more that 2 million people out of the region. Most black Africans have sought refuge in neighboring Chad. .... to avert future crises in Africa, the United States should be more involved in the continent during times of peace. ..... “We can’t wait until all hell breaks loose,” he said. “We can’t wait until genocide takes place.” ... Obama gave special recognition to ethnic media, which he said covered issues that the mainstream press gave very little attention. He challenged other black journalists to follow suit and tell stories that show how poor black Americans are suffering. .... “Tell the stories that will lift up African Americans,” Obama said. “Show their difficulties and struggles.”
Is John Edwards A Terrible Father? Barack Obama? Huffington Post, NY "You don't get to say I'm a terrible mother because you think you wouldn't make my choices in my situation," she blogged her accuser within hours of the post. "You don't get to judge me because you think you know exactly what you would do if you had my disease. I want to be really clear: you don't know. And if the sun always shines on you -- and I pray it does -- you will never know." ..... it reinforced a stereotype about women. You know, the one of women as small-minded, petty and, yes, jealous. I can't have what you have, so I'm going to make you pay for it. ....... You don't hear men resorting to that kind of backbiting. .... men get to fight about the important, big-picture stuff like heath-care reform and the war in Iraq, not the trivial garbage like subjective notions of parenting and how many minutes a day a "good dad" spends with his children. .... Elizabeth Edwards has incurable breast cancer. Not even her doctors know how much time she has.

No sholay in Ram Gopal Varma’s Aag Hindustan Times, India Aadhe idhar jao, aadhe udhar jao, baki Ram Gopal ki Aag ke saath jao. Call it deja vu minus all the good parts. That’s the risk one takes while updating a legend like Sholay. Ram Gopal Varma took that risk and it’s official now: Aag is a flop with expected losses to the tune of a whopping Rs 40 crore. ..... A total of 101 prints have been distributed across Delhi, the NCR region and UP. But with not one of the single-screen theatres buying the print ...... “To begin with, there was no advance booking. On the first two days of its release, it could only register an occupancy of less than 20 per cent.” ..... “Audiences have declined the film. As a viewer, even I am with them. The verdict is clear and there’s nothing to look forward to.” He added he has learnt a lesson: “Don’t copy a classic. Period.” .... Ab tera kya hoga, Ramu?
And the Worst Film Award goes to.. Hindustan Times, India RGV who has made a mockery of a classic. ...... the Worst Actor as well as the Worst Actor in a Negative Role Awards (so much confusion nowadays) goes out to Amitabh Bachchan for the hammiest, over-the-top, yucky delineation of Babban Gabban Singh ........ If I dug into my nostrils, it’s because I’m a director’s actor. He also told me to flick my tongue around when a rape scene was in progress. He told me to yell, sit as if all my limbs were in a kathak pose and behave like Jack Nicholson meets Johnny Lever. He also made me wear a potato gunny sack.. very hot it was.. prevented me from a haircut for 100 days.. and painted this little worm on my nose. ...... the new Expressionless Wonder in Town Prashant Raj ..... another Special Jury Award to Mr Bachchan for killing hundreds of ants, mosquitoes and bees
I didn't take tips from Big B: Prashant NDTV.com But among all of us, Mr Bachchan was simply amazing. Even after being an actor for so long, his commitment to his character and the intensity that he brings is a lesson for all newcomers.
Amitabh Bachchan misses Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag press conference ! India Target, NY he excused himself from going to Delhi as his mother's health needed his attention and therefore decided to drop out at the last minute.” ..... Bachchan was quite excited about coming to Delhi for the press conference but his mother fell ill and he had to cancel his visit here.
'Remaking Sholay is like playing with fire' Hindustan Times Hema Malini and Jaya Bachchan aren't too happy with the remake. Your comments? .... In the film industry, Sholay holds a special position. When one decides to make a remake of such a huge hit, it's like playing with fire.
RGV Ki Aag Times of India our desi auteur ends up axing the soul out of the cult film. Somehow, the dark tones of the film become symptomatic of the quality of the film: it's Sholay minus the timeless glow...... he tries hard to lend the character a new menace, but all that snaky tongue-twisting, the tubucular cough and the onion breathstorm fail to stand up to the simple majesty of the '70s dacoit. .... he too flops miserably in the 'soocide' sequence — it's the beefy newcomer (Prashant Raj) who does a complete hara-kiri with Amitabh's angry young Jai. No one sheds a tear when Jai dies, this time. ... The filmmaker who seems to have mastered the art of the gangster film — remember Sarkar, Company, Satya — fails to create a new language for this old classic. ..... Babban's occasional brutish hysteria. .... While Sushmita Sen transforms the silent widow into a holier-than-thou mannequin, Nisha Kothari makes kachumber out of sweet ole Basanti.
Sholay should be seen again, not made again: Hema Hindustan Times classics like Mughal-e-Azam and Sholay shouldn't be touched .... However, Hema was confident that Amitabh Bachchan, who was Jai in the original, would do justice to his role as Gabbar Singh in the new version. "Amitabh Bachchan is a great actor and he is capable of doing justice to any role, including Gabbar." ..... the actress who hopes to open a classical dance institute in Bhopal one day. ... She has two dreams - to act with Esha in a film and perform at the Khajuraho Dance festival where daughters Esha and Ahana had danced last year.
Big B fan attempts suicide outside Jalsa Times of India

Craig Resigns From US Senate Over Restroom Incident (Update4) Bloomberg
Pakistan power-sharing talks deadlocked Houston Chronicle In London, Bhutto said the talks were at a "standstill" because members of the ruling party objected to working with her Pakistan People's Party, the country's main opposition party which she has led from exile. ..... The two camps had been negotiating an agreement for Musharraf to resign as army chief, ending military rule of Pakistan since he seized power in a 1999 coup. Bhutto also wanted the president to give up the power to dismiss the government and parliament. However, she has failed to win a public commitment from Musharraf on those two critical points. ..... Bhutto "was asking too many concessions." ..... "She wanted that the president should not have the power to dissolve the parliament. She wanted that we should scrap corruption cases against her, and this is what we didn't accept." ..... "We've taken the decision to announce on Sept. 14 the date of my return ..... According to Pakistani law, Musharraf must stand for re-election by the national and provincial assemblies between Sept. 15 and Oct. 15, and parliamentary elections have to be held by mid-January. An amendment allowing Musharraf to serve simultaneously as president and army chief runs out on Dec. 31. ...... Pakistan's newly independent Supreme Court could declare Musharraf's continued military rule unconstitutional. .... She wanted Pakistan's ban on prime ministers serving a third term lifted, which would allow her, as well as Sharif to run again for prime minister.
Democratic VP List Might Soon Shrink ABC News Warner has been seen by Democratic strategists as a potentially attractive running mate because he left office with an approval rating of 80 percent despite governing in a traditionally Republican state. ...... He has also thought of making another run for governor in 2009 ..... While Warner's executive image of himself is more in tune with the job of governor, the fact that not all of his daughters are done with high school in northern Virginia is one factor adding to the Senate's appeal. ..... Mark Warner likes to joke that the "most memorable" part of his '96 Senate run was the bumper stickers one of his supporters printed up which said: "Mark, not John." ... "Someone in Southside Virginia pulled up next to us one day and said: 'Excuse me, sir, what kind of biblical reference is that?'" ... He promises an announcement on his future plans in "a week or so."
GOP Nomination Remains Up for Grabs The Associated Press The Republican presidential race is extraordinarily volatile ..... Giuliani leads the field in national popularity polls but Mitt Romney, the ex-governor of Massachusetts, has maintained an edge where it counts — in some of the first states to vote. ... Looming large is the Iraq war and a dispirited party faithful smarting over losses in last year's midterm elections. Dividing the field are immigration and abortion. Wreaking havoc is an evolving primary calendar. .... Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Nevada, Florida and Wyoming are to vote in January, and Michigan is ready to complete a similar move. Dates and delegate allotments are in flux. .... Michigan is poised to become a player. The legislature voted to move the state's primary from Feb. 26 to Jan. 15, and Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm is expected to sign the bill. ..... Nevada ... One poll shows him with a double-digit lead over Giuliani and Thompson. Romney could benefit from a residual effect of his good standing in other early states as well as from his faith, given the state has one of the top five largest Mormon populations in the nation. ...... South Carolina .. a state that demands shoe-leather politicking ..... Romney is expected to pay more attention to Florida and devote more resources to it soon, giving chase to Giuliani. .... Whoever makes it to Mega Tuesday will need boatloads of cash to compete on the expensive TV airwaves in the nearly two dozen states holding contests. Well-funded candidates are focusing on states where they believe they have the best chance — and can pick up the most delegates. ..... Giuliani is stockpiling money and keeping a tight rein on spending to be ready for this day. He has centered much of his strategy around it, paying particular attention to California's bounty of 173 delegates. His home state, New York, votes on Mega Tuesday and could bring in 101 delegates as does neighboring New Jersey with 52 delegates and larger Democratic-leaning states such as Illinois. It offers 70 delegates.
Clooney says Barack Obama has rock star aura, but other Dems not ... The Canadian Press
Clinton Builds Lead 4 Months Out The Associated Press
Obama Will Be Rewarded for His Open Talk About Bad US Policy on Cuba AlterNet The news that Fidel Castro is betting on the Clinton-Obama dream ticket should be taken with a large Mohito. It makes you wonder which TV station denied to ordinary Cubans that he is relying on for his news. ...... the inane and inept foreign policy that has got the US nowhere in Cuba and led it up the Tigris elsewhere. ....... There is no way the overwhelming white Cuban supporters of the Cuban American National Foundation would vote for a black candidate ........ one of the secrets of the Castro's success is that Afro-Cubans are very well aware that the exiled would-be rulers in Miami are not exactly equal opportunities types. ...... Their ancestors had maintained slavery until 1886 -- and many aspects of segregation right up to the revolution. They would not be welcomed as liberators. ....... It is highly likely that like many Anglo whites, the more conservative and anti-Castro Cubans support the Republicans for the same racial reasons more than any perceived Democratic softness towards Castro. ....... her foreign policy is identical in most respects to the neocons, as her comments on Iraq, Israel and much of the rest of the globe will testify. ....... Castro does not have a free press, does not allow free unions, and locks up some dissidents. Neither does China. ...... The embargo punishes ordinary people in Cuba .... the restrictions are morally unjustified and are tactically inane .... Uncle Sam's vindictive hostility.

John Edwards Bets the Farm Time the pretty small-town squares fill with voters who say they feel a strong attachment to the former Senator from North Carolina. They relate to his rural Southern style. ..... The Democratic establishment has fallen into line behind Clinton; a great many people are inspired by Obama; the media are preoccupied with the competition between the two. ....... in recent weeks, as his campaign pulled staffers from Nevada and he stayed stuck in third place in New Hampshire, the first of those four states has become a must-win ....... Everything John Edwards says, does and wears, from the frayed cuffs of his faded jeans to the rolled-up sleeves of his basic blue shirt, tells these people he is one of them. ..... "I've made up my mind," she says. "He's my man. He knows exactly what we want." When I ask her what impressed her most, she can't point to anything in particular. She's quiet for a moment, then says, "It's more the whole feeling." ....... taken a week after Edwards' seven-day, 31-stop bus tour, gives him 29% of the vote, 5 points ahead of Clinton and 7 ahead of Obama. ....... only 5% to 10% of voters go to the caucuses ..... Iowa may be the only place where the feeling for him is so powerful. .... Iowa Democrats seem to like Edwards more for who he is than for what he says. ..... "The media goes to this very engaging story about a legitimate woman candidate and a legitimate candidate with an African-American heritage, and that drives up their fund-raising numbers," says Elizabeth, the unfiltered voice of the campaign ..... John Edwards always knew Clinton was going to be formidable, but he didn't bank on Obama. ..... Edwards believes that Obama will fade, as Bradley did, giving him a clean shot at Clinton. So far, Obama isn't cooperating, and Clinton is trying to triangulate her differences with Edwards and Obama by being the candidate of "change and experience," someone who sees the "invisible people" ....... he simply interviewed people and let them tell their stories ..... Another man on the porch, James Figgs, said he was moved by Edwards' visit but he'll probably vote for Obama. ...... He told Lowe's story at every event for the rest of the day, and he hasn't stopped since. ..... his goal of eliminating poverty within 30 years ..... Rallying people to help the have-nots has given way to rallying people to help themselves. ..... "Some of the best information I got was from lobbyists," says Bill Bradley. "What's important isn't shutting them out but breaking the money connection."
A Civil War Over Early Primaries
Campaigning by the Book