There are some dark days ahead for outgoing Gov. Paterson.
The lame-duck governor admitted yesterday he’s fearful about giving up the cadre of handlers who have helped him navigate through his daily routine, and wonders how he’ll fend for himself as a blind man in New York City.
“So many duties that I would perform are really performed for me,” Paterson said during a marathon, five-hour appearance with WFAN’s “Mike’d Up” host, Mike Francesa.
“I’ve lost my sense of instinctive reaction, and I’m actually thinking I’m going to have to go back to one of the services for the blind and be retrained.”
“So, you’ve gotten soft is what you’re telling me,” Francesa joked.
“I’ve gotten soft,” Paterson said, laughing. “I’m a shell, a shell of the man I was before I became governor.”
The governor, fielding a wide range of questions from the show’s co-host, said he thought his blindness helped turn public opinion against him—especially his inability to look directly into the camera and related mockery on “Saturday Night Live.”
He admits that he feels most comfortable on radio, causing some to speculate he might have been auditioning for a broadcasting career after leaving office.
Paterson also said he was “talking to a few schools” about teaching jobs after he leaves office.
The governor has spent recent days giving exit interviews to various media outlets as he prepares to leave office on Jan. 1.
Paterson also discussed his rocky tenure in Albany.
He blasted state lawmakers for refusing to accept his economic warnings and bemoaned a general decline in leadership in the state Capitol.
“The caliber of people I worked with 25 years ago in Albany is far superior to those that are there now,” Paterson said.
Francesa tossed mostly softballs yesterday, skipping, for instance, questions about Paterson’s acceptance of free World Series tickets last year, a decision that resulted in ethics charges against the governor.
Paterson—a noted sports-trivia buff—has been a frequent WFAN call-in guest since he was a mere Democratic state senator from Harlem.
Francesa joked that Paterson turned down his offer to permanently replace former co-host Chris “Mad Dog” Russo, who left in August 2008 to start his own show on satellite radio.
Paterson also discussed sports issues ranging from LeBron James’ tortured departure from Cleveland to Derek Jeter’s contract dispute and the woeful Mets.
“I believe the core of the Mets is not a winning core,” said Paterson, a die-hard fan. “It wouldn’t be a bad idea to shuffle the deck.”
(Source: NY Post)
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One Response
It’s a shame that when a blind person achieved a position of prominence (albeit accidentally), he’s such a poor role model for blind children. I work with children who are visually impaired. They need role models who are independent. Paterson doesn’t know braille and can’t read print. He’s dependent on others to get information.