| This one is kind of a sad one, but reminds us that the division between governing and politics is complicated:
First Lady Michelle Paige Paterson stumbled in her first foray into the fight for the Senate majority, mixing politics and governance by putting a fundraiser invitation on state letterhead.
Paige Paterson was scheduled to headline a June 24 Manhattan fundraiser for Democratic Senate candidate and family friend Don Barber, who is running against Sen. James Seward in the 51st Senate District. Barber is currently Caroline Town Supervisor in Tompkins County, a businessman, and a farmer.
In the invitation, Paige Paterson said, in part: "This is the kind of leadership we need in New York. I know you will agree with me that our 'blue' state should be led by a Democratic Senate, and Don's campaign will help us achieve that goal."
Printing the invitation on state letterhead was "absolutely something that should not have happened. And the event has been canceled," said Erin Duggan, a spokeswoman for Gov. David Paterson.
"It was an honest mistake," she added.
The good news: the fund-raiser will be rescheduled, and its very existence shows that maybe the truce is limited to recruiting, and not to campaigning. The story also points out some positive implications for the race in the 51st:
The Barber event, had it gone forward, would have included on its attendee list state Democratic Chair June O'Neill, Senate Minority Leader Malcolm Smith, and a number of Democratic senators.
While the Barber race is not currently considered in the top tier of competitive Senate races, the attendee list indicates there is high-level party interest in it.
We definitely need change here in the 51st, and it's good to hear that the party is aware of that. |
