Phillip discussed Governor Paterson's dismal poll numbers earlier today and there is one part of this poll that I found very intriguing:
It appears that Paterson's decision to sacrifice transparency in favor of a timely budget backfired. When presented with 10 potential factors for the Governor's declining popularity and more than half of voters say that his handling of the state's finances, giving raises to his staff and negotiating the budget in secret were factors that greatly contributed to his falling approval ratings.
Sixty-three percent of voters said that the secrecy of the budget proceeding "contributed greatly" to his declining popularity, while another 24 percent said it "somewhat contributed."
It appears that at long last, transparency and budget reform has become a salient issue for votors. It's not clear why this is suddenly becoming an issue because after all, Paterson is not the first Governor to conduct budget negotiations in secret, not by a long shot. But perhaps there is a voter backlash developing because for decades in the Senate minority and during his brief stint as Lieutenant Governor, Paterson was a harsh critic of the secret budget process.
Simply put, Paterson's reputation may have led voters to believe and hope he would change things in Albany and by turning all three branches of state government over to the Democrats last fall, voters were actually expecting change. And so far it's not an understatement to say those hopes been tragically unfulfilled.
I do not think this bodes well for the 2010 elections. The GOP are of course, no better. The whole dismal state that is Albany was largely the fault of Joe Bruno and Dean Skelos for the time they were in power, and giving the Senate back to the GOP will not make anything more transparent. But as Paterson's own career illuminates, the out-of-power call for reform can be a compelling political message.
So now, if not for the ethical and democratic reasons, at least that the voters are paying attention, I think it's time to shape up before we get shipped out. |
