Rick Lazio: Leave David Paterson Alone!
This is a weird chapter in New York state politics! Just like the previous eighteen weird chapters. You know, there's the chapter where some politicians changed parties for a while and brought Albany to a complete halt and also of course The Chapter About The Face-Slasher, who may or may not be expelled from the Senate today. Now we have lonely Rick Lazio, the Republican contender for Governor, who has written a letter to the Times demanding that the paper immediately publish its forthcoming David Paterson story, which may or may not be about anything at all! (Sidenote: It's about something, as far as we know, but you know, who cares any more? Also? Paterson is saying "There is no story!" Meanwhile, his semi-defenders at the Post still write today: "Sources said Paterson plans to meet today with the paper's editors and reporters in hopes of heading off a damaging story." Heh?) So what have we all learned from this? All we've learned that Rick Lazio isn't all that bright.
Does that really count as something we just now learned?
Actually, he might be cleverer than we are giving him credit. Lazio's Gambit ™ is that Cuomo might piss off African-American voters (it has happened before when he ran excessively hard against H. Carl McCall, weakening against Pataki). From Jonathan Capehart:
If Andrew Cuomo is perceived as having somehow muscled Patterson — the first African-American governor — out of office, Lazio may make some inroads into that voting block or at the very least get large amounts to stay home come election day.