Mar 14, 2008 4:12 pm US/Central
Obama Calls New York Governor-To-Be Paterson
Superdelegate Supports Clinton
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
David Paterson -- who on Monday will become New York's first black governor -- took a call of congratulations from presidential candidate Barack Obama.
Paterson supports Hillary Rodham Clinton for president.
But Paterson said he and Obama shared some laughs in a brief phone call this week during which the presidential candidate congratulated him.
Paterson is a superdelegate but he says there was no pressure from Obama to switch his support.
Paterson was known by very few outside the realms of state government, but now, the legally blind, African-American man of good humor is poised to take over New York's government, and as those who know him speak out on his character, it seems New Yorkers are ready to embrace him.
To many New Yorkers, the soon-to-be governor is a virtual unknown. But he's about to assume a vast amount of power and influence over the Empire State. So even after Paterson addressed the media for the first time on Thursday since news of Spitzer's scandal rocked the political and public spheres, many are wondering where he stands on the issues, and where his dealing with them will lead the administration.
"David Paterson is a west side liberal, he's a liberal," said Norman Adler.
He's known as a fiercely independent figure. But ideologically he's a proud liberal. He was arrested in 1999 at 1 Police Plaza for protesting the police shooting of Armadou Diallo. Three years later, he was arrested again for protesting the Rockefeller drug laws. He's often taken positions to the left of the Democrat he's replacing officially on Monday.
Unlike Spitzer, he opposed the death penalty and the so-called 'Baby AIDS Bill' requiring newborns to be tested for HIV. He also supports the commuter tax for people working in New York City, one of many issues that directly impact Big Apple residents.
Like most New York City liberals, he supports abortion rights, gay marriage and stem cell research.
At Thursday's press conference, the incoming governor was asked how his views might change.
"There are some points of views I've changed over the years but I'm pretty much the same person," replied a witty Paterson, who several times provoked outbursts of laughter from reporters in attendance.
Occasionally, Paterson has defied liberal orthodoxy, notably with his support for charter schools, which conservatives fervently support.
Now observers are wondering what he will do now that he's no longer just representing Harlem.
"He's going to have to find issues to deal with that are attractive to a variety of sections for the state and people within his own party. Everybody in the Democratic Party up in Albany is NOT a liberal," said Adler.
The question is which of his positions he'll push for and which ones he'll put on the back burner. Spitzer promised to help make New York the first state to pass a gay marriage bill, only time will tell how Paterson responds as governor, but regardless, it's been an interesting introduction.
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
