New York – President Obama’s aides were so furious that Gov. Paterson dragged him into a rant about racism that they sent a message sharply criticizing the governor’s comments just hours after he made them.
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Aides to Obama were angered by Paterson’s tirade on liberal talk-radio station WWRL on Friday.
Paterson blamed his political woes on racially slanted coverage and predicted the president would be the next “victim” of biased media.
Obama’s team delivered a pointed message to Paterson within hours of the morning broadcast.
It came in a call from White House political director Patrick Gaspard, who has deep ties to the New York political scene, to Larry Schwartz, the governor’s first deputy secretary.
Gaspard wanted to know “why [Paterson] was dragging the president into” his troubles.
But although Obama’s aides were unhappy, the sources said, the conversation was not hostile.
Obama, who still enjoys popularity in the polls despite taking some hits on the health-care issue, has rarely touched directly on issues of race. He won election by a wide margin with support across demographic lines and broad support among white voters.
“I’m not surprised” that his advisers were displeased, said one Democratic insider, adding that Gaspard is a fiercely loyal adviser who has been monitoring the situation in New York.
Paterson is facing growing calls from union leaders and others to reconsider his chances of winning election in 2010.
Paterson, New York’s first black governor, is suffering historically low popularity. He blamed his and Obama’s problems on a white-dominated media that he said had embarked on an attack campaign.
“My feeling is it’s being orchestrated, it’s a game, and people who pay attention know that,” he said.
He compared his troubles to Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, the nation’s only other black governor, then brought in the president.
“The next victim on the list — and you see it coming — is President Barack Obama,” he said, citing his efforts to change health care, (as was reported here on VIN News).
Paterson said the health-care debate was an example of how the nation is “not a postracial” society, a phrase often proudly used to describe the United States in the wake of Obama’s election.
Paterson aides declined comment yesterday.
But on Friday, the governor issued a “clarifying” statement, saying, “What I did point out was that certain media outlets have engaged in coverage that exploits racial stereotypes.”
There was speculation the later statement came because of the Gaspard call, although it was unclear whether they were related.
Where is it written that the President of the United States has the exclusive right to use the “race card” in his utterances?
Hey, if the President can do it, why not the Governor?
#1 obama feels that it takes away his attention…
Paterson is preparing Obama’s defense when just in case Obama’s rating will start falling into 40s or 30s% after his first year ends, then he too can start blaming the media for racism. But if Obama uses the race card after his health care bill goes kaput as planned, it will be a little bit of a Hutzpadik of him because even if Obama just has a heart beat, the media will still praise him for the nest half century.
It has been 25 years since Justice Powell first approved the use of race in the context of public higher education. Since that time, the number of minority applicants with high grades and test scores has indeed increased. We expect that 25 years from now, the use of racial preferences will no longer be necessary to further the interest approved today.
O’Connor’s clock has been ticking for more than five years now. With Obama’s ascension to the Oval Office, shouldn’t we dramatically accelerate the timetable? Can we finally complete that “last lap” by eliminating the hundreds of race- and gender-based preferences that are ensconced in federal law?
did we all forget that obama called that black profesor and officer crawley for beer at the white house only because the officer is black. why doesn’t he call the gov. in for beer as well? what a double talker!
Gov, you better watch out for that Obama bus as they come to throw you under it like they did his poor little grandma. You know, the one who was, “… a typical white person, who, if she sees somebody on the street that she doesn’t know…there’s a reaction that’s been bred into our experiences that don’t go away.”
Obama is upset because the truth hurts.
Gov. Paterson did a stupid but popular thing in blameing race when things go bad. This tactic of not taking responsibity for ones own actions and falling back on the race card has been going on for decades. Mr. Obama when push will come to shove will do the same thing. The incident in Mass. was an example of Obama getting involed in a local matter that he added race into the issue . Paterson is just a weak Governor who is using a cop out to try to cover his short comings. There are some fine blacks in politics today but Mr. Paterson is not one of them….