Come out, come out wherever you are!
Gov. Paterson this morning tried to smoke out potential 2010 foes — presumably Democrat Andrew Cuomo and Republican Rudy Giuliani – when he called on “phantom” candidates to say publicly why they would make better governors.
“I keep hearing about all these people who are running for office,” Paterson said during an appearance on CNBC’s “Squawk Box.” “If you had any courage, if you wanted to become a leader in a crisis, get up and say what you’d do now.”
Cuomo, the state attorney general, and Giuliani, the former mayor, have been talked about for months as potential challengers to Paterson in next year’s race for governor and public opinion polls show both would trounce the unpopular governor. So far, neither man has announced plans to run.
Cuomo, who’s widely considered the Democratic frontrunner, insists he’s seeking a second term as attorney general. Giuliani has said he’s considering a run for governor, but fellow Republicans say he hasn’t given them any indication that he’s serious.
“When all these phantom people who say they’re running for governor get into this race, they are going to have to same questions I’ve been answering for 18 months,” Paterson said. “If they wanted to show that they were different and exciting and would make Albany a different place, why don’t they answer those questions now.”
The host asked Paterson if he had a particular phantom in mind:
“You’re talking about Mayor Giuliani?” he asked.
“I’m not talking about anybody in particular,” Paterson replied.
“He’s talking about Cuomo,” said a second broadcaster, but Paterson responded as if he hadn’t heard the remark.
Paterson’s appearance on the business news network was his latest effort in a campaign to recast himself as a fiscal conservative after crafting a budget last spring that increased taxes by some $8 billion.
His “phantom” challenge comes as Paterson himself has come under fire for not offering a plan on how to close the state’s estimated $3 billion budget gap.