ALBANY
GOV. Paterson was being described as a dead man walking yesterday by even some of his closest advisers, who said the devastatingly low ratings in a new Quinnipiac University poll – reflecting a broad sense of an administration in meltdown – are too great to overcome.
“It looks like it’ll be Gov. Cuomo,” sighed a longtime Paterson loyalist
Words like “unprecedented” and “unbelievable” were being used to describe Paterson’s collapse in popularity – but many on the inside said they weren’t all that surprised.
Those who’ve known Paterson well for decades say he’s always been unfocused, self-centered, often lazy – and, at times, clownish and immature. More often than not, these traits have resulted in his having a disorganized and dysfunctional staff as a senator, Senate minority leader and now as governor.
Paterson, who spent 20 years as a part-time legislator, was also long known for his delight in extra-office activities including late-night partying, the excesses of which account for the bouts of dizziness and exhaustion that have dogged him for so long.
“He’s a lifestyle politician: He loves the trappings, the planes, the Mansion, the bodyguards, the travel, the national TV time – not the work,” said a Democratic activist who has known him well.
When Paterson took over from the disgraced Eliot Spitzer nearly a year ago, the question for many close to him was whether he’d change his ways in order to function as a full-time chief executive.
Yesterday’s poll provided what may well be the definitive answer. “The David we’re seeing in this new poll is the David we’ve known was there all along – but hoped wouldn’t emerge when he became governor,” said a longtime Paterson associate.
“For us the question has always been, ‘Could he change his ways, would he do it differently when he became governor?’ The answer, sadly, is obviously ‘no,’ ” the source continued.
When Paterson has succeeded politically he’s done so because of the critical help of others – his father Basil, when he first ran for Senate; the Rev. Al Sharpton and several Harlem leaders when he became Senate minority leader; then-Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, who chose him to be lieutenant governor.
When Paterson unexpectedly succeeded Spitzer nearly a year ago, he was lucky enough to have a capable and thoughtful chief of staff, Charles O’Byrne, at his side.
But Paterson was left adrift after O’Byrne, a 20-hour-a-day workaholic who was known for his ability to “get David to focus,” had to resign because of tax problems. Left on his own and without a new O’Byrne at his side, the governor has been going rapidly downhill ever since.
Some loyalists think there’s still hope for Paterson’s political survival if can find a strong new chief of staff. But others are sure it’s too late. “The David you’ve been seeing screwing up is the David we’ve known for a long, long time,” said a Paterson associate.
Fredric U. Dicker is The Post’s state editor.