Paterson rides crisis wave to second term?

Governor David Paterson hasn’t been exactly flawless of late — he did call Albany lawmakers a bunch of “blood suckers” — but his handling of the Wall Street crisis has drawn raves.

In an interview with NCPR, Stephen Acquario, head of the New York State Association of Counties, described Paterson as prescient.

“Some people described him as alarmist or Mr. Negative,” Acquario said. “But to his credit, as chief steward he had an obligation to sound those alarms. And with the action on Wall Street this week, I think he was dead-on right.”

“Governor Paterson was doing an excellent job of managing…the fiscal crisis,” chimed in New York Business Council President Ken Adams, in an interview with Albany correspondent Karen DeWitt.

Not so many months ago, New York’s political class considered Paterson a lightweight, a man known more for his quips than his leadership style.

It was widely speculated that he would step aside after filling out Governor Eliot Spitzer’s first term.

But this crisis has given Paterson the opportunity to step clear of Spitzer’s shadow. So far, he’s managed it gracefully.