February 11, 2012 · www.gothamgazette.com

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Perkins Invites Paterson to Main Street
December 10th, 2009

Sen. Bill Perkins said Gov. David Paterson’s defense of Wall Street yesterday during a speech at the American Museum of American Finance did not sit well with some of his constituents.

“I think there are a lot of people who are unemployed, who need hope, who need to have a champion in the Governor,” said Perkins. “I would like to see him come to Main Street, come to 125th Street to see whats going on with most people. Wall Street is not Main Street.”

Yesterday Paterson said during his speech: “You don’t hear anybody in New England complaining about clam chowder. You don’t hear anybody in Maryland complaining about crab cakes. If you say anything about corn in Iowa, they’ll run you out of town,” Paterson said. “If you say anything about oil in Texas, they’ll string you up the nearest tree. We need to stand behind our engine of economy in New York, and that engine is Wall Street.”

Perkins said that he saw no reason to “put Wall Street on a pedestal.” “Wall Street needs to resurrect,” said Perkins, “but they should be criticized when they do wrong like anyone else and according to a lot of reports the criticism that has been directed at them is valid.”

Perkins said that Paterson’s comments hit some of his constituents the wrong way. “It makes my constituents wonder, ‘What about me? I don’t even have a job.’ To hear him compare criticism of Wall street to criticizing oil in Texas and being worthy of being hung didn’t sit well either,” Perkins concluded.

A number of Perkinss colleagues were less gracious in their reaction to Paterson’s comments. One Senator painted Paterson’s comments as a desperate ploy to boost fund raising. He described it as Paterson “giving them (Wall Street) a big hug.”

At a time when Wall Street is generally loathed by the American public as greedy, unethical and full of thieves, it is striking that Paterson, who is in desperate need of a boost in the polls, would take such a position. But it is perfectly in line with Paterson’s recent redefining of himself as the guy who will tell you the hard truth about the economy whether you want to hear it or not.

A number of Senators claim Paterson has staked his future on attacking them as fiscally irresponsible do-nothings while blowing the state’s financial crisis out of proportion. Paterson lashed out at Sen. Pedro Espada for suggesting as much.

The battle could come to a head in a very real way if Paterson holds good on his threat to delay aid payments to localities and schools. Senators have indicated they would go to court to try to prove Paterson does not have the power to delay payments. Paterson has openly taunted the legislature, daring it to sue him.

By David King on December 10, 2009, 1:45 pm
In category: Albany, Eye on Albany | No Comments »

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