Paterson, fellow Democrats in legislature at odds

On the eve of his abruptly arranged swearing-in nearly two years ago, Gov. David A. Paterson said, "I want all of those who may be a little hesitant about our trust to recognize that we are one government, and in an emergency we can work in a bipartisan way.

"We can function together and we can respect each other," he said.

The next day, lawmakers crowded into the Assembly chamber to witness his inauguration and exuded relief. Paterson, after all, had been one of their own - a state senator in the Democratic minority from 1986 until 2006, when "steamroller" Eliot Spitzer tapped him as his running mate for lieutenant governor.

Today, Paterson clearly finds the legislative branch a useful rhetorical foil, given its repeated corruption cases, its intramural intrigues and its low editorial esteem.

In his second - and possibly final - state-of-the-state address, Paterson asked for a list of changes from a Democratic legislature that shows little sign of agreeing to them.

"The corrosive effects of outside influence and inside decay have bred cynicism and scorn from the people of New York," Paterson scolded.

Among many other measures, he called for term limits for legislators. A few remembered that Gov. George Pataki - acknowledged by the governor from the podium during his 28-minute sprint of a speech - proposed that one back in the 1990s.

The initiative was quickly forgotten.

State Sen. Carl Kruger, a sometimes-GOP-friendly Brooklyn Democrat, last year squeezed and leveraged his way to the powerful chairmanship of the Senate Finance Committee.

Moments after the speech, Kruger - known to propose a fiscal gimmick or two in his time - convincingly played his role as Paterson's foil.

"David Paterson has been part of the organization for 25 years, as a member of the Senate, as a minority leader, as lieutenant governor, as well as the governor," Kruger said. "I think he's forgotten all of that."

Kruger echoed what some others said as they departed. "He thinks he can raise his poll numbers by running against the legislature. . . . It's hypocritical to talk about partnering, and on the other side blaming the legislature of this state for everything short of the Jamestown Flood." The chairman acknowledged he meant the Johnstown Flood. But the point was clear enough.

Officials at the state's public-integrity commission said the panel hadn't been consulted about his sweeping ethics proposals. But, of course, that might not matter in terms of the public splash the proposals make.

In the Assembly chamber were two Democrats eyeing Paterson's position. Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, once introduced, took his position on the rostrum behind the governor with a quick wave. Suffolk Executive Steve Levy got a seat at the back of the chamber, where he once served.

The governor called this "a winter of reckoning." He attacked "special interests." Toward the end, he said, "There is . . . an opportunity to remake ourselves and our state."

Paterson was talking about the economy, and the bad-news budget he will soon present. But he could have been discussing the electoral landscape too - where he and his rivals will face their own season of reckoning.