Today’s Times has an article on how New York Governor David Paterson (CC ’77) has managed to reach amazingly low poll numbers in part through being perceived as “increasingly remote.” Included as an example of this remoteness is a section telling of how Paterson canceled his scheduled commencement address at Teachers College last Spring two hours before he was supposed to speak–for the second year in a row:
Last May, Mr. Paterson was lined up to speak in Manhattan at the evening graduation ceremony for Teachers College, Columbia University. It was kind of a makeup: he had agreed in 2008 to be the speaker at the same ceremony but canceled at the last minute because he needed emergency eye surgery. University officials were surprised last year when Mr. Paterson canceled again, with just two hours’ notice.
But what’s perhaps more significant, at least from our humble perspective, is how the animosity between Paterson and our dear PrezBo seems to have perpetuated. PrezBo’s office failed to confirm to the Times that Paterson had called to apologize:
Mr. Paterson said that the next day, he called the president of Columbia, Lee C. Bollinger, to explain what had happened, though Mr. Bollinger, through a spokesman, said he could not recall such a phone call.
We’re not sure if PrezBo and the Governor have any beef outside of these incidents, but it seems unlikely that Paterson will be invited to speak at any more commencement events in the near future.
7 Comments
@Alum TC has its own president. That’s probably who Paterson apologized to, which would explain why Bollinger doesn’t remember the phone call.
Then again, TC’s president is a woman. Bollinger isn’t. Paterson may be blind, but he’s not deaf. I doubt he’d make that kind of mistake. But he may just have said “the president”, leaving the reporter to fill in the name.
(And before anyone posts outraged rebuttals, Paterson makes jokes like this about his impairment all the time. It wasn’t an injult; just an observation.)
@Anonymous I am OFFENDED.
@Anonymous photos or it didn’t happen
@i've heard of this same scenario 2-3 times from friends who saw this guy and (separately) an elderly woman who had similar online proclivities, watching porn at the terminals outside of reference – it’s definitely a thing
@cnnbcbs stupid moderation policy.
@cnnbcbs Rebuttal from Gov, via http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/2010/02/kauffmann-rebuts.html:
“Governor Paterson did not cancel an appearance at Columbia University on May 19, 2009. In fact, he asked to speak earlier in the program but his request was denied…. The Governor had to be back in Albany the evening of May 19 in time to receive a security briefing in relation to an anti-terrorism sting operation that led to high-profile arrests of four suspects on May 20. Had the school granted the request, the Governor would have spoken. As a matter of policy, the Administration does not disclose information on confidential security briefings.”
And the terror plot:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/21/nyregion/21arrests.html?_r=1&hp
@cnnbcbs I always thought he was a myth, like the Roswell aliens or Loch Ness.
As long as both hands are on the keyboard/mouse, I have no problem.
PS: Next time, take photos.