Our governor is facing calls for his resignation because he got free tickets to a NY Yankees World Series game (valued at $450 per ticket). Yankee tickets? Really? That’s the best you can do? Now, I’m not exactly a huge David Paterson fan, but, come on now. Maybe it’s against “the rules” but on the NY State scale of political corruption (aka, the “Boss Tweed Scale”), this doesn’t even register. Look, I’m not a Blinky apologist or anything, but the guy’s already not running for a new term, and on the list of things that need fixing around here, the Blinkster’s pretty much at the bottom.
I actually feel bad for Paterson. I mean, here Eliot Spitzer comes a-callin’, saying, “yo, Dave, I need a black guy on the ticket. Plus the whole blind thing doesn’t hurt, either. So, you up for it or what?”
And Dave’s like, “hmm, let’s see. Lt. Gov. you say? That sounds like a pretty cushy do-nothing job with no real responsibilities. I bet I can even get free Yankees tickets out of it. Sounds good to me, El. Just don’t make me drop the opening puck at some backwater shit hole Upstate.”
Then Spitzer turns out to be one of the dumbest smart guys in history, and BAM! Paterson gets stuck with a multi-billion dollar deficit and a dysfunctional state legislature (that he was pals with just a few month ago). He’s supposed to be going to baseball games and opening shopping malls, and now he’s stuck with this big pile of crap. And while he seems like a nice enough guy (though a little on the goofy side), he’s just not up for the job. But, hey, at least he isn’t out driving drunk.
Speaking of which, California State Senator Roy Ashburn (your typical married, father of four, all-American family values Republican gay basher) got pulled over and charged with DUI on his way home from a gay bar the other night. While the dude that was with him wasn’t charged, he no doubt went home very disappointed.
Thank goodness Prop 8 passed in California. Otherwise, the sanctity of Ashburn’s marriage might be in doubt.