By BRENDAN SCOTT, Post Correspondent
Last updated: 7:09 am
September 9, 2008
Posted: 4:13 am
September 9, 2008
ALBANY - As Sheldon Silver and other legislators prepared to do battle in today's primaries, Gov. Paterson yesterday called state lawmakers political Draculas - "bloodsuckers" who tell constituents one thing by day before going back to their wicked ways when the sun goes down.
In a speech to the New York Association on Independent Living, which had lobbied unsuccessfully to overturn funding cuts to the group during last month's special budget session, Paterson said the result shows lawmakers pay lip service to small groups of advocates while protecting large special interests.
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"I used to think legislators practice their own versions of being Count Dracula," Paterson said. "They would be very nice to the advocates when they came to Albany.
"By 5 o'clock, the sun would go down and they would go back to who they are - a bunch of bloodsuckers."
Among the lawmakers facing significant primary challenges today is Assembly Speaker Silver.
Paterson's comments drew shrieks of horror from lawmakers who said it conjured shades of his predecessor, Eliot Spitzer.
Paterson, who served 20 years as a state senator, has pledged to improve on Spitzer's confrontational relationship with lawmakers.
"Good grief, here we go again," said Assemblyman John McEneny (D-Albany).
"It doesn't seem to be a productive statement in any way and it would appear to be inconsistent with the governor's goal of establishing respect between the two branches."
Others worried the famously witty Paterson was risking gains with the Legislature for a punch line.
"The governor's comments were flip and not very amusing," Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos (R-LI) said in a statement. "In fact, they were 'Spitzeresque.' Coming from the Legislature, [Paterson] should know better."
A spokesman for Silver declined to respond to Paterson's Dracula comparison.
Paterson - in remarks to reporters later - tried to soften the comment, but repeated his charge that some lawmakers were duplicitous.
"I didn't say that my colleagues were bloodsuckers," Paterson said. "I said that there were certain people that listen to advocates and as soon as they left and it got dark were acting in that way like Count Dracula because they really didn't care and were not about to do anything for the advocates."
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