Gov. David Paterson compared the state’s inaction in the Capitol to governments in Bosnia and Iran.
Paterson appeared on the “Jon Gambling Show” on WOR-AM Thursday morning and complained that the Senate had not agreed for a joint session of the Legislature so that he can discuss the fiscal mess in New York to lawmakers.
"I'm getting some push back about even being allowed to speak before my colleagues," Paterson said. "Now if this was Bosnia or in the middle of Tehran, maybe I would understand why this is happening, but this is New York State and the United States of America.
The Senate Democrats see no reason for the special session a top Senate aide, told the Daily News recently. If there is no budget deal, they don’t want to go back to Albany.
The aide said Paterson has no reason to address the legislature if there is a deal.
"We're not going to just sit there as part of some kind of photo op and campaign ad for the governor," the aide said.
The Senate Democrats are opposed to the more than $1 billion cuts in school budgets and health care the governor proposed earlier this year. Assembly Democrats hope to close the $3.1 billion budget gap this year by making budget cuts similar to the budget cuts Paterson planned.
Local
Insiders said negotiations have not been very successful.
Paterson warned that the Democrat’s poor election results show what is coming if Democrats don’t change.
"Stick around, next year in 2010, if people don't do things differently, you'll see a bigger sample, the same thing you saw on Tuesday," he said, dismissing arguments that Tuesday’s election was a small sample of just two states.
He blamed Comptroller Bill Thompson’s defeat on the media “indoctrinating people” on a New York City Caribbean radio station.
"They led people to believe that Mayor Bloomberg was going to win by 20 points, that this race is over, and there wasn't even any reason to go out to vote," he said.
He also criticized labor unions for not mobilizing grassroots efforts that would have helped the comptroller.
He shifted gears to his own race next year, saying that he has been portaged in the media as someone who cannot win. Thompson’s close loss makes him want to run even more.
“After I saw how close Bill Thompson came when they said he didn't have a chance, believe me, I'm not going anywhere," Paterson said. "If they beat me, they're going to have to take me out."
Paterson denied recent reports that he has reconsidered his run for governor in the midst of new poll numbers that show him losing.
