In an unartful defense of President Obama, Gov. David Paterson seemingly posed the possibility that birther claims are true, according to the Daily News.
“Even if he wasn’t born in the United States, at this point, it’s kind of like he got away with it," the paper quoted Paterson as saying on his radio program. “A lot of people get away with a lot of things,” he reportedly added.
The term 'Birther' is an unaffectionate nickname for Obama detractors who believe the President was born in Kenya, and his long form Hawaiian birth certificate is a falsification.
"I think some might view Former Gov. David Paterson's apparently half-hearted defense of President Obama as an indication of personal animus," said Queens GOP Vice Chair Vince Tabone, adding, "I would wager that the Governor in many respects has every reason to be miffed at his party and this President."
Paterson was on record as not supporting ObamaCare for New York, according to the Daily News. While tangling with teachers unions, and attempting to make unpopular budget cuts in 2009, Paterson received attention for what Tabone called "extremely coincidental public relations episodes," one of which implicated his top aid in drug related charges.
"His appeals for help from the White House did not just fall on deaf ears [and in] 2009 in a stinging rebuke Obama urged Paterson not to seek re-election," said Tabone.
In addressing the birther controversy, Paterson reportedly compared Obama to Richard Nixon’s having won his presidential election in 1968, saying Nixon may have perpetrated "treason" in allegedly sabotaging President Lyndon Johnson’s Vietnam peace talks, but that Nixon “got away with it.”
But Tabone sees contrast between Nixon and Obama, saying, "Obama is no Nixon in the sense that he seems more than willing to throw any former ally under the bus who becomes an impediment."
Tabone's assessment of Paterson's comments is that he was trying to defend the president from birther charges, but the former governor "inadvertently betrayed his misgivings about Obama's general honesty and loyalty."
Patch asked Tabone if he believes Gov. Paterson has shifted to the political right. You can read his full .
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