When U.S. President Barack Obama sent an envoy to New York to advise black, blind Governor David Paterson not to run for office next year, he had no idea how New Yorkers would react.
He soon found out. New Yorkers are outraged at the audacity of a president to get involved in local politics. "Who does he think he is?" is being heard over and over again on the streets of NY. One New Yorker attempted a feeble defense of Obama, "Look, he's from Chicago, where a politician just awaits orders from ABOVE. What can you expect? He's a busybody. He doesn't get it that here in NY, we do things differently. Hello, NY politicians take their orders from BELOW, from the people."
But others were not so understanding. "Obama has to have his finger in every pie. He heard the word 'intervention' and decided it was time for him to stage one. But why couldn't he find some drug addict on the streets of NY and drag him off to a rehabilitation facility? No, instead he decides to go right to the top and focus on booting the governor out of office. It's an outrage."
New Yorkers are rallying around their man. Rumor is that the next poll will show a huge surge in popularity for the beleaguered governor. One New Yorker indicated his disgust for Obama by quoting Lord Acton: "All power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely."
Governor Paterson is trying to remain calm and philosophical; at one point he quoted Jonathan Swift, "There are none so blind as those who cannot see." But in a less patient moment, he was heard to say, "Obama made a big mistake when he had the gall to take aim and try to kick me out of office. Wait until he tries to run again. That guy is toast."
