I don't understand the media's amazement that a black guy could become governor of New York. Do they think black guys are dumb ? Do they think that the Klan and racists in NY are so prominent that they would have the ability to keep a black guy out of office ?
Paterson's dad was a successful politician in NY. As I look at elected officials across the country, I see plenty of black men and women holding office. Heck, Rapid City, SD, with maybe a 1% black population has/had a black mayor.
What I don't see out there are many handicapped politicians. Why isn't this a bigger deal than the color of this guy's skin ?
Paterson has to be a seriously smart and brave man to take on such a post with his handicap. A politician needs to be able to "get around". Even being in a wheelchair would make it hard to do one's job as an elected official. Not being able to read, to be able to take notes that can be easily found is a tremendous handicap for a person who has to assess problems and then find ways to deal with them.
Dealing with people face to face is also a problem for blind and visually impaired people as they cannot make out people's facial expressions or body language.
By all accounts, David Paterson has dealt with all these adversities admirably. I hope he succeeds for himself & for New York.
I just don't understand why the media is so fixated on race over handicap. Black people run the gamut, nowadays, from the boardroom to the homeless shelter. Black people are successful all the time, folks. This one goes to the gimps.