NY Times releases Paterson exposé

By. J. DeVoy

A little over a week ago I mentioned that New York Governor David Paterson was shaking in his boots regarding a then-unpublished piece that may end his political career.  As Ferdinand Bardamu speculated, the fact that Paterson handled it so poorly virtually assured that a forgivable infraction would become fatal.

Yesterday, the New York Times opened the floodgates.  One of Paterson’s aides, David W. Johnson, had an altercation with a woman who claims she was later harassed by state police and then called by Paterson, leading to her dropping the case.  Paterson, heeding the classic advice of deny and counter-accuse, offered a different view:

Through a spokesman, Mr. Paterson said the call actually took place the day before the scheduled court hearing and maintained that the woman had initiated it. He declined to answer further questions about his role in the matter.

Bardamu’s analysis seems to be the credited one: This is small potatoes in terms of scandals, yet Paterson built it up to a point where it now threatens his political career.  To be clear, Paterson likely would have lost re-election without this event, desperately flailing and claiming that racism is the root of his many woes.  But in a state where the former senate majority leader was found guilty of corruption, this could have very easily slid under the voters’ radar.  From Jamestown to Nassau, the consensus is that New York government sucks, yet it never changes.

More details about Johnson and the alleged altercation, from the article:

The alleged assault happened shortly before 8 p.m. on Halloween in the apartment she had shared with Mr. Johnson and her 13-year-old son for about four years, according to police records.

She told the police that Mr. Johnson, who is 6-foot-7, had choked her, stripped her of much of her clothing, smashed her against a mirrored dresser and taken two telephones from her to prevent her from calling for help, according to police records.

The woman was twice granted a temporary order of protection against Mr. Johnson, according to the proceedings in Family Court in the Bronx.

“I’m scared he’s going to come back,” she said, according to the proceedings, in which a court referee at the initial hearing noted bruises on the woman’s arm.

While an aggressive and inexcusable beating, this isn’t the level of intensity I was expecting.  Politicians have left interns to drown in their sinking cars and gone on to continue serving in far more impressive positions than Johnson’s, until becoming brain dead.  Again, Paterson’s poor initial reaction led me to believe the facts would be far worse.  Also, choking is a recurring theme I’m seeing come up far too often lately.  The article says Johnson used his hands, with no mention of a belt.  The mind wanders…

The Times gives too much credit to this nameless victim.  She may have simply forgotten to show up at her hearing.  Or, from a more taboo angle, she may have never wanted to attend it.  Although she claims not to have seen Johnson since October 31, her reptilian hindbrain, overriding her grrlpower programming, may be responsible for the proceedings’ end.  Even the most attractive women will pair up with losers and degenerates if it makes her tingle.  Rihanna defended Chris Brown even after he pummeled her, despite their brief separation.

The lesson to take away from this event is that girls like status and power.  Johnson, a high-ranking aide to Paterson, had it in spades among his peer group.  Status and power, however, have some correlation to sociopathic behaviors, and those traits – indifference, manipulativeness, cruelty – serve as a signaling mechanism of a man’s higher value.  No low status man can afford to treat other people, especially society’s pedestalized women, badly.

Paterson may have acted inappropriately.  His hysterical overreaction almost certainly doomed what remains of his political career.  But the buried lede is that Johnson was a high-status man who can get away with much of what he wants.  Although he may have left the victim’s life, her actions – dropping her case – speak louder than her words.  It would be uncouth for a woman to admit she wants an abusive man back, something fit only for the trailer park freak show of daytime television, like Maury or Judge Judy rip-offs.  But doing so would just be natural.  Always remember Roissy Maxim #101: For most women, five minutes of alpha is worth five years of beta.