Thompson Gets Endorsed by NY's Biggest, Most Unpopular Dem

Governor Paterson finally endorsed Bill Thompson for mayor in a press conference yesterday. In what seemed to be a guarded statement not meant to attack Mayor Bloomberg, Paterson said, "I don’t find the mayor’s policies necessarily to be negative, but I think that it is time for a change, and we get someone such as Bill Thompson."

It sounded like Paterson's most specific criticism of Bloomberg was the mayor's reversal of the term limits laws, saying the public "didn't buy it." Paterson himself seemed to buy the notion last year when Bloomberg first flirted with the notion, saying a Bloomberg third term was "a great idea." After refusing to commit his support to Thompson all summer, the Times called yesterday's announcement "not exactly the most roaring of endorsements." Paterson even took time to praise the job Bloomberg's done and emphasized that refusing to back the mayor was "not a putdown."

Perhaps Paterson's tepid endorsement was merely a strategy of the Thompson campaign, who might not see the apparent "boost" in getting support from a governor with an approval rating below 20%, who many predict will not be the Democratic nominee next year. We thought the situation reminded us a little of SNL's parody of President Bush's unwanted backing of the McCain/Palin ticket last year. The memorable meeting of Ferrell's Bush and Fey's Palin is after the jump.