New York's Patrons
"We'd prefer a nominee committed to keeping ideology off the bench, which these days usually means a Republican. But the sole reason for Donohue's proposed elevation to the bench resides in her loyalty: Unlike her flamboyant predecessor, the irrepressible Betsy McCaughey Ross, she has sat quietly for the past eight years doing what a good lieutenant governor is supposed to do - nothing."
Point also being that there are other Republicans in New York State, other State Supreme Court and Court of Appeals judges, other high level official with judicial qualifications, who Pataki could try to elevate to the federal judiciary.
We have no problem with New York Lt. Governor Mary Donohue as a person or an official. We don't doubt her qualifications for the bench either, except why must everything out of State Capitol be a high level patronage deal?
We're getting sick of the rewards out of the Executive Chamber only going to those who follow orders -- or lose a race.
To the losers go the spoils, under George Pataki. Not that Mary Donohue has ever been a loser. She had a highly qualified career as a prosecutor before she entered Pataki's realm but she has not gained any ground working in the governor's shadow.
The Post makes a harsh point about Pataki's methodology, though further noted that U.S. Senator Charles Schumer is playing his own game.
Donahue ends up being a victim from both directions. She is not in good company.
"In this respect, she is not unlike other mediocrities brought into public life by Pataki over the past 11-plus years - and then shunted off into high appointive office when their political shelf life expired.
Case in point: Dora Irizarry, who waged an embarrassing race, at Pataki's behest, for state attorney general in 2002, then was rewarded with a seat on the federal bench - although the American Bar Association found her "unqualified."
Schumer, to his discredit, played ball with the governor on Irizarry's nomination. He would have done far better to raise the kind of hell he has raised on several of President Bush's manifestly better-qualified judicial picks."
It's not that Donohue is not qualified but, like too many others, her reliance on the patronage system to further ascend is naturally going to be found lacking. Once again, former U.S. Senator Al D'Amato has his hands on another federal matter/deal and, once again, he is playing patron.
New York's patrons haven't always picked on merit -- or even goodness -- and the result has been a farm team that might turn out to be worse than Pataki. One of the challenges New York State faces --- after Pataki -- is flushing out all the old patronage blood that relied on the governor for jobs. Some were qualified, some were led to believe that they were qualified and some should not be allowed anywhere near appointed office in our lifetime.
Mary Donohue was certainly qualified to do many things, including running for higher office, but she stood silent with the rest for too long.
The emperor in Albany has been naked for a long time now. We would like to see someone in Pataki's circle note Pataki's bare points, much like Congressman John Sweeney has dared to do on occasion.
If George Pataki or anyone else cared so much about Donohue's political and judicial career, they should have advised her to leave the Pataki administration a long time ago -- and we certainly don't relate loyalty to Pataki's mess in Albany to any qualifications for anything.
It should be fairly noted that this is the same criticism that has been applied to Michael Long, the New York State Conservative Chairman, for standing behind Pataki when perhaps he should have been lambasting him. Many Conservatives and Republicans don't want any part of this party anymore because they relate it to political expediency.
We know the Conservative Party stands for principle. We also know Mary Donohue stands very close to this party, to her credit, but there are times when everyon's silence has made her predecessor, Betsy McCaughey Ross, seem prescient.
Looking the other way is a political sin of omission New Yorkers can do without.
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