George Pataki is a former three-term governor of New York whose name frequently comes up as a presidential contender. Liberal pundits are already weighing in on a possible campaign by this moderate Republican. Here’s what five of them have to say about a George Pataki 2016 run, likely to be announced later this week.
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- Betsy Woodruff: Writing for Slate, Woodruff suggests that a potential run by Pataki isn’t the least bit newsworthy. She writes: “Every four years, the former governor floats that he might answer the call to serve his country if such a call comes, and every four years people sort of squint and shrug.” She concludes that, even if Pataki does decide to run, he’ll quickly fade away, not to be heard from for another four years.
- Richard Brodsky: Writing for The Huffington Post, Brodsky seems confident in Pataki’s governing skills but questions whether he’s conservative enough for most Republicans. He writes, “Do not underestimate him. There's a sort of aw-shucks persona he puts out there. He's smart. He's not encumbered by previous entanglements with the nutty Republican infrastructure. He is/is not conservative enough. The big money boys like him.” He concludes that a Pataki campaign would use a moderate, middle-of-the road strategy to try to please all facets of the Republican Party.
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Eleanor Randolph: Writing for The New York Times, Randolph joins her colleagues in assessing Pataki as too liberal for mainstream Republicans. She writes: “A relative moderate in today’s Republican Party, Mr. Pataki has a record as an environmentalist and has supported a woman’s right to an abortion, for example. Those reasonable views might do well nationally. But if he stuck to these principles, he would be a very lonely voice in Republican primaries.”
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Phil Reisman: Using a different tactic for an article in The Journal News, Reisman posits that Pataki, at 6 feet, 5 inches, is simply too tall to be president. He would shatter the current record that’s held by Abraham Lincoln, who stood at just under 6 feet, 4 inches. Indeed, over the years, a number of unusually talk candidates have lost to shorter men. Reisman raises the possibility that too much height is a distraction.
- Chris Weigant: Also writing for The Huffington Post, Weigant puts Pataki into a category he’s labeled “governor candidates,” whom he says are running primarily on their roles as chief executive. He predicts that Pataki, like others in the group, will start strong as media darlings but will garner very few votes.
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