5 Reasons Obama Could Have Supported David Paterson

President Obama made a very good political decision last week: He threw another black man under the bus. Reports began leaking that the president asked New York Gov. David Paterson not to run for re-election in favor of a Democratic candidate with a greater probability of winning. The decision was politically sound, because it is never good for a leader to be associated with those who are unpopular. With approval ratings in the twenties and thirties, Paterson is among the weakest of the weak.

The problem, however, is that President Obama's seemingly hyper-rational decision was ultimately a bit irrational when compared with prior decisions. With all the political capital Obama lost by supporting Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates, he could have at least been a bit slower to pull out the sword to undermine Paterson's power as governor of New York.

Here are some quick thoughts on the Obama/Paterson debacle last week:

1) Why take a stand on Gates and then run for cover on Paterson? Gates does not hold public office, and Obama should have known that he would not gain a single point of approval from white America by supporting a black man in a scuffle against the police. The situation was made worse when it turned out that Gates was challenging a police officer known for his degree of racial sensitivity. If you're willing to allow yourself to get politically body slammed for a Harvard crony, it doesn't make sense to pass over the chance to support a brother (Paterson) who may actually regain enough political power to make a difference.

2) Paterson is already having a tough time without another powerful black man working to embarrass him. New York's economy, which relied heavily on tax revenue from Wall Street, is in shambles. The New York State Senate is in complete disarray. Paterson is getting legal challenges on his appointment of lieutenant governor. I must ask whether it was necessary to kick a black politician when he's down, or if there was another way this situation could have been handled. Last week, during my conversation with Rev. Al Sharpton on his radio show, a caller asked an incredibly profound question, saying, "If Obama's popularity is low in 2012, will he step aside and let Hillary run?" I honestly don't think he would.

3) Timing is everything. Was this really the right time, Mr. President? I am not sure why the president couldn't have waited a few months before asking Gov. Paterson to step down. One can certainly understand the need to maintain congressional and Senate majorities, but waiting a while or not saying anything at all could have allowed the situation to play itself out. Sure, having the weight of the president behind Paterson's public dismissal certainly expedites his political homicide, but I am still confused as to why Obama only chose Paterson as the target of such ruthless behavior. There are other Democratic governors suffering in the polls, and Obama has said almost nothing about their situations.

4) Could the leak have been any sloppier? Who let the story out just two days before the president was to visit New York? Would it have helped if Paterson and Obama had a private conversation? In light of Paterson's public disregard for Obama's orders, as well as the NAACP stepping in to help him, I simply can't imagine how this distraction has been productive for anyone.

5) Does race matter at all, or is blackness only acceptable when politically convenient? I am the first to understand President Obama's loyalties to the Democratic Party. The question, though, is whether there is a point in which it's okay for a black leader to stand up for another one. Not that race should be the only deciding factor in weighty political decisions, but one must wonder if there is ever a time when we will stop pretending that we live in a post-racial society. Rush Limbaugh has quickly reminded us that such a society does not yet exist, at least not in America.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is a professor at Syracuse University, a leading African American speaker and author of the forthcoming book 'Black American Money.' To have Dr. Boyce's commentary delivered to your e-mail, please click here.