Click on the video link to watch the governor's comments
MORRISVILLE -- Governor David Paterson paid a visit to SUNY Morrisville Thursday morning to discuss the state’s financial situation and his plans to solve the budget crisis. In a news conference following the governor’s town hall-style meeting, Paterson was asked about his portrayal by actor Fred Armisen on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” (SNL). The governor ripped into SNL for its portrayal of him on a pair of “Weekend Update” sketches.
When first asked for his reaction, Paterson, who is legally blind, said he could not repeat it. When pressed by Action News, Paterson said that SNL was “mocking my disability” and compared the show to a “bunch of third graders.”
Paterson said that the impression doesn’t bother him, but he pointed out a 37 percent unemployment rate in the disabled community, and a 71 percent unemployment rate among the blind.
The governor says that one of the biggest issues facing those with disabilities it attitude. He remarked that “these programs that present themselves as comedic relief in many ways are degrading people… I’ll bet you that Saturday Night Live would think twice if they did the same kind of routine and made fun of someone’s race, religion, or national origin.”
Paterson concluded the news conference with a jab back at SNL, stating “I think they need to bring back Sarah Palin, because they obviously ran out of material.”
Click here to watch SNL’s most recent Paterson sketch for yourself.
