ALBANY -- Gov. Paterson has played the race card.
The state's first black governor yesterday blamed his political woes -- and those of President Obama -- on a white-dominated media that he accused of taking part in an "orchestrated" attack campaign.
"We're not in the post-racial period," Paterson said in a freewheeling interview on the liberal talk-radio station WWRL. "My feeling is it's being orchestrated, it's a game, and people who pay attention know that."
"We don't have the kind of forces in the community that we had before, in other words, our black media outlets," the Democratic governor continued.
"Even our own reporters from our own community buy the public line, which is, 'We're going to get rid of David Paterson.' "
Paterson cited critical stories about his late-night partying at a Chelsea nightclub on the eve of a painful budget announcement as proof of the media's bias.
"The next victim on the list -- and you see it coming -- is President Barack Obama, who did nothing more than try to reform a health-care system . . . only because he's trying to make change," Paterson said.
Hours later, the governor tried to tone down his remarks in a statement. "What I did point out was that certain media outlets have engaged in coverage that exploits racial stereotypes," Paterson said. "That's not only unfair -- it's wrong -- and it sends an objectionable message."
Paterson has come under pressure to bow out of next year's election from labor groups and others who worry his historically low popularity could jeopardize the party's fortunes statewide.
The most formidable potential rival, state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, outperforms Paterson in polls even among black voters.
"It's not the media going after him, it's members of his own party," said Baruch College political science professor Doug Muzzio. "The media has its faults, but to blame it for David Paterson's troubles and ascribe it to race, no way."
Paterson teed off on two media figures by name, accusing The Post's veteran State Editor Fredric Dicker, who is white, of attacking him "every single week."
He also took a shot at Dominic Carter, the African-American anchor of NY1's "Inside City Hall."
"I know he likes to ingratiate himself with folks, trying to beat up on elected officials from our community," Paterson said.
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