David Paterson has spent most of his time as governor in crisis mode, but at least now he gets invited to the cool parties. “This is my first time ever to Russell’s house,” he said at Russell Simmons’s Art for Life benefit at the impresario’s East Hampton estate. “I finally did something to get him to invite me. He probably saw me in the newspaper and thought, ‘Oh, well, I guess I have to invite the guy now.’ ” But Simmons wasn’t buying it. “He’s always invited,” he said, laughing. “He worked with me to fight the Rockefeller drug laws. And he’s doing a lot of things he couldn’t do if he had to be elected. I don’t know any candidates who’d campaign on the idea of freeing Slick Rick or recognizing gay marriages.” The governor didn’t have time to bask in the sun. “I think I have to go back to Albany when this is over,” he said.

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Related:

• Archive: “Intelligencer”
• Articles by Jada Yuan
• Table of Contents: Aug 11, 2008 issue of New York | Subscribe!