New York Governor David Paterson and his predecessor Eliot Spitzer got a talking to from groups interested in campaign finance issues and particularly public financing of elections. The state legislative session is about to adjourn with no significant progress made on the many campaign promises the two made to clean up Albany, and aggressively pursue a full public financing program for the state's elections.

Paterson, who in his time in the state Senate sponsored Clean Elections legislation, has stated he does not want to advance that kind of legislation now because of budget concerns, but who knows what kind of pressure expenditures to appease special interest donors put on New York's budget. Though he seems to be responding to the criticisms by offering to advance legislation to close certain loopholes on campaign donations, it's not yet been enough to appease the many supporters of Clean Elections in the state who thought this administration was their best hope yet to see substantive progress in addressing the influence of private money on elections, and what gets done in Albany.