Paton on his resignation: I’m graduating from high school

by David Safier

Jonathan Paton, who usually has nearly perfect pitch when it comes to self promotion, may want to take back this analogy on his resignation from the state Senate, quoted in Jim Nintzel's blog:

“It’s kind of like graduation day,” Paton says. “There’s a certain wistfulness. You never want to leave high school, but you do want to go to college.”

I guess Paton sees the state legislature as a bunch of not-quite-mature teenagers sitting around in student council deciding where to hold the prom. What you're doing is a little silly, but you get your name in the school newspaper, you get to make cool speeches, and it's good for your resume when you're applying to college.

Unfortunately, Paton's analogy may be all too accurate. Would that the only thing that immature gaggle of a Republican majority could screw up were the senior prom!

But if that's all Paton's time in the legislature was to him, a way to get himself noticed and to have something important looking to put on his resume for application to the U.S. House, that's a pretty poor reflection on the guy's seriousness as a legislator. Here too, Paton's analogy may be more accurate than he meant it to be.