It often seems to be the case that when a successful but egomaniacal politician resigns from office, he’s replaced by a less dramatic, less flashy, more likable person who winds up winning public favor and getting things done. That’s what happened in New Jersey when Senate President Richard Codey took over from Jim McGreevey. By all accounts Codey was a well-liked acting governor for over a year.

It looks like that’s also going to be the case with David Paterson. Republicans seem willing to work with him in a way that they weren’t with Spitzer.

Why does this happen? Probably because in order to win the highest elective office, you need to be a bit of a dick. So you alienate people. Also, we don’t really like overly ambitious types. We’re more impressed by the person who doesn’t actually seem to want the job, who has power thrust upon him.

Not that Paterson is not ambitious. He’s a politician, after all, and he was the New York senate’s minority leader for four years. But he gave up the chance to become the majority leader, in the event Democrats took control of the senate, for the position of lieutenant governor, which doesn’t have much power or prestige.

Even if he only completes Spitzer’s term and never runs in his own right, Paterson will still be governor of New York longer than Gerald Ford held the presidency. He can do a lot of good in that time. As long as he doesn’t let himself get… steamrolled.