The New Yotk Times released a new poll of the state today with some mixed and worrying messages for the state's governing class.

Forty-nine percent of respondents approved of his job performance, and only 16 percent disapproved. Still, Mr. Paterson is largely unknown to New Yorkers, and more than a third of those polled did not express an opinion. And nearly 60 percent of those polled said the state was on the wrong track, expressing a view less bleak than Americans have shown in nationwide polls concerning the country’s direction, but still indicating widespread pessimism.

Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton's approval rating among New Yorkers of color has crashed from just under 90% (in 2006) to 55%. Barack Obama leads John McCain by landslide margins among all New Yorkers, 51% to 32%. The state legislature, never popular as a body, has tanked in the public's mind: 29% approve, 47% disapprove, and 23% don't know enough about it to even have the luxury of an opinion. Of course, because legislators draw their own districts for the Assembly, there's not much to be done about that, other than by electing a Democratic Senate. Unfortunately, New Yorkers also reject control of both houses of the legislature by one party, 60% opposed, 34% in favor. But it's in the distribution of issues that the emerging issues landscape for this fall's elections becomes clearest. New Yorkers are concerned about the economy (38% fairly bad, 28% very bad), believe the state is on the wrong track (59%), believe corruption is widespread in state government (52%), and believe their family finances are worse than four years ago (42%). The top issues for New Yorkers: taxes (19%), gas prices (12%), the economy (11%), education (9%), and healthcare (5%). Social issues have fallen off the radar; crime is a concern for 3%, gay marriage for 1%, immigration for 2%, poverty for a scant 1%. The laser-like focus of the electorate on economic issues - a total of 42% list purely economic issues as their top priority (taxes, gas prices, the economy) - indicates that November (and the September primaries) will be a good time for some good old-fashioned populism.