Posted on 10/30/2010 10:06:48 AM PDT by Mr. K
ALBANY -- Maybe it was fitting that Carl Paladino opened one of his final days on the campaign trail this morning on the steps of the State Capitol in a driving wind storm amid drops of rain.
"This is the scene of the crime," a supporter shouted during his brief speech.
"We're going to hose this building down," Paladino responded.
As he entered the final stretch of the governor's race, the Buffalo businessman spent the early part of his morning bashing Democrat Andrew Cuomo on everything from the state budget to what he calls a "selective" prosecution record as attorney general.
And he continued to try to highlight polls that showed him losing the September GOP primary, which he won by 26 points.
Several new polls show him losing Tuesday, but Paladino insisted he is very much in the hunt to beat Cuomo.
"Don't talk to me about polls," Paladino said after a couple dozen supporters, including tea party backers, turned out for the first of four stops Paladino will make across the northeast stretches of the state.
The Republican did not back down from comments he made the previous evening on Long Island, where he described Democratic U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand as the "little girl" of Sen. Charles Schumer.
"She does exactly what Schumer tells her to do. So she is his little girl," Paladino said.
Gillibrand sharply criticized the Paladino remarks.
"The fact is that I don't take a back seat to anyone when it comes to fighting for New York. While I have delivered solutions, Mr. Paladino has delivered insults," she said in a statement.
"Mr. Paladino's campaign has been a disservice to New Yorkers. His divisive behavior and name calling is offensive to women and unacceptable in any circumstance," the senator added.
At the second stop on his campaign swing today, Paladino was asked again about the comment.
"We're not getting," he said, cutting himself off, before adding, "We're talking about issues in the campaign."
Told Gillibrand said she was offended, he responded: "Oh, well, that's just too bad," Paladino said.
Tonight in Plattsburgh, an angry Paladino abruptly stormed out of a local television interview when the anchor persisted in asking about his Gillibrand comment.
"Are we going to talk issues or are we leaving you right now?" Paladino said during a live interview with WCAX. When the interviewer asked again about Gillibrand, Paladino unplugged his earpiece and walked away, saying, "She wants to talk trash, she can talk to somebody else."
I LOVE THIS GUY!!!
I like Paladino a lot. For the same reasons I like him, he is probably going to lose, by a fairly wide margin. Wrong state for that kind of blunt, honest thought.
He's a terrible candidate though. Plain awful.
He is a good guy. I hope he wins by NT is totally FU. Mass is more normal. Ditto Jersey.
In an age of wishy-washy PC poll-driven politicians, you’ve got to admire a guy who not only stands up for what he believes, but doubles-down on it when the going gets tough.
(I suppose some would try to say the same about Obama).
But Palading would get my vote. We need more people who say screwit, this is what I think, and to hell with political correctness.
Maybe , maybe not.
At least there is someone out there that can kick butt for all the right reasons.
“by NT is totally FU. Mass is more normal. Ditto Jersey.”
I have no earthly idea what that means.
People said the same thing about barry golwater. From him came a man who will never be forgotten...President Reagan.
Err, no, Paladino is not Goldwater. Paladino is just a loose cannon that somehow managed to get nominated. His candidacy will be a lesson in what not to do when running for office in New York.
He should never apologized for the gay parade comments
Or have not made them in the first place...
He said what he believes, and what’s wrong with that? I’m sick of this PC stuff,and you can’t offend this group, or that group. Gays are a minority in this country, and it’s high time someone told it like it is. Their parades are the most sickening thing on earth, and I like that he called it for what it is.
This pandering to win votes is what’s wrong with politics.
So what’s your state?
Paladino “somehow got nominated” by crushing little Ricky Lazy-O, a squishy, weak-kneed hack who was purposely backed by D’Amato to gift an easy race to Cuomo.
I'm in Virginia. We actually have a Republican party that runs good candidates and can win statewide races.
I'm in Northern Va, so sadly, it's pretty Democratic, but we are looking to make some gains up here and most of the rest of the state will be a red tide.
Well, during the primary, Paladino ran his campaign and the Republicans ran Lazio’s. Lazio got trounced. Once Paladino won the primary, the Republicans took over his campaign. Are you seeing the problem here?
Please contact me if youre interested in being added on or taken off the Carl Paladino for Governor ping list. This looks to be a fairly high volume ping list for a while, probably until the election.
I wouldn't count on it.
While I see signs for both candidates, virtually everyone I've talked to likes Paladino and plans on voting for him.
Yeah, Lazio was horrible too. No doubt. But in the whole huge state of New York, we couldn't find a couple decent primary options? Seriously? Lazio may be terrible, but Paladino will probably end up having been even worse.
Oh, I don't know ... I prefer candidates who are smart enough to understand the First Law of Holes, which is: if your find yourself in one, stop digging.
Somehow? You obviously don't know how.
He went out and got the required number of signatures to secure a place on the ballot in the Republican primary when nobody else would endorse him. At the time of the primaries, he was the underdog and mopped the floor with Lazio, the clear favorite in the polls.
In Erie County, where Buffalo is located, 97% of the Republican primary vote went to Carl.
What he has going for him is that he's an Upstater, coming from an area that is traditionally ignored in NY politics. Not only do I see him doing well in Buffalo, but it wouldn't surprise me in the least to see him carry Rochester.
Upstaters are sick of being treated like the gum on the bottom of NYC's shoes.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.