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Carl Paladino
Carl Hugs It Out
Jan 30th - 4:25 pm
Carl Paladino, who jokingly referred to his penchant for hugging as a secret weapon on the 2010 campaign trail, is still spreading his unique brand of love.
CapTon reporter Nick Reisman and executive producer Michael Johnson caught this “awww” moment of the Buffalo businessman embracing George Pataki after the former governor’s speech at the state Conservative Party’s political action conference this afternoon.
As you’ll recall, Paladino once referred to Pataki as a “degenerate idiot.”
The former governor, ever the political pragmatist, did not let that stop him from jumping on the Paladino bandwagon after the mad-as-hell Queen City champion defeated Pataki’s preferred gubernatorial contender, former Rep. Rick Lazio, in the 2010 GOP primary.
Lazio: Once-Married Romney Offers ‘Better Profile’ For GOP Than Thrice-Married Newt
Jan 30th - 1:01 pm
Prominent Mitt Romney-supporting New York Republicans are engaged in some full-throated Newt Gingrich bashing today, labeling the former House speaker as everything from “dangerous” and a “little psycho” (former Staten Island BP Guy Molinari) to a “disaster” (former US Sen. Alfonse D’Amato).
This wave of criticism was actually kicked off by former Rep. Rick Lazio when he spoke at the state Conservative Party’s annual political action conference in Colonie last night.
Lazio, a longtime Romney supporter (he even raised cash for the former Massachusetts governor in 2008 when almost every other NY Republican backed hometown favorite Rudy Giuliani), raised a few eyebrows by going right for the Gingrich jugular – at least where some family-values conservatives are concerned – and bringing up his tumultuous personal life.
“I’m saying I think if you compare Mitt Romney, who married his high-school sweetheart – they have an incredibly stable marriage – he’s a strong family man, I think he’s a great role model. That’s a better profile for Republicans to have,” Lazio said.
“…Nobody is absolutely perfect. The American people are not looking for perfection. They’re looking for good judgement, though, and they’re looking for consistent judgement, and I think that’s what we’re speaking about right now.”
Lazio stressed that Romney’s management experience in the private sector – something that has become a bit of a sore topic in some GOP circles – is another plus, particularly at a time of national economic instability.
The former congressman said he has exchanged several emails with Gingrich. When I asked him about that later, he said the former speaker has sought his input on housing issues – a topic on which Lazio has some expertise, thanks to his position as chair of the House Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity.
Lazio was asked about Gingrich vs. Romney by a CPPAC participant. Ironically, Lazio’s 2010 GOP primary foe, Buffalo businessman Carl Paladino, was seated in the front row throughout the event.
Paladino is a staunch supporter of Gingrch. As we were watching this mini melodrama play out last night, Nick Reisman remarked to me that the current Romney vs. Gingrich battle is almost like a do-over of Lazio vs. Paladino in 2010.
As you’ll recall, Paladino came under fire for his unconventional personal life, too. Lazio, on the other hand, met his first – and only – wife, Patricia, while he was studying at American University School of Law in Washington. (She was the sister of a fellow student and was working at George Washington University Hospital while pursuing a nursing degree). The couple has two grown daughters.
Like Romney, Lazio was the steady candidate the GOP rank-and-file was trying hard to fall in love with, while Paladino, like Gingrich, was the firey outsider often apt to put his foot in his mouth. Of course, these are some extremely broad comparisons, and we’re certainly not saying this is an apples-to-apples situation. It’s interesting, nevertheless.
Paladino To Support Primaries Against Senate GOP (Video Added)
Jan 29th - 8:57 pm
Buffalo businessman and former gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino says he plans to support primary campaigns against Senate Republicans.
Paladino told me this afternoon at the annual Conservative Party Political Action Conference in Colonie that he was tired of watching the GOP in the upper chamber not be more of an opposition party in a state that is otherwise controlled by Democrats.
“We’re going to run some candidates against some key people, alright, and primary them,” Paladino said.
His comments came after a speech that criticized Senate Republicans and Majority Leader Dean Skelos. He would not tell me which lawmakers are being targeted.
Paladino’s base of support is in western New York and GOP voters there helped him achieve a blow out victory against gubernatorial primary foe Rick Lazio.
Buffalo Sen. Mark Grisanti, meanwhile, is in danger of losing the Conservative Party line for his vote in favor of same-sex marriage. Erie County Conservative Party Chairman Ralph Lorigo said in an interview that a lot is still in flux due to the ongoing redistricting process, but said local party leaders were upset with Grisanti’s yes vote.
Still, the party’s endorsement is not out of reach if Grisanti can demonstration “Conservative Party values,” Lorgio said.
Paladino, meanwhile, could hamper GOP efforts to stay in power for another 2-year term if his primary plan comes to fruition. Senate Republicans are sitting on a $4.8 million war chest, while Senate Democrats continue to pay off their debt.
“We have to clean house because we have people who are not loyal to the Republican rank and file,” Paladino said in the interview. “The Republican rank and file spoke in my primary last year and they sent a very clear message. Rick Lazio does not hold any real water for them. The rank and file are upset with the country and state leadership in the Republican Party. They want change. They know it’s the same old thing and that’s what we’re getting right now.”
Senate Republicans may face another primary on their hands should Assemblyman Steve McLaughlin take on Sen. Roy McDonald. McLaughlin told the crowd at the Conservative Party’s confab that he hadn’t ruled out running against McDonald, R-Saratoga, but said redistricting had a lot riding on the decision.
Upending the Republican Party isn’t anything new for Paladino, of course. He knocked of Lazio, the state party’s second choice for governor, in 2010.
And he’s backing New Gingrich in the GOP presidential primary over Mitt Romney. Coincidentally, Lazio, who served in the House while Gingrich was speaker, is backing Romney.
The similarities between the New York governor’s race in 2010 and today’s presidential campaign are stark and in a way, Paladino’s support for Gingrich is similar to his gubernatorial campaign. Gingrich is the rumpled bomb thrower, while Romney is the handsome, quasi-establishment moderate with good hair.
Paladino even uses similar criticism of Romney that he used for Lazio.
“The Washington establishment with its lobbyists and special interests will chew him up and spit him out,” Paladino said.
Paladino: What Happened To The A-Team?
Jan 29th - 3:01 pm
Just like Hannibal Smith, Carl Paladino may love it when a plan comes together.
But in a speech before the Conservative Party Political Action Conference this afternoon in Colonie, the Buffalo businessman and one-time gubernatorial candidate, pities the fools in the Senate GOP conference.
“It takes three to tango in New York state — to make something happen,” he said. “Did we send out our A-Team in what could be the last year we have a seat the table? Did we have our A-team out there? I don’t think so. What happened to these people?”
In a speech that touched on criticism of the Medicaid Redesign Task Force, Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s push for education reform and the legalization of same-sex marriage, Paladino blamed Senate Republicans for not fighting back.
“We all worked very hard to get, to keep, a Republican majority,” Paladino said before adding that Medicaid was a means of keeping a “permanent majority” for Democrats.
Senate Republicans have been close with Cuomo on fiscal issues, backing his cap on property taxes in June and voting for his proposal to overhaul the tax code in New York that gave the wealthy slightly less of a tax cut than they would have been in line to receive.
Later, during a question and answer session with former Port Authority Executive Director George Marlin, Paladino said “there’s a complete lack of transparency” in Albany, and said Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb was “brave” after Cuomo leaned on him and the conference during the tax code debate.
Paladino also called U.S. District Court Judge Gary Sharpe’s ruling that Congressional primaries be held on June 26 protection for incumbents, given the lack of time for filing petitions.
Paladino ended up depressing himself by the end of the speech.
“I think I just convinced myself to think about moving,” he said to laughs.
Paladino Versus Brodsky
Nov 10th - 12:18 pm
In an alternate universe, Attorney General Richard Brodsky and Gov. Carl Paladino would likely be squaring off on a daily basis.
Alas, that did not come to pass. Thank goodnes for cable news.
While the rest of us where watching Rick Perry’s now-infamous brain fart last night, Paladino and Brodsky squared off in a somewhat shouty, but an at times surprisingly substantive debate on the Fox Business channel.
The topic ostensbily was about a union in Michigan “forcing” a family to union dues for handicapped kids. But it veered off into a broader debate about the role of unions in society.
Paladino Says Collins Vote Is Vote Against ‘Albany Cabal’
Nov 8th - 10:53 am
Never one to disappoint, Carl Paladino sent out a GOTV email and facebook post this morning saying that a vote to re-elect County Executive Chris Collins is a vote against the “Cuomo/Silver Albany cabal.”
Paladino, the tea party-backed 2010 GOP gubernatorial candidate, writes that Albany has become distracted by a “contrived” $10 billion deficit and the legalization of same-sex marriage, both of which made it difficult for the state to create jobs.
And he rails against “hand-picked” candidates by Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
The note also asks voters to back Chris Jacobs, who is running to replace Rep. Kathy Hochul as county clerk, and a handful of down-ballot Republican county legislators.
From the email:
Today, you have the opportunity to elect or re-elect candidates who have delivered and support the type of reforms we have sought. You will be saying NO to the Cuomo/Silver Albany cabal who with their special interests have continued to malign the citizens of New York and who now seek to control our County government. The last session of our Legislature miserably failed to address any issues material to lowering taxes and creating jobs instead distracting the people with a contrived $10BIL deficit and gay marriage.
Andrew Cuomo’s handpicked candidates will seek to return Erie County to those special interest groups who have little regard for the taxpayers.
We don’t need a tax-and-spend politician bought and paid for by unions. We need CHRIS COLLINS for County Executive. CHRIS has delivered 1) smaller government 2) lower taxes and 3) a strong fiscal plan of significant debt reduction and building a safe surplus to protect our future and most important, our kid’s futures. That’s why I’m voting for CHRIS COLLINS and asking you to do the same.
Poloncarz Plays The Paladino Card (?!)
Oct 14th - 3:53 pm
Erie County Comptroller Mark Poloncarz may be a Democrat, but he feels like he has a lot in comment with Republican Carl Paladino – the Tea Party darling and mad-as-hell Buffalo businessman who was defeated in the 2010 gubernatorial race by now-Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
Poloncarz is trying to unseat Republican Erie County Executive Chris Collins (a Paladino ally) in the upcoming general election. To that end, the comptroller has been trying to portray his opponent as a wealthy businessman who is out-of-touch with the sort of regular people who helped carry Paladino to his long-shot victory over former Rep. Rick Lazio in the GOP primary last fall.
To that end, I asked Poloncarz during a CapTon interview that will air tonight at 8 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. if he believes the burgeoning anti-Wall Street sentiment could give his bid an additional boost, and he said:
“…With regards to the gubernatorial election people felt that Carl Paladino was one of us, so to speak. He’s a blue collar guy, a lunch-bucket type of guy. And the same goes with me.”
“So, while you look at the polls, including the recent Siena poll, Governor Cuomo’s approval rating is very high in Erie County, people voted for Carl Paladino not so much because they were voting against Andrew Cuomo, but because they felt Carl was one of theirs. I think the same goes with my election this year.”
“Chris is out of touch with the voters of Erie County. I am not. I feel just as comfortable in a country club as I do a diner on a corner in a blue-collar part of the city. I don’t think the county executive can say that, and that’s why I feel confident that I am going to get the vote of the majority of the people in this community.”
Kind of an interesting approach from a guy who could really use Cuomo’s support right about now. I asked him if assistance from the governor would be forthcoming, and he told me to expect a lot more involvement in the race by Cuomo in the coming weeks. Stay tuned.
All Aboard The Paladino Bus
Aug 15th - 12:39 pm
I’m not sure how we overlooked this one, but it’s a doozy: Carl Paladino is about to add “tour guide” to his already ecclectic resume.
The Niagara Gazette reports the Giacomo Hotel, a Niagara Falls property owner by the Buffalo businessman and failed 2010 gubernatorial candidate, will be one of the stops along a so-called Business Familiarization Tour local economic development officials are planning for Sept. 22.
The event’s organizers hope would-be developers will be motivated by Paladino’s tale of success in converting the Old United Office Building into a high-end, boutique hotel to do a little investing of their own in this down-at-the-heels WNY city.
“We found a good niche and it’s working,” Paladino told the paper. “Our apartments are full. We’re pleased with the result and we’re looking for other opportunities in Niagara.”
No one has ever questioned Paladino’s long-standing commitment to helping redevelopment Buffalo and its environs, although some – particularly his old nemesis, The Buffalo News and its reporter, Jim Heaney – have questioned his stewardship as a property owner.
Having been on the receiving end of some of Paladino’s less-pleasant tirades, and given his history as an outspoken critic of a whole host of things and people that piss him off royaly, I don’t think it’s going too far out on a limb to say that this tour will be well worth the price of admission.
Paladino: ‘Terrible’ That Golisano Left NY
Aug 4th - 11:48 am
Speaking on Curtis Sliwa’s radio show on AM 970 in New York City, 2010 Gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino went off on billionaire Tom Golisano for leaving New York and changing his official residence to Florida.
Sliwa asked Paladino why he has stayed when so many others have left and Paladino teed off.
“I think that is just terrible that guys like him decided to leave. They came here, excuse me, most of them were born here. And then they made their fortunes here. And instead of paying the taxes and standing up for the people to right things with their power, they move out of state and say its not my problem anymore. That’s not nice. I don’t like that,” Paladino said.
“That’s certainly not me. That’s not what I am about. Alright. I am very appreciative of the fact that I had opportunity here. And now I will do all I can to make sure the rest of the people in the state have that same opportunity. I think it is just terrible that these guys like Golisano move out of the state and they tout themselves as some kind of heroes for the state of NY but they are leaving now. Well, go ahead and leave. We don’t need you anyway. They never quite did the right thing for the people of the state.”
During the campaign, Paladino said he had received advice from Golisano, which makes these comments seem out of left field. Also, back in May, Golisano told us he was pleasantly surprised by Paladino’s success last year.
A Paladino Dance Party! (Updated)
Aug 2nd - 2:42 pm
I’m a little at a loss to explain this, as was the WNY political operative to forwarded it to me.
The invite was accompanied by a gentleman by the name of Al Belardinelli, who is affiliated with the (very fractured) Buffalo-area Tea Party movement. That divide and the animosity it has generated was on display in the email that accompanied this invite, in which Belardinelli wrote:
“Oh – there will plenty of tar and feathers in case Mike Caputo and his cohorts should show up – lol (don’t worry they won’t). ‘Another one bites the dust’ (Queen)…ok – we won’t throw rocks – we’ll just ‘Rock On’….!!!!!”
Caputo, as you’ll recall, was the manager of Paladino’s failed guberntorial campaign in 2010. The two had a number of falling outs, including one connected to the Buffalo businessman’s disastrous comments to a group of Orthodox Jews about gay marriage. (I believe Caputo offered to resign over that incident, but was rebuffed by his candidate boss).
Since then, Caputo has clashed with Paladino over the selection of Assemblywoman Jane Corwin over David Ballavia to run in the NY-26 special election.
(Paladino, Erie County Executive Chris Collins, Erie County GOP Chairman Nick Langworthy and their allies backed Corwin, who lost the GOP-held seat in an upset to Democratic Rep. Kathy Hochul. As it turns out, Langworthy and former Niagara County GOP Chairman Henry Wojtaszek, both big Corwin boosters, made money on that race).
Also, since Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who defeated Paladino last November, took office in January, Caputo has actively supported one of his signature policy proposals, the property tax cap, even going so far as to urge Tea Partiers to support it.
Caputo also urged support for Cuomo’s first budget deal, which caused another former Paladino campaign aide and WNY Tea Party activist, Rus Thompson, to accuse Caputo of going rogue and acting without Paladino’s permission.
For those of you who are missing your daily dose of Paladino, I saw a Tweet from him earlier today announcing he would be appearing on Fox Business News at 4 p.m.
UPDATE: Caputo emailed a lengthy response that appears after the jump.
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