Official Website of Ellis Henican | COMBATANT CANDIDATES MAKE IT INTERESTING

“In guv race, dumber, uglier talk “, Newsday, September 26, 2010

It happened at week’s end.

Andrew Cuomo and Carl Paladino actually agreed on something. The two main candidates for governor cut through their mutual animosity long enough to back Gov. David Paterson’s state-worker layoff plan.

Please, don’t get used to all this comity.

The two combatants for Paterson’s job are so riled at each other now, there’s only one position the Tea Party Republican and Democratic attorney general both share: Each of them is running against a total moron.

Is this a real race? The pollsters don’t seem to know. Quinnipiac says Cuomo’s up by only six points now. Sienna puts his lead at twenty-three points. Marist says nineteen. And how will Republican also-ran Rick Lazio fit in? Will he jump off the Conservative Party line now, joining fellow Long Islander Steve Levy in statewide gubernatorial irrelevance?

But no one’s getting bogged down over numbers or minor candidates, not when there’s so much vitriol to hurl.

Paladino has a “battle cry” against career politicians like Cuomo. Cuomo calls the Buffalo billionaire a “welfare king who got rich by milking New York taxpayers.” Now that both men have hit the media with negative ads, the dialogue will only get dumber and uglier.

And just wait for the debates – if they even happen. These guys can’t even conduct a civil debate on whether to debate.

“Andrew’s not capable of telling the truth,” Paladino said.

“I am open to debating,” Cuomo insisted.

“A total lie,” the Paladino campaign chief harrumphed.

And there is so much turf left to mine.

Crazy Carl can share more insights on Andrew’s dad, Mario. Arrogant Andrew can unearth more embarrassing cartoons and emails.

And when it’s over, one of these men will be the next governor of New York.

No one can say yet what that might mean. But it sure will be fun watching them get there.

NOT GOVERNOR

Insulter-in-Chief
Executive Ridicule Officer
Chairman of the I’m-Better-than-He-Is-Committee
Secretary of Finger-Wagging
Hostility Commissioner

ASKED AND UNANSWERED:

Which would the citizens of Hempstead prefer? Ugly cell-phone towers or rotten cell-phone service? In the end, that really may be the choice…Is East Setauket hedge-fund billion James Simons (a) happy he’s the richest person on Long Island or (b) sad he’s fallen a notch (from 29 to 30) on Forbes’ wealthiest-Americans list? Regardless, no gloating or tears, please!…Was that a last gasp of summer – or was that more like suck-in-the-air-and-hold-it-all-the-way-’til March? How long before we hit temps like that again?….No dating the defendants? Don’t judges need love too? I’m guessing Traffic Court Judge Michael Dorsky will need even more love now… “Third West Nile Death in Nassau”: Are we counting deaths from all diseases now – or only the trendy ones?… Are LI pols cursed now – or does it just seem that way? What post-election insights do Kathleen Rice, Rick Lazio, Bruce Blakeman, Gary Berntsen and Steve Levy have to share?…What do you mean LI exports are down? Forty-one alleged Bloods were just arrested for shipping coke and heroin to the Albany area — from Long Island….Ray Keating’s new novel is called “Warrior Monk”? Funny, I always thought of the former Newsday columnist as a bit of a warrior monk. Go get ’em, Ray.

ELLIS’ LONG ISLANDER OF THE WEEK:

Shelley Wojtkiewicz

There’s a new breed of volunteer at the Junior League of Long Island. “Our membership encompasses the full spectrum of Long Island women including recent college graduates, professional executives, stay-at-home moms and retirees,” says the league’s new president, Shelley Wojtkiewicz, who moved to Long Island from Louisiana and is very much a part of that new generation. “Our special focus this year is improving the health and well-being of women and children on Long Island.” The league is always looking for energetic women who want to make a difference as community volunteers. The annual “Super Saturday” new-member recruitment drive is October 2 at league headquarters in Roslyn. Registration and info at www.jlli.org. Said Wojtkiewicz: “We make a real difference in the community, and we have fun doing it.”