“Andrew attacks”, Ellis Henican Column, amNewYork, September 24, 2010
Nothing focuses a front-runner’s mind like a suddenly tightening poll.
A day after Carl Paladino snuck within six points of Andrew Cuomo in the Quinnipiac survey of the governor’s race, the Democratic attorney general leapt immediately onto the attack.
His first shot? A negative TV ad portraying the Tea Party Republican as a small-government hypocrite, collecting millions off government leases and tax breaks while making huge donations to Albany politicians.
“Part of the problem,” the Cuomo ad proclaims over Paladino’s splotchy headshot.
Oh, this is already getting to be fun!
The Quinnipiac poll is a bit of an outlier. Survey USA has Cuomo up by nine points. Siena has the Cuomo lead at more than twenty points. And so soon after the billionaire Republican’s primary victory over dull Rick Lazio, all these numbers are likely to jump around for a while.
But still. Andrew Cuomo may actually have a race on his hands. And one thing about billionaire candidates, no matter how wacky they are: They do have money, bushels of it.
Paladino struck back with his own hit-job, a print ad blasting Cuomo for saying that he’d vote for Mike Bloomberg, when in fact he hadn’t. But certainly we haven’t heard the last of Cuomo’s shots. He’s abandoned his above-the-fray strategy. The mud will begin to fly in all directions.
In all his time around New York politics, Andrew Cuomo has never been known for underreacting to his political enemies. He punches, he pounces and he doesn’t like to stop.
Eliot Spitzer, the disgraced former governor and no fan of Cuomo’s, had some fascinating insights on CNN.
“The problem that Andrew has is that everybody knows that behind the scenes, he is the dirtiest, nastiest political player out there,” said Spitzer, certainly no slouch in the dirty/nasty department. “He has brass knuckles and he played hard ball. He has a lot of enemies out there. …He may not want to pretend he plays that game. He does, and he’s worse at it.”
Give Paladino this much credit: He may be an erratic billionaire from Buffalo. He may have no idea what he’s talking about. But he’s sure gotten Cuomo’s attention.
E-mail ellis@henican.com. Follow him at twitter.com/henican
WOW!
Man, after Jack’s response I had to literally go back and re-read what Ellis wrote and said.
Uh, did this mean you agree or disagree with Ellis, Jack?
Or for a moment I thought Jack was displaying what Jersey Joe said about Ellis being one of the Mental Patients?
First of all hate to burst JJ bubble of his own erratic response. But Paladino registered with the Democratic Party in 1974 and remained there until 2005. Later that year, he changed to the Republican Party and has remained there. Paladino and several limited partnerships controlled by him have donated to numerous political candidates and organizations, both Democratic and Republican.
John Haggerty, who is currently under investigation for funneling money between Michael Bloomberg and the Independence Party of New York, is in charge of circulating his petitions.
Paladino originally planned on seeking the nomination of the Conservative Party of New York but dropped out of that nomination battle due to party chairman Michael Long only allowing him two minutes of speech time to make his case. As a result, he skipped the party convention.
The Taxpayers Party of New York State is an American political party active in the state of New York. It is not part of any nationwide party, nor is it affiliated with the U.S. Taxpayers’ Party (now known as the Constitution Party), which predates it by 18 years. The Taxpayers Party of New York was founded by Carl Paladino in 2010. It officially gained ballot access on August 10, 2010.
Other than a committee to fill vacancies, the party does not have operations and is currently serving only as a ballot line to counter the Conservative Party of New York State under New York’s electoral fusion laws.
So he was a Democrat for 31 years and knowing the Democrats had more politically fused Candidates. He decided to then jump ship and become a Republican. Then he wanted the nomination of New York’s Conservative Party, but they didn’t want to really hear him speak for much length. So he created his own Party, called The Tax Payers Party. But only for good face. In reality the this Party he invented has no operations.
OK, do I have this all right?
Well seems a bit erratic to me as well, but then I could fit the category of a Mental Patient along with like Ellis here. But unlike the rantings of Jack and Joe’s own analyzing, I just like to stick to facts.
Frankly I have a problem with a Billionaire who wants to cut Medicaid Funding by $20 billion and train families to take care of the direly ill or basically let them die because he doesn’t want to pay for them in nursing homes. Ah Yes, the Republican Party’s other Rant!!!
” THE RIGHT TO LIFE “.
But whose?
Jack say’s Democrats are too busy Murdering Baby’s as in Abortion of fetuses. And you know what Jack Off, Republicans are too busy KILLING THE ALREADY ALIVE. As in been born and living for some time now. You care more about a 6 week old fetus but at the same time don’t mind cutting off funding to somebody who is still alive and sick. To make sure YOU KILL THEM.
So let’s get off this high horse hypocrite bull****. The one thing I do agree with is Paladino’s position on is Mandatory Drug Testing, and No jumping States to collect Welfare. In fact my position being from Detroit, Mi. area and having to look at Middle Eastern people by the thousands here ALL on Welfare. I believe you should have to be an USA citizen for at least 10 years before you can apply for any kind of Welfare. PERIOD. Don’t like it, go back to where you came from.
I worked all my life and now have been sick with multiple problems that only continue to get more worst with time. And am presently not working because of it. Thank God I’ve got some money in the bank. Another reason I am not eligible for State assistance. But I stand behind all the Arabs here in supermarkets with baskets filled beyond the brims and OUT COME THE FOOD STAMP CARDS. Infuriating. Because if they have Food Stamps, They have Medicaid. Me I was born in Detroit in 1957 and can’t get a thing.
I’ve worked well, and beyond sick so my stance on Welfare is unless you are TOTALLY Medically, Physically or Emotionally sick beyond you being able to stand. Then No Welfare. And it is my belief that if you are requesting Welfare YOU TAKE A MANDATORY DRUG TEST. Otherwise F’ You.
So your Republican Candidate there in N.Y. is not much different then a lot of other people who are DEMOCRATS. I don’t know anybody who believes in sitting on ones ass and collecting Welfare. And I along with the majority of what’s left of my family and my friends. We are Democrats for the simple fact that we did have to work all our lives, and don’t believe in anything for free.
And one more things boys, I’d rather pay for an abortion than pay for that life for 18 years, since Jack’s main objective is to not SPEND THE TAX PAYERS MONEY. Better do your math boy. Wasting your money on abortion or wasting your money having to support 1, 2, 10 kids a piece from these people that haven’t learned about using birth control.
But then Hell, if they’re born your philosophy is if they get sick LET THEM DIE.
You people are a sad joke. Can you spell DYSFUNCTIONAL? You make no sense but your mocking the guy who writes this blog as a mental patient. Hey climb up on the couch with him, because that’s where you also belong.
But what do I know. I live here in the Metro/Detroit area where ALL the city’s politicians are going to prison. We have our own nut jobs here. I do know one thing I had a lot of respect for Mario Cuomo when he was Governor of N.Y. and wish he would of ran for President once upon a time. If his kid is anything like him, N.Y. should fare just fine. But understand something, you are mixing up the word Democrat with the word Liberal. Who in the hell ever said the two go hand in hand?
I have a mind of my own, views of my own, opinions of my own. And they don’t always coincide with my political party. I’m more of a Moderate Democrat, but also have a heart where I believe human beings who are sick should be able to get health care. Thus far the only ones getting any help are people that never worked a day in their pathetic life or coming here from the Middle East. And it is beyond sickening.
As far as I can see both Jersey Joe and Jack believe a fetus’s right to be born only to let the future human being die if they get sick. And to me this kind of thinking is of a sick twisted warped nature. Fed up with hearing you people scream RIGHT TO LIFE, then do everything with-in your power to make sure the already living DIE.
STFU already. Your Republican Candidate sounds like a yo-yo that will go in any direction just to get elected. Does that mean the Democrat Candidate is a honest man?
Come on, we are talking about POLITICIANS here.
Palidino isn’t going to give either of you here bashing Henican a dime of his Billions. So why are you sticking up for him? He doesn’t care about you. You just think he does, which makes you delusional.
Me, I’m still waiting for this so called new Health Care deal where I can get the same identical coverage as the Senate. THEY ALL ARE LIARS. When you can admit that, then you will have touched on something.
One thing I like about both of your Candidates is they’re both Italian! But I’m partial to the one who came from a Dad who wasn’t a Billionaire and who also had a mind of his own that always didn’t take up his political party’s banner if he didn’t agree with them on pacific subjects. My way of thinking as well.
Seems to me the Tea Party is just another cover for the very same Republican views. So what the hell differentiates them apart?
You’re so damned ashamed to say what you are in that you’re a Republican you had to create some other name for a Party that sides with them 1,000% of the time.
Tea Party. How about Flee Party yet never goes anywhere.
Stick a plunger up Cuomolectual Bloombugger’s nose to relieve his congestion pricing. Parasite Manhattan residents, like Washington DC and ex-convicts should not be allowed to vote. (Unless they want to vote in Europe.) Require a valid driver license for any employment. Double tax any parasite not working for profit. Build and join rail hubs at Woodside and West Farms to bypass Manhattan. Liberate Long Island City and Brooklyn from over a century of 1898 Tamanend oppression. Move UN, missions, residences to Governor’s Island surrounded by gators. Anyone who shops at Whole Foods must consume at least one of their own organs weekly. Apartment dwellers must consume any vermin found on their premises. Turn Central Park into a smelly green waste processing facility. Brandmerk the forehead of anyone having an abortion. Access in and out of subway stations should only be by firepole. Your islamosympathic gutterswabbing clothing and pierced privates spread disease. If you weren’t such baby killing, vermin snuggling perverts you wouldn’t be driving up our health costs, then collecting disability for your commie nutty organizing dementia. Your passive aggressive labor unions grab our guns, cars (congestion pricing), balls (SONDA), wallets, and homes but we will grab your throats and dang you from trailer bone tolls. Second Amendment is the ONLY Homeland Security. Wait until we waste all your stumbent subprimes, so you need to sell your affectation glutton art and work instead of diverting tuition and Y2K scams to soviet freezeniks! Deport for multiple visits to same country. If you controlled your own pension neither your boss nor the government could abuse it. Lynch soviet wealth fund abetting aghadhimmic peakies when oil plummets! Parasites complain about salaries but pig out with benefits. Global warming is a grant grubbing extortion racket. Urban sprawl annoys terrorists. Hazards and pollution stem mostly from mandates. Aqua volte! This land wasn’t built by bullocraps.
“Erratic billionaire”?? “May have no idea what he’s talking about”??
So says you??
Give Ellis Henican this much credit: He may be an extreme liberal, who tones his voice down to sound like a doctor for mental patients, when in fact, is one, (right, right… okay). He may have no idea what he is talking about. But he sure knows how to spot a disgraced Spitzer (without a tan).