Carl Paladino's Controversial Statements Could Embarrass Republicans

Carl Paladino.

/ www.paladinoforthepeople.com

Carl Paladino -- a millionaire developer who has acknowledged forwarding racist and sexist emails, who has proposed turning empty prisons into dormitory space for welfare recipients, and whose state party didn't even want him on the ballot -- has won the Republican gubernatorial nomination in New York.

Paladino's victory over Rick Lazio doesn't much change Republican prospects in the gubernatorial race, with Democrat Andrew Cuomo expected to cruise to an easy win. But it could prove a drag on Republicans in downballot races in the state and also embarrass the GOP establishment.

In April, Paladino acknowledged forwarding emails including images of bestiality and derogatory characterizations of President Obama, including one offering a video clip of African tribesmen dancing that characterized the video as "Obama Inauguration Rehearsal."

The Tea-Party backed candidate reportedly sent an e-mail depicting a horse having sex with a woman and another that included a pornographic video and the headline "Miss France 2008 F[***]ing." He also reportedly sent out an e-mail depicting President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama as a pimp and prostitute and one showing an airplane landing near black men with the caption "Holy Sh*t. run ni**ers, run!"

Paladino also made headlines for saying last month, as the Associated Press reported, that "he would transform some New York prisons into dormitories for welfare recipients, where they could work in state-sponsored jobs, get employment training and take lessons in 'personal hygiene.'" The program, he said, would be voluntary.

He waded into the debate over the proposed Islamic cultural center two blocks from Ground Zero, going even further than many other Republicans by suggesting he would invoke eminent domain laws to block what he calls a symbol of "conquest." He believes global warming is a "farce." He has what one New York tabloid called a "10-year-old love child." If the state budget is late, he promises to shut down the government. He defended a friend who called New York Assembly speaker Sheldon Silver, an Orthodox Jew, "an Antichrist or a Hitler."

In endorsing Lazio before the vote, the New York Times said that by nominating him the GOP "could avoid the national embarrassment of a Paladino candidacy."

The state GOP tried to keep Paladino off the state ballot, but he got enough signatures to force his way on; he was then able to capitalize on voter anger against the Albany establishment to overtake Lazio, a mainstream figure who had been widely-expected to easily win the nomination (and then lose to Cuomo). Paladino's victory looks like more bad news for a weakening Republican party in New York - and good news for Democrats who now have a potent symbol to feed their preferred narrative that Republicans are too far out of the mainstream for most Americans.

"We are mad as hell," Paladino said at his victory party Tuesday night, as the New York Times reports. "They say I'm too blunt. Well, I am. And I don't apologize for it. They say I'm an angry man, and that's true. We're all angry."

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Brian Montopoli is a political reporter for CBSNews.com. You can read more of his posts here. Follow Hotsheet on Facebook and Twitter.

[goodguy1234ass]

The bottom line is that socialists are labeling everyone else as racists, extremists, unamerican, gay bashers, and whatever else, to try to crawl out of notice. The reality is that we all know their socialists, even if America is the only nation where socialists don't go by the term socialists. You know why they don't? Because America was founded to get away from the European political system into which they're trying to rebox us. America is supposed to be the land of the free, but the democrats are trying to enslave us in ever increasing debt, social acceptance dogmas, and taxes while the republicans are trying to enslave us in their religious dogmas and social order dogmas. It's time to stop worrying whether politicians label each other extremists and selves centrists, and start reclaiming our constitutional rights. It starts with getting rid of selective tax punishments for behaviors, and eventually follows with getting rid of all government intervention in the noncriminal acts of our lives, referred to by our founders as the right to pursue happiness.

[johnbryansfontaine]

The real bottom line is that when when racists are discovered, all their allies can do is scream 'socialist'

[bobby_would]

I hope those New Yorkers are as smart as I have always thought they were. The media will blast this guy and people will suck it up. But if you think about it, I don't really give a damn what kind of emails he sent or comments he made. I want to pull this country away from those who have it highjacked. They are both democrats and republicans and they are dug in so deep with their fat wallets and power that they can't understand anymore that we are the people and we want this country back. We are not white, black, men or women, hispanic or whatever. We are Americans and we don't take this kind of BS. So the media can run stories all day long about O'Donnels finances or Paladino's emails. As long as they kick the ass of the Washington bureaucrats the hell out of Washington then we will all be 100% better off.

[superdem1]

Sounds like Mr. Paladino listens to Rush every day. Just guessing, but I'd put money on it.

[livingwny]

So because this state is "2 steps from the brink" you are willing to turn the reigns over to "Carl", a Racist Sexist? Despicable.

[mgrundo]

Lets take a good hard look into Prince Cuomo's personal laptops, emails, diaries and find out how "perfect" he is. My concern is how to dig this dysfunctional state out of the hole we are in...and we have an individual who isn't beholding to the state unions who can POSSIBLY make some changes. Although he will probably be crushed by the media and political machine. Stand up for your family and rights of the working people in this state and stop focusing on a stupid forwarded email. Do you live in a glass house ?

[democracy5]

mgrundo: Anyone who would forward more than 1 of these types of emails is not "making a mistake"; he's showing his "true character" (or lack thereof, which IS an important issue). You show an incredible lack of integrity.

[mgrundo]

Dear brianbwb2015...since I do not believe you currently live and work in NY state I won't bother with much of a response to your idiot statements about "slavery". Can you read ? then read the words Carl Paladino said, not what they get twisted into. And I am not even sure what a neo-con is ??? is that an issue that we new yorkers are facing ? Because the ones I know about are over-bloated union public sector jobs, near double digit unemployment, more governments that you count, and the highest income and property taxes in the United States.

We CANNOT GROW THE ECONOMY BY GROWING THE GOVERNMENT.

[jimbom121]

"We CANNOT GROW THE ECONOMY BY GROWING THE GOVERNMENT."

Then tell corporate america to stop hoarding its billions of $ of cash and spend it.

[mgrundo]

Mrs-Polly...please use your brain. I am not condoning the emails. But it not should be the primary issue in this campaign to SAVE our STATE. I said people who receive hundreds of emails daily may easily make a mistake an regret forwarding an email. Carl apologized as well he should have. We ALL make mistakes. I know i do.

Where is the focus of the CBS story on what is really wrong with this state ? We do not need another silver tongued politician like Andrew Cuomo running our state further into the ground. Please look at the issues and then make a decision.

[democracy5]

Anyone who would forward more than 1 of these types of emails is not "making a mistake"; he's showing his "true character" (or lack thereof, which IS an important issue).

[Bisk1]

"We are mad as hell," Paladino said at his victory party Tuesday night, as the New York Times reports. "They say I'm too blunt. Well, I am. And I don't apologize for it. They say I'm an angry man, and that's true. We're all angry."

******

I wonder what he's really angry about ..... Dumb dumb repugs !!

[mgrundo]

do any of you people actually live in NY ? you, and the writer, are going on and on about a couple of emails. Right, I am sure you have never forwarded an email that "maybe" you shouldn't have. The fact is this state is 2 steps from the brink. Billions of dollars in debt to the State Unions. We are upside down here....the private sector is simply here to support the bloated public sector. that is backwards. Finally a person (not a politician) who can speak on behalf of the working families of NY state. Maybe my kids won't have to leave the state to find a job in 10 years.

[Mrs_Polly]

So you think it normal to forward emails depicting women and horses, or videos from "StormFront." Glad you established your perameters, mgrundo!

[Truth_Tracker]

Oh, this is an interesting piece of vital information to be getting AFTER everyone has already voted in the NY primary! What kind of a CBS moron dolt would wait until AFTER the voting to dispense this kind of vital, pivotal voter information? Let me guess -- There's a band of CBS sado-masochists who only enjoy promulgating vital info AFTER its usefulness has expired. I guess we should be grateful CBS isn't in the retail perishable food business, or we'd all have Ptomaine poisoning right now. Apparently, these erudite CBS geniuses can not figure out that, although the news may be 'old' to a newsman, most of the rest of human civilization is not engaged in "news as an occupation" like news reporters are, and therefore it is highly likely that news will be 'new' to most of us. I think this is commonly referred to as "losing touch with reality" -- sort of like the saying, "To a hammer everything looks like a nail." I can understand why the hammer can NOT see beyond it's immediate form. It's a bit more difficult to grasp how this myopic suffocation would happen to well-educated, purportedly thoughtful and insightful human beings. And yes, when I look at the torrent of superficial, brain-dead herd-mentality 'entertainment' tripe that gets prominent airplay on CBS -- YES, I get quite angry when important, vital info like this arrives buried on page 12, AFTER the expiration date.

[TheRealKingMax]

In New York, this information has been out there for months. If you recall, that's where this primary was held.

[alphaa10-2009]

SURELY

Truth_Tracker said, "Oh, this is an interesting piece of vital information to be getting AFTER everyone has already voted in the NY primary! What kind of a CBS moron dolt would wait until AFTER the voting to dispense this kind of vital, pivotal voter information?
---

Your point is well-taken. Several years ago, the CBS website got into the "celebrity news" biz, often seeming to regard news as only a market commodity-- that one "nooz" is as important as another.

The problem with that point of view is nooz about celebrities is not news in the public interest. And the notable share nooz has taken from news at CBS is cause for concern.

All the more, since an ignorant public is an easily misled public. For that reason Jefferson valued the press and education, in general, believing more information, not less, is vital to a healthy democracy.

As CBS President and CEO, Les Moonves surely understands the importance of keeping his politics out of the way, and letting news professionals do their best work to promote the flow of information.

Surely... surely... surely...

[TheRealKingMax]

One more thing: he's a bigot and a sexist. Check out Western New York Media's exposure of his despicable emails: http://wnymedia.net/paladino/
Unfortunately, this may enhance his appeal to a sizeable portion of the Tea Party crowd.

[Bisk1]

This fool is a TRUE TEA BAgger. Dumb dumb repugs !!

[Truth_Tracker]

Oh, this is an interesting piece of vital information to be getting AFTER everyone has already voted in the NY primary! What kind of a CNN moron dolt would wait until AFTER the voting to dispense this kind of vital, pivotal voter information? Let me guess -- There's a band of CNN sado-masochists who only enjoy promulgating vital info AFTER its usefulness has expired. I guess we should be grateful CNN isn't in the retail perishable food business, or we'd all have Ptomaine poisoning right now. Apparently, these erudite CNN geniuses can not figure out that, although the news may be 'old' to a newsman, most of the rest of human civilization is not engaged in "news as an occupation" like news reporters are, and therefore it is highly likely that news will be 'new' to most of us. I think this is commonly referred to as "losing touch with reality" -- sort of like the saying, "To a hammer everything looks like a nail." I can understand why the hammer can NOT see beyond it's immediate form. It's a bit more difficult to grasp how this myopic suffocation would happen to well-educated, purportedly thoughtful and insightful human beings. And yes, when I look at the torrent of superficial, brain-dead herd-mentality 'entertainment' tripe that gets prominent airplay on CNN -- YES, I get quite angry when important, vital info like this arrives buried on page 12, AFTER the expiration date.

[TheRealKingMax]

In New York, this information has been out there for months.

[democracy5]

What does CNN have to do with this story? BTW, it's up to YOU to keep up with current events.