The response was swift and brutal to New York gubernatorial hopeful Carl Paladino’s absurdly racist, sexist, pornographic and anti-Obama e-mails.
Paladino’s e-mails — one, in which he portrayed President Obama and first lady Michelle as a pimp and prostitute, and another of a woman having sex with a horse — may cost him most or all of the $85 million in leasing business he does with the state of New York. Current New York Gov. David Paterson said he was looking into all state contracts with Paladino, who is also a Republican candidate for the governor’s office.
A wealthy Buffalo-based developer, Paladino owns a legion of office spaces, with the state leasing most of them. Gov. Patterson is looking to cancel those leases as soon as possible, perhaps using the “morality clause”, the Buffalo News reports.
That’s not the only direction from which Paladino is receiving incoming fire. The state chairmen of both the Democratic and Republican parties have unilaterally denounced Paladino’s emails, as well as his candidacy. He didn’t even receive a life raft for his sinking popularity from the Tea Party Express, which was among his most staunch supporters before Paladino’s e-mails detonated in cyberspace and killed his credibility.
Even the commissioner for the state Office of General Services called on Paladino to withdraw the lease for a Workers’ Compensation Board office on Main Street with his company, Ellicott Development Co., which has a number of leases with the state.
“I am very disturbed about recent reports of e-mails sent or forwarded by you that contain racist and sexist depictions and remarks,” Commissioner John Egan wrote. “As a landlord doing business with the state of New York, I expect you to conduct yourself in a professional manner.” He added, “The lack of respect these e-mails show for the rights of minorities and women is of great concern to me both as commissioner and as a citizen of this state.”
Despite his candidacy being permanently crippled, Paladino vowed to continue. On the radio Thursday, he fired off a few desperation rounds, accusing Gov. Paterson of trying to take the leases from his businesses and give them to Paterson’s cronies. Both Paladino and his campaign manager, Michael Caputo, accused Paterson of political payback. Last month Paladino asked the U.S. Attorney to investigate the Paterson administration’s leasing practices, after it tried to force Paladino to pay prevailing union wages to his employees, the newspaper reports. –terry shropshire
