Paladino Visits Root Of All New York Evil... Manhattan

Paladino at an event in Buffalo last week (AP)

News flash: Republican gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino may be "mad as hell" about the Albany cesspool, but he really loved the 1996 film The English Patient and "gasped" when he was told by a reporter that one of the film's stars was standing in the lobby of the CBS Studios yesterday. The NY Times reveals, "The gruff, aggressive candidate gasped, saying he liked the film, and rushed over to introduce himself. 'I’m Carl Paladino,' he said. 'I loved, what was that movie?' he asked the reporter. 'The English Patient,’ he said, with a prompt. Shaking the woman’s hand up and down, he asked, 'What’s your name?' 'Kristin Scott Thomas,' she replied."

Yes, Paladino, who hates Brooklyn, the Bronx and especially Manhattan, was in town yesterday. Sure, Manhattan may be the "home to smug, self-important, pampered liberal elitists," but we do have movie stars! He also apparently chatted with former Governor Pataki even though Paladino called him a "degenerate idiot." Paladino told the Wall Street Journal, "I've talked to the governor, and we're passed it." While Pataki's spokesman wouldn't say anything, Paladino's campaign manager Michael Caputo was happy to praise Georgey boy, "He's run a huge race like this, faced the fund-raising challenge. Nobody knows how to herd the cats of the Republican Party better than Gov. Pataki."

When asked what the difference was between Manhattan and Buffalo, Paladino told the Times' Elizabeth Harris, "I guess the real contrast though is nobody looks you in the eye here. I’m not saying that people aren’t polite. I think they’re a lot more reserved — they’re afraid in many respects, especially young women. I think they’d be intimidated by it, and I think it’s understandable." Other tidbits: Kristin Scott Thomas had no idea who he was (well, she does live in Europe) and Paladino also gave Harris "one of his signature bear hugs — and in so doing, he cracked my back."

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Chung in News on September 21, 2010 3:06 PM

Comments [rss]

dreamking

He's like the upstaters' version of the anti-Koch. The man's a sock puppet for rich people and those trapped behind the Catskills. Dude wants to spit on NYC, dude should not be surprised when it spits back.

That said, if I thought, asswipe that he is, had a chance of fundamentally changing NYS governance, I might think about voting for him. Albany needs to go. I doubt this clown is the one to do it. He shouts loudest, but it doesn't mean he's going to be effective at changing the big stuff. If he wants to talk about good-faith redistricting, the end to self-serving gerrymandery and range voting, I'd listen. But he's not. He's no different than any other politician in that sense, and much worse with his politics.

wingedearth

What a great gubernatorial race. Andrew Cuomo is a slimy New York politician, and Carl Paladino is like a Hollywood depiction of a slimy New York politician. But I do love how politically incorrect Paladino is.

John L

Aside from the fact that he's a lunatic anyone that lives in NYC and votes for this man just doesn't understand politics. It's a fact that NYC pays more than we get back from Albany but with the contempt he has for this city, once he's done with the state budget we'll be lucky if we get back a penny on the dollar.

Vote for CUOMO

Because you have no other choice.

chortik

passed it or past it?

miss_mess

People don't make eye contact in Buffalo because people don't walk in Buffalo, and frankly, it would be really really weird (and probably dangerous) to try to make eye contact with everyone while driving. Paladino is an idiot.

acdub

Wow - no one does subtle snide like the NYT (and I say that with incredible respect). Even the combination of the picture of him trying to hail a cab with a statue-of-liberty pose and the article's description of him demanding to sit in the front seat of the cab are little cues to NYC residents that he's got no clue about the city where 40%+ of the state's residents live.