Archbishop Timothy Dolan and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Attorney General Andrew Cuomo chat during the Columbus Day Parade (Andrew Cuomo's Flickr)

As Carl Paladino "reels from [his] gay gaffe" (as the Wall Street Journal describes this strange madness), Democratic candidate Andrew Cuomo got to trumpet his inclusive stance. During yesterday's Columbus Day parade, he said of Paladino's remarks criticizing gay marriage, homosexuality as a lifestyle, and the gay pride parade, "New York celebrates our diversity. Today we have parades to celebrate diversity, today we have the Columbus Day -- the Italian parade. We have the Gay Pride Parade. We have the Israel Day Parade. We celebrate our diversity. You're not going to make it a negative. Not going to play one off against the other. We won't let it happen in New York."

Paladino had specifically singled out Cuomo's marching in the Gay Pride Parade with his daughters, "I don't think it's proper for them to go there and watch a couple of grown men grind against each other. I don't think that's proper, I think it's disgusting." Cuomo, who is divorced from Kerry Kennedy, said, "I don't think I'm going to accept parenting advice from Mr. Paladino," as well as, "[Paladino's remarks] were divisive. They were the worst cynical politics, trying to pit people against one another."

This also means that Paladino is helping rally the liberal base for Cuomo: One LGBT activist told the Times Union, "Andy's got fire in his belly to do this, but it's not showing up. I'm not excited. Will I vote for him? Sure. But does he excite me like when I voted for his dad? The answer is no," but with Paladino being so...Paladino, "Certainly, it's easier to see the clear choice that's before us."