Now that he's had a chance to pee, Carl Paladino wants to make sure you know that he wasn't too happy with the debate on Monday night. No, not with his underwhelming performance—with the "terrible format." He is calling on Andrew Cuomo to agree to more debates; he particularly wants a one-on-one, although he shouldn't be so gung ho about it unless he gets some debating lessons in the meantime. Either way, it's hard to imagine any debate could reverse the 37-point deficit he's facing in the latest Siena poll.
Even a lot of his Republicans supporters don't think he has a shot anymore; Jeremy Gosbee, a Washington, D.C.-based public relations professional from upstate New York, told FoxNews, “For once it seemed like an Upstate Republican statewide candidate may just have a chance. Paladino’s populist message was more believable...Watching Paladino implode almost makes you question your own personal judgment for having thought he was up to the job.”
But instead of drowning his sorrows in some hot bikini-wax videos, Paladino bought a ticket for the 65th Annual Alfred E. Smith Dinner last night. He was joined by invited guests such as Cuomo, Mayor Bloomberg, and many other notable NY politicians such New York Sens. Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, former Mayors Ed Koch and David Dinkins, and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn. The dinner honors Al Smith, a four term governor of New York who became the first Catholic to be a major party candidate for U.S. President in 1928. The event is a political roast, and both major gubernatorial candidates were mocked; on Cuomo, host Al Smith IV said, "Our last elected Governor was afraid to take his socks off. Looks like our next Governor is afraid to take the gloves off." And about Cuomo's opponent, Smith joked, "Carl Paladino warned that if we had Elton John to entertain us tonight, he'd take me out."
