Paladino set to torpedo Conservative Party with ‘Taxpayers’ line
Buffalo businessman and GOP gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino plans to deliver 28,00 signatures to the state Board of Elections today in an attempt to secure an independent line in November.
The line, known as the “Taxpayers” party, is aimed at ending the supremacy of the venerable Conservative Party, which has been a must-have line for any successful statewide Republican in New York for decades.
But Paladino, who is also challenging the preferred GOP candidate for governor Rick Lazio in a primary, wants to knock the Conservatives off the ballot completely, said campaign manager Michael Caputo.
“It’s our intention to replace the Conservative Party with the Taxpayers party,” Caputo said. “Our internal research shows that the Taxpayers party will out poll the Conservative Party.”
A party’s candidate for governor must receive 50,000 votes in order to remain on the ballot in New York. Failing that, the party must petition its way back on—a potentially expensive and drawn-out process.
Paladino, who plans to use up to $10 million of his own money in the campaign, made overtures to the Conservative Party and its chairman, Michael Long, earlier this year. But Caputo said receiving the nod from the party is now out of the question.
“At this point we have no interest,” Caputo said. “Mike Long is off our speed dial.”
Long dismissed Paladino’s campaign aimed at ending the party’s influence.
“I think that’s a very sad commentary on a person if he really believes in the future of New York,” he said. “The Conservative Party is not an overnight party. We’ve been around 48 years.”
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Sorry Mike. You were warned. The sunset is calling you… MC
this should not just be about the conservative party
this should be about cross endorsements in general
whether its the conservative party or the indpendence
party allowing a minor party to cross endorse gives
that party way too much leverage over the major party
and it becomes a case of the tail wagging the dog..the
minor party gets a veto over who the republican party
chooses..it is long past time to end this practice
which only 6 states permit.and let each party pick its
own candidate to run on its own line..then the voters can
make a choice based on issues and philosophy and elections
can be determined by the same and not how many lines
a candidate can cobble together
Whether it’s Paladino or Lazio they’re both going to lose. Cuomo will win by at least 20 points… maybe more.
I hope the above blogger doesn’t bet his house on Cuomo winning.
He would be better off betting the house on the Republican and losing. Once homeless, Cuomo and he Democrats would make life a lot easier on him by eliminating him ever having to pay for anything again, giving him food stamps, perpetual unemployment payments, supplemental security payments, free health and dental, and put him up in a penthouse of the UN Plaza under their new “Homeless Relocation Act.”
The Democrats that I know are not willing to risk their jobs on the anti-business policies of the state Dem leadership and especially on yet another Cuomo. While I do not expect them to vote for Paladino I suspect that some will. Most will avoid the polls in groves since they are still feel stung for voting for Obama. When real Democrats don’t show up, it becomes doubly difficult for the party bosses to toss in the cemetary votes and the famous “buses from Joisey” who have driven the Dem numbers here for years.
Paladino is smart enough to have an army of lawyers in the city on election day and sufficient experienced poll watchers to keep the election fraud down to manageable numbers. This combined with an effective GOTV operation in the areas where people have jobs and actually work should put Status Cuomo back on the unemployment line in November.
I am sorry to see Paladino lose money and become disenfranchised in the political process at the same time. He is a truly credible and viable candidate for the WNY area and would be viable on the state level once he develops a record of governing. The way I see this campaign is Carl being manipulated by the local
Conservative Party to discredit Michael Long. Not that Michael Long is my favorite, but for Republicans to get elected in this state, the unfortunate reality is that they need the Conservative endorsement. Mike Long has given that during critical races. If he is deposed, and the WNY guy gets his way, the Democrats will take all of the close WNY races for sure. I am sorry to see Carl be used by this guy. I really believe Paladino has a CORRECT vision for the future of NYS government. However, it won’t happen this time and I am afraid we will not see him on the stump again. Very Sad!