In New York Conservative Republican Carl Paladino, 2010 Candidate for Governor, is Providing Comic Relief

Laugh a Minute Story From Buffalo

In 2010 the Republican Party in New York state went off the rails and nominated a Buffalo real estate developer to run against Andrew Cuomo for Governor.  Carl Paladino had no public office experience, and promptly ran a campaign that offended and alienated just about everyone.  But he was a conservative, a true conservative, the kind conservatives say they have to nominate to win elections.  Except in the case Mr. Paladino was obliterated.

Now Carl is thinking of running again, or maybe thinking of just being the funny guy in the race.  From the Buffalo News there is this.

Carl P. Paladino has a message for New York’s Republican Party: Find a candidate for governor next year who is well-known, well-financed and truly “Republican,” or he will run on the Conservative Party line himself.

If he were to run as a Conservative candidate for governor, his campaign could wreak havoc with the state GOP.

“We have to have that kind of candidate or I will take the Conservative line, bring the Conservative line to Row B, and waste an election,” Paladino told The Buffalo News last week after Tuesday’s elections and the unofficial kickoff of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s campaign for a second term.

Now the Republicans have about as much chance of beating Mr. Cuomo as health care reform has of being praised by Ted Cruz, so any run by Mr. Paladino is just plain laughable.  And maybe that is his goal.  For example there is this.

Those urging him to run on the Conservative line seek to stave off a “moderate” Republican from becoming the nominee, while establishing the Conservative Party and Paladino as the voices of conservatism in New York State.

Gosh, the Republicans nominated a true blue conservative in 2010, and this is how that turned out.

Since losing to Cuomo by 62.6 percent to 33.3 percent in 2010, Paladino has . . .

So naturally they would want to repeat the process in 2014.  And for more laughs there is this.

These efforts have not escaped the attention of state Conservative Chairman Michael R. Long of Brooklyn.

“Carl, after the last race was over, didn’t just pick up his marbles and go home,” Long said. “He ran for the School Board. 

Wow, he ran for School Board (and won, setting a bad educational system in Buffalo even further behind the curve).  Well at least that’s better than Sarah Palin who won’t even run for school board (earning a big thank you from students and parents everywhere)>

So Mr. Paladino may well extend to New York the role that conservatives will be playing in 2014, court jester.  Every party needs one.