Despite 'racist' e-mail flap, Carl Paladino, GOP candidate for NY guv's seat, says he's in to win
By Kenneth Lovett
ALBANY - Embattled renegade Republican gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino says he's still in it to win it - despite the controversy swirling around him.
"I'm absolutely in the race and I will not pull out for any controversy," Paladino said Tuesday on Talk 1300 AM in Albany.
He described himself as a "very determined person" who is "on a mission."
And he accused his political enemies from Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, who is expected to run for governor on the Democratic ticket, and state GOP Chairman Ed Cox of using his latest gaffes to and push him out of the race.
Paladino is now under fire for forwarding smutty and racist e-mails to pals.
Paladino said his foes would rather talk about the e-mails than address the issues of spending, taxes, debt and jobs.
"That's why they're trying to get rid of me at this early point," he said. "They want to see me go."
But the Buffalo real estate developer offered a widespread, if weak, apology for the first time. Just two days ago, he apologized only to women who were offended by the e-mails he forwarded.
"I was careless in [sending the e-mails] and that was something I sincerely apologize for," Paladino said.
Yet he also tried to minimize his involvement.
"I would say the e-mail was racist," he said. "Was I being a racist in forwarding them? Most of them I never even read."
He said the e-mails were sent to him by friends and he simply passed them on to other buddies.
Paladino also defended his public use of the derogatory ethnic slurs.
He said he picked up the terms in the "element" of the construction industry.
"Yes, I thought in my world, the world I live in every day, the use of that language...was something that was not racially insensitive. That's how the critics want to label it, but that's not the way I look at it."
An Italian American himself, Paladino said he doesn't take offense at derisive terms for folks with his heritage.
"We use the term amongst ourselves," he said. "It's a humor, especially in these people who work in the construction industry. It doesn't justify what I did."
He said it's also wrong to characterize him as a racist after he spent the last five years trying to improve inner-city schools. Paladino also slapped at Gov. Paterson for trying to cut off the state's real estate contracts with him.
"It shows you just how sad our government is that they just don't understand the basics of that," he said. "Imagine they can do some of the things that they threatened to do to me," he said.
Poster Comment:
This guy is so toxic even the teabaggers don't want to have anything to do with him.
