Really, it is.
Almost exactly a year ago we had our first meeting about the Genesee County Nursing Home. We sat around a table at our 'headquarters,' which is to this day a sample table at my place of business. We smoked too many cigarettes (I still can't quit) and discussed the importance of the home as a safety net for the indigent, a diamond in a place filled with cubic zirconium and the gold standard for elder care in the Genesee region.
When the meeting was almost over the point was brought up that our opposition to the sale of the home needed a public voice. During the ensuing silence, I felt the expectant looks of a couple people who own all of my respect and I said, 'No, absolutely not.'
I had just taken a horrible drubbing in my bid for the legislature and I had no appetite for publicity. I had concerns that any attempt of mine to publicly back a cause of any sort would be seen as politically driven. I wasn't interested in taking on any sort of extra responsibility and I had no desire to lose. In short, every objection I had to opening my notoriously big mouth last December was driven by a selfishness that I am now ashamed to admit.
Then my good friend Bea put in me in my place. She reminded me that the night my ass was thoroughly kicked by the man I challenged in the 2009 election I said that I would continue to be involved in the community. I said it to a reporter from The Daily News which was stupid because when you say things to reporters they tend to write them down verbatim. After this happens, your ability to squirm out of responsibility for those words decreases exponentially....dammit.
Bea gave me a scolding, as is her way, and I opened my mind to the possibility, as is mine.
I started the Facebook page a few days later, taped up my hands, put on the boxing gloves and prepared myself for a scrap. Since then I have made more than a few mistakes and, with the help of some great people, I've done a couple things right as well. I want to talk about all of that now, particularly the mistakes, and let you judge for yourselves how we got to this place.
A week or so after the Facebook page was up I got a call at work from a local reporter. She ran a story the next day about our objections as well as the county's side of the story. We had the Assistant County Manager on record saying that sale was definitely the direction they were headed so the backpedaling and qualifying statements from county leadership immediately stuck in my craw. Certain county electeds were privately discussing the sale of the home as a done deal prior to our push-back and that smirking, smarmy take on the situation irked me as well. The public hadn't had their say yet and it's been said about this issue and many others that our county-wide elected officials seem to think that they represent the county to us instead of representing us to the county. I thought it was time to put a stop to that attitude so we sent a few shots across the bow on The Batavian and a few more in The Daily News.
We had a couple more meetings, smoked more cigarettes and tried to plan a strategy. We wanted to encourage participation from members of the public so I sent a few messages to the now hundreds of members of our Facebook site and asked them to share their experiences and feelings about the home. Folks were more than willing to participate; here are a few samples:
http://thedailynewsonline.com/blogs/commentary_and_letters/article_2dde1f29-a643-59e7-aee3-2dd700dcac9f.html
http://thedailynewsonline.com/blogs/commentary_and_letters/article_b568df16-5b78-5871-b9b4-8ecd9667628c.html
http://thedailynewsonline.com/blogs/commentary_and_letters/article_86b9b42f-c12a-5ae4-98af-f5a4b962ed72.html
After all of that there was a small question about math. It was just one instance in a long line of head shaking moments in the Year of our Lord 2010, but it was certainly an accurate sample of the strange larger picture. This was the result:
http://thedailynewsonline.com/news/article_0d945062-2d8b-58ad-bcc3-e0ce15ddc698.html
After the mathematical dispute I found myself attempting to explain IGT's, federal contributions and general monetary and budgetary process to folks who were interested in the answers right until I started discussing financial match money, the general fund, etc... This was the point where I realized that the glaze covering a person's eyes falls directly in proportion to the mathematical difficulty of your last sentence. So I had an idea.
In retrospect, Mr. Hens, the County Highway Superintendent, didn't deserve the amount of abuse he had to absorb due to the Airport, Bad; Nursing Home, Good stunt, but we had to prove a point and it certainly worked. The whole issue at that point was about what our county was willing to spend money on and what it wasn't. When the elderly and indigent are expected to buck up and take it while people who own their own planes are given a place to park them...well, you get the point.
Sometime during all of this I was on local television which I thought was completely surreal. This was when I really started feeling the pressure as well. More on that after I finish up the flashback portion of this blog.
In a poor coincidence of scheduling, the consulting RFP came up for a vote right at that time, so I called a few friends and sent out another Facebook message. We went in and kicked a little ass. My friend and City of Batavia Councilwoman of 16 years, Rose Mary Christian grabbed a sign and sat right in the front row. Bea McManis spoke for the senior citizens of Genesee County and I gave a speech that I had written fifteen minutes before I left work that night and was very proud of. It was a moment of community activism that I had never seen in my small town. A woman named Carol Mosicki showed up outside the County Courthouse with a petition to help abused women, a large group of supporters gathered to help our cause and I gave an impromptu speech on the courthouse steps.
I'll never forget that day, not just because it was a triumph, but because it was the last time I was able to do anything truly meaningful in support of the nursing home cause.
It probably wasn't the end of my value to the fight, but it was the end of my effectiveness. You see, almost from beginning to end I was involved in a personal failure. My wife of four years and I had decided to get divorced and, by early summer, my mind had become clouded by personal concerns. I'm not ashamed of that; I think any other person would have become distracted by any singular matter of great importance. I am ashamed that I wasn't able to share these problems with other people who were personally invested in he nursing home issue. I made some promises to them that I wasn't able to keep and I'm sorry for that. The website never got off the ground, the summer picnic didn't happen, the things I wanted to do were cast by the wayside. Enough of that.
Then something else happened.
Late-summer 2010, my grandmother needed surgery...again. She's had circulation problems for a few years now and, after numerous medical procedures and hospital stays, her doctor recommended that the bottom part of her right leg be amputated. To make a long and emotionally difficult story short, my grandmother, the bravest, toughest, most perfect woman I know, opted for the amputation. She was sent to the Genesee County Nursing Home for rehabilitation and physical therapy.
You see where this is going? There are more than a few candidates for sainthood in that facility. They cared for my grandmother. They fed my grandfather while he watched over her bed. They did what they do for residents of our county every day and God damn anyone who wants to put an end to that.
The first night I visited her she told me that I had to keep the home just the way it was.
Earlier that day, my uncle, who had never mentioned the place to me, told me that if I was involved in the fight to keep the home I needed to continue.
My father told me how wonderful the staff had been to him.
I gave encouragement. I nodded my head. I told them I'd do what I could. I knew that, whatever was going to happen, it was too late for me to have any effect on the outcome. I never said so.
Today, it was made public that the Center for Governmental Research in Rochester recommends that Genesee County keep its nursing home with a few tweaks.
What's the moral of this story?
I suppose it's whatever you want it to be.
Personally, I think I failed at my appointed task. I could have done more. I could have worked harder. I could have followed through with more vigor, more attitude, more...simply more.
The reality here is that CGR's recommendation is an honest take on what the home means to Genesee County past, present and future. There's a certain vanity in my soul that wants to take some credit for the verdict, a poorly developed id that wants to own a victory and claim moral and intellectual superiority, but ego be damned. I feel good today because my faith in the RIGHT THING has been reinforced. I don't know if I had an effect on the outcome and I don't care.
The reality of the situation was proven to fall in favor of those ideals I hold close. Care for the poor, the indigent, those among us who need our help. That amounts to a win for all of us.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Friday, December 3, 2010
Genesee Justice Matters
I was deeply affected this morning when a woman I've never met came to see me at work. She wanted to talk about Genesee Justice, why it's so important and what we can do to convince our legislature that they are being wholly obtuse.
The problem is that my hands are currently tied when it comes to these matters for reasons that most of you who read this blog know, but that I am unable to discuss publicly.
I have ideas though and even though I have been barred from taking meaningful action, you have not.
Certain members of the legislature are lying about the small volume of constituent calls they've received about Genesee Justice. Don't let them do it anymore. Make a call and tell them to do the right thing, then have your brother/sister/spouse/mom/dad/friend do the same.
Show up to the budget meeting next Monday where they'll be discussing this. They may not allow public comment, but it's an open meeting and just being there with a scowl on your face can make a difference...trust me.
If the legislature accepts Ed Minardo's offer to give up his own job to save the program (which, by the way, makes him a better man than most) I want you to do something that maybe you've never done. I want you to write two checks and I promise I'll be doing the same. The first one should be made out to the foundation he'll be starting to keep Genesee Justice afloat and doing the good work they're known for. The second should be made out to him personally because when a man sacrifices his livelihood for our benefit, we owe him our support. The size of the checks don't matter, the principle you uphold by writing them does.
Everything we do, every day, has an effect on the world around us. The actions we take and the ones we choose not to impact even our small sphere of influence in large ways. If the people we have entrusted with the power to govern, the power to create and destroy, only choose destruction, apathy and decay by attrition then it is our responsibility to set the better example.
Members of the Genesee County Legislature:
Raymond F. Cianfrini
District No. 1
Towns of Alabama and Oakfield
79 N. Main, Oakfield, New York 14125
Office Phone: (585) 948-5201 - Home Phone: (585) 948-5347
Robert J. Bausch
District No. 2
Towns of Elba, Byron and Bergen
PO Box 81 Bergen, New York 14416
Phone (585) 494-2114
Annie M. Lawrence
District No. 3
Towns of Pembroke and Darien
2495 Brown Road, Corfu, New York 14036
Phone (585) 762-8506
Mary Pat Hancock, Chair
District No. 4
Towns of Batavia and Stafford
8234 Lewiston Road, Batavia, New York 14020
Phone: (585) 343-1011
Jerome J. Grasso
District No. 5
Town of LeRoy
8706 Haven Lane, LeRoy, New York 14482
Phone: (585) 768-8007
Esther Leadley
District No. 6
Towns of Alexander, Bethany and Pavilion
11047 River Road, Pavilion, New York 14525
Phone: (585) 584-3548
Robert J. Radley
District No. 7 Wards 1 & 6
City of Batavia
23 Allanview Batavia, NY
Phone: (585) 343-4509
Hollis D. Upson, Vice Chair
District No. 8 Wards 2 & 3
City of Batavia
69 Ellicott Avenue, Batavia, New York 14020
Phone: (585) 344-1014 (H) (585) 343-6211 (W)
Edward DeJaneiro, Jr. 2nd Vice Chair
District No. 9, Wards 4 & 5
City of Batavia
104 River Street, Batavia, New York 14020
Phone: (585) 343-9240
The problem is that my hands are currently tied when it comes to these matters for reasons that most of you who read this blog know, but that I am unable to discuss publicly.
I have ideas though and even though I have been barred from taking meaningful action, you have not.
Certain members of the legislature are lying about the small volume of constituent calls they've received about Genesee Justice. Don't let them do it anymore. Make a call and tell them to do the right thing, then have your brother/sister/spouse/mom/dad/friend do the same.
Show up to the budget meeting next Monday where they'll be discussing this. They may not allow public comment, but it's an open meeting and just being there with a scowl on your face can make a difference...trust me.
If the legislature accepts Ed Minardo's offer to give up his own job to save the program (which, by the way, makes him a better man than most) I want you to do something that maybe you've never done. I want you to write two checks and I promise I'll be doing the same. The first one should be made out to the foundation he'll be starting to keep Genesee Justice afloat and doing the good work they're known for. The second should be made out to him personally because when a man sacrifices his livelihood for our benefit, we owe him our support. The size of the checks don't matter, the principle you uphold by writing them does.
Everything we do, every day, has an effect on the world around us. The actions we take and the ones we choose not to impact even our small sphere of influence in large ways. If the people we have entrusted with the power to govern, the power to create and destroy, only choose destruction, apathy and decay by attrition then it is our responsibility to set the better example.
Members of the Genesee County Legislature:
Raymond F. Cianfrini
District No. 1
Towns of Alabama and Oakfield
79 N. Main, Oakfield, New York 14125
Office Phone: (585) 948-5201 - Home Phone: (585) 948-5347
Robert J. Bausch
District No. 2
Towns of Elba, Byron and Bergen
PO Box 81 Bergen, New York 14416
Phone (585) 494-2114
Annie M. Lawrence
District No. 3
Towns of Pembroke and Darien
2495 Brown Road, Corfu, New York 14036
Phone (585) 762-8506
Mary Pat Hancock, Chair
District No. 4
Towns of Batavia and Stafford
8234 Lewiston Road, Batavia, New York 14020
Phone: (585) 343-1011
Jerome J. Grasso
District No. 5
Town of LeRoy
8706 Haven Lane, LeRoy, New York 14482
Phone: (585) 768-8007
Esther Leadley
District No. 6
Towns of Alexander, Bethany and Pavilion
11047 River Road, Pavilion, New York 14525
Phone: (585) 584-3548
Robert J. Radley
District No. 7 Wards 1 & 6
City of Batavia
23 Allanview Batavia, NY
Phone: (585) 343-4509
Hollis D. Upson, Vice Chair
District No. 8 Wards 2 & 3
City of Batavia
69 Ellicott Avenue, Batavia, New York 14020
Phone: (585) 344-1014 (H) (585) 343-6211 (W)
Edward DeJaneiro, Jr. 2nd Vice Chair
District No. 9, Wards 4 & 5
City of Batavia
104 River Street, Batavia, New York 14020
Phone: (585) 343-9240
Thursday, December 2, 2010
The Genesee County Legislature is ....
...full of simpering whiny children without a shred of courage to be found between all nine members.
That's right, you heard me; I'm back for better or worse.
They have wet dreams about selling the county nursing home, they can't wait to destroy the nationally acclaimed Genesee Justice program and they won't stop there. What's on the chopping block next year? I suppose we'll find out the hard way, just like we do every year.
This is a group of 'lawmakers' who are ideologically challenged to the worst extreme. A cabal of morons, know-nothings and sycophants who, for some reason, don't understand why we're not thanking them for tossing everything that makes our county a decent place to live in the governmental trash bin..
Even a bread line full of Republican Party electeds can't seem to sway these blind ideologues from their appointed path this time around and that should give all of us pause.
The Chairwoman of the legislature, who I have always found to be a decent, well-meaning person, made this statement yesterday regarding Genesee Justice:
"The people who have come forth on this particular issue are people I respect," said Hancock. "These are people who don't usually take such strong stands on issues. I know they like us. They're not against us, but they're wondering why we're doing this. They must be right, but strangely I think I'm right."
Yes, Mary Pat, strangely. Strangely, the legislature and Consul for Life, County Manager Jay Gsell, can't bear to take the advice of law enforcement professionals who do this sort of thing for a living. Even after being assured by that same group of professionals that includes top City and County Court Judges, the District Attorney and the Sheriff that Genesee Justice saves the county about a million dollars a year, our intrepid lawmakers weren't willing to back off.
That's right, please take your fancy public school learnin' and mathy explanations out of our chamber. There's no room for reality in our ideology so kindly get the hell out.
In my opinion, this farce is even more egregious than the fight over the county nursing home (the study on that came back two weeks ago by the way and still has not been made public) because the nursing home issue involves a fight about whether or not we should spend actual money on a service. Dissolving Genesee Justice involves a decision on whether or not we want to stop saving money by not incarcerating every individual who is convicted of a crime worthy of it in Genesee County.
I said this on The Batavian earlier today and I meant it:
I will publicly and vocally support the first legislator for re-election, regardless of party affiliation who steps out on a limb and demands that we do what is necessary to keep Genesee Justice.
That's right, you heard me; I'm back for better or worse.
They have wet dreams about selling the county nursing home, they can't wait to destroy the nationally acclaimed Genesee Justice program and they won't stop there. What's on the chopping block next year? I suppose we'll find out the hard way, just like we do every year.
This is a group of 'lawmakers' who are ideologically challenged to the worst extreme. A cabal of morons, know-nothings and sycophants who, for some reason, don't understand why we're not thanking them for tossing everything that makes our county a decent place to live in the governmental trash bin..
Even a bread line full of Republican Party electeds can't seem to sway these blind ideologues from their appointed path this time around and that should give all of us pause.
The Chairwoman of the legislature, who I have always found to be a decent, well-meaning person, made this statement yesterday regarding Genesee Justice:
"The people who have come forth on this particular issue are people I respect," said Hancock. "These are people who don't usually take such strong stands on issues. I know they like us. They're not against us, but they're wondering why we're doing this. They must be right, but strangely I think I'm right."
Yes, Mary Pat, strangely. Strangely, the legislature and Consul for Life, County Manager Jay Gsell, can't bear to take the advice of law enforcement professionals who do this sort of thing for a living. Even after being assured by that same group of professionals that includes top City and County Court Judges, the District Attorney and the Sheriff that Genesee Justice saves the county about a million dollars a year, our intrepid lawmakers weren't willing to back off.
That's right, please take your fancy public school learnin' and mathy explanations out of our chamber. There's no room for reality in our ideology so kindly get the hell out.
In my opinion, this farce is even more egregious than the fight over the county nursing home (the study on that came back two weeks ago by the way and still has not been made public) because the nursing home issue involves a fight about whether or not we should spend actual money on a service. Dissolving Genesee Justice involves a decision on whether or not we want to stop saving money by not incarcerating every individual who is convicted of a crime worthy of it in Genesee County.
I said this on The Batavian earlier today and I meant it:
I will publicly and vocally support the first legislator for re-election, regardless of party affiliation who steps out on a limb and demands that we do what is necessary to keep Genesee Justice.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Whatever Happened to Independent Thought?
Last night I stopped at a convenience store on my way home for something to eat. Yeah, I know the 7/11 isn't exactly Whole Foods but I like nachos better than tofu; sue me.
Anyway, I was looking around when the clerk came out of a back room and told me they didn't have any power. All the lights were on, the coolers were running and Adult Contemporary was flowing out of the store speakers at it's typical rate but hey, what do I know? I figured she was referencing some power source that ran the cash register and maybe the credit/debit card machines, fair enough. Everything in the store had a price sticker on it so I said, "No problem, I have cash."
Then this conversation happened:
Her: 'Umm, we don't have any power.'
Me: 'Really, it's no problem. I have cash.' (I pull a few bills out of my pocket to prove it.)
Her: 'But we don't have any power, I can't sell you anything.'
Me: 'Do you have a calculator?'
Her: (Deer in the headlights look.)
Me: 'If you don't have a calculator we can tally this up on a piece of paper, tax and all. I don't even need change.'
Her: 'My manager will be here shortly.'
I walked out.
Here's the point. Humans dominate the planet because we have an amazing ability to solve both simple and complex problems in a matter of seconds. When I witness another person simply refusing to use that ability I absolutely cringe. Maybe I'm just getting older and grumpier, but I swear that this happens exponentially more often than it used to.
There's a larger problem here though and it has to do with advanced technology and what it has done to our thought process. Instead of using technology as a tool, even technology as (relatively) simple as a touchscreen cash register, we use it as a crutch and as an excuse to be lazy, simpleminded drones. Our reliance on a computer's ability to process raw data has dumbed us down instead of making us smarter and I think that's a tragedy.
Now, I'm no Luddite, I love that I have the world at my fingertips and I have a deep respect for what modern technology has made us capable of. I just think that letting your brain atrophy while on iPhone life-support is an objectionable state of being.
Write a letter, a real one. Have a conversation that doesn't involve wall posts on Facebook. Do some math in your head. Just exercise your brain, you'll be happy you did.
Anyway, I was looking around when the clerk came out of a back room and told me they didn't have any power. All the lights were on, the coolers were running and Adult Contemporary was flowing out of the store speakers at it's typical rate but hey, what do I know? I figured she was referencing some power source that ran the cash register and maybe the credit/debit card machines, fair enough. Everything in the store had a price sticker on it so I said, "No problem, I have cash."
Then this conversation happened:
Her: 'Umm, we don't have any power.'
Me: 'Really, it's no problem. I have cash.' (I pull a few bills out of my pocket to prove it.)
Her: 'But we don't have any power, I can't sell you anything.'
Me: 'Do you have a calculator?'
Her: (Deer in the headlights look.)
Me: 'If you don't have a calculator we can tally this up on a piece of paper, tax and all. I don't even need change.'
Her: 'My manager will be here shortly.'
I walked out.
Here's the point. Humans dominate the planet because we have an amazing ability to solve both simple and complex problems in a matter of seconds. When I witness another person simply refusing to use that ability I absolutely cringe. Maybe I'm just getting older and grumpier, but I swear that this happens exponentially more often than it used to.
There's a larger problem here though and it has to do with advanced technology and what it has done to our thought process. Instead of using technology as a tool, even technology as (relatively) simple as a touchscreen cash register, we use it as a crutch and as an excuse to be lazy, simpleminded drones. Our reliance on a computer's ability to process raw data has dumbed us down instead of making us smarter and I think that's a tragedy.
Now, I'm no Luddite, I love that I have the world at my fingertips and I have a deep respect for what modern technology has made us capable of. I just think that letting your brain atrophy while on iPhone life-support is an objectionable state of being.
Write a letter, a real one. Have a conversation that doesn't involve wall posts on Facebook. Do some math in your head. Just exercise your brain, you'll be happy you did.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Almost in the Home Stretch, Last Chance for Gas
Short and sweet today folks.
The GLOW region has some great candidates to vote for this year so it's time to put on your work boots and get them elected.
The GOTV effort starts tomorrow in both the 59th and 61st State Senate districts.
To help send Cynthia Appleton to Albany, send an email to CynthiaAppleton2010@gmail.com or stop by the Appleton Headquarters on Main Street in Warsaw and volunteer your services. I'm sure Adama will find something productive for you to do.
If you live in the 61st district and want to help me send one of the best and brightest candidates I've met in a long time, Marc Coppola, to the State Senate then contact Lorie at geneseedems@gmail.com or myself at charvellac@rochester.rr.com.
Winning elections is simple, but it's never easy. There is no substitute for effort and we'll need a lot of it over the next 100 hours or so. The Yanks aren't in the Series, the Bills are going to lose on Sunday and the Sabres play at night so get in touch with us and spend your weekend doing something you can be proud of.
Now, let's GET OUT THE VOTE and show Carl Paladino and his merry band of misfits why Deomcrats do it better.
The GLOW region has some great candidates to vote for this year so it's time to put on your work boots and get them elected.
The GOTV effort starts tomorrow in both the 59th and 61st State Senate districts.
To help send Cynthia Appleton to Albany, send an email to CynthiaAppleton2010@gmail.com or stop by the Appleton Headquarters on Main Street in Warsaw and volunteer your services. I'm sure Adama will find something productive for you to do.
If you live in the 61st district and want to help me send one of the best and brightest candidates I've met in a long time, Marc Coppola, to the State Senate then contact Lorie at geneseedems@gmail.com or myself at charvellac@rochester.rr.com.
Winning elections is simple, but it's never easy. There is no substitute for effort and we'll need a lot of it over the next 100 hours or so. The Yanks aren't in the Series, the Bills are going to lose on Sunday and the Sabres play at night so get in touch with us and spend your weekend doing something you can be proud of.
Now, let's GET OUT THE VOTE and show Carl Paladino and his merry band of misfits why Deomcrats do it better.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Genesee County Democrats Call for End to Paladino’s Hate-Filled Rhetoric
County Democratic leadership is requesting that their friends on the Genesee County Republican Committee join them in denouncing Carl Paladino’s recent hateful remarks about gay and lesbian New Yorkers.
County Chairwoman Lorie Longhany said ‘Paladino has made a name for himself by making inflammatory statements, but, in light of recent violence against gays and the increase in suicides around the country, we think it's time for members of both political parties to draw a line and denounce Mr. Paladino's inflammatory rhetoric.’
Committee member Chris Charvella also mentioned the recent deaths. ‘Last month a high school kid in Indiana was bullied so severely at school he took his own life. Just last week a college student here in New York committed suicide after being outed by his roommate. All of this happened because they were gay. As a society, we have to be better than this. Instead of loving his neighbor; Carl Paladino is fanning the flames of hate. We find that unacceptable.’
The Genesee County Democratic Committee is inviting their Republican counterparts to stand together against the sort of hateful speech that helps to destroy the lives of our young people. While opinions may differ, an understanding must be reached that all citizens must be treated with dignity and respect.
Monday, October 11, 2010
So...When Do We Get To Tak About Issues?
I'm tired.
When Carl Paladino won the Republican primary last month I immediately thought to myself: 'Well, at least I'm not gonna be bored this election season.'
I've shared with you all I know about his love for horse porn and his antics in lesbian bars. I've pontificated here and on other sites about Carl's macho ballet with Fred Dicker as well as his bromance with the internationally detested Michael Caputo and, by incestuous corollary, Caputo's sugar daddy (Nixonite) Roger Stone.
So when do we get to talk about the issues. Well, as far as Paladino is concerned there don't seem to be any. Rather, he hasn't come up with actual solutions for the issues that exist, so we can only infer that he's running for Governer 'for funsies' and because he can afford to...until last week that is.
Of course, Carl's campaign coffers might not be so short if he hadn't alienated the following 'special interest' groups:
Women
Children
African Americans
Latinos
Gays and Lesbians
Farm Animals
Anyway, white men grab your wallets, Carl needs your help.
Every day that passes in this campaign removes us one step further from the very serious issues facing New York State. By all accounts, Andrew Cuomo spent months agonizing over every word of his policy document. Cuomo's New New York Agenda outlines a fairly conservative, fiscally sound plan to get New Yorkers back to work, reform how Albany does business, and cut spending back to reasonable levels in order to right our ship.
I've remarked on several different occasions that if you put Cuomo's agenda in front of any Republican who didn't know who wrote it, they'd sign up immediately for the plan. Even Paladino during his primary victory speech accused Cuomo of 'hijacking' the Republican agenda, but there is a serious difference between a conservative agenda written by a Democrat and a conservative agenda written by a modern Republican. This is the difference:
Andrew Cuomo has spent his entire life proving his commitment to the least among us and he will be very careful to ensure that enacting a conservative plan won't adversely affect the poor and middle class. Carl Paladino doesn't give a fuck about the poor and middle class.
So, because Paladino can't reasonably argue against Cuomo's policies and because he doesn't really have any ideas of his own he has engaged in a mudslinging campaign much in the vein of Hunter Thompson's (probably false) account of an early Lyndon Johnson congressional bid. The story goes like this:
Lyndon Johnson “told his manager to start a massive rumor campaign about his opponent’s lifelong habit of enjoying carnal knowledge of his own barnyard sows.” The campaign manager protests that nobody will believe that the guy’s a “pigfucker.”
“I know,” Johnson replied. “But let’s make the sonofabitch deny it.
This is Paladino's plan as well. Issues be damned.
When Carl Paladino won the Republican primary last month I immediately thought to myself: 'Well, at least I'm not gonna be bored this election season.'
I've shared with you all I know about his love for horse porn and his antics in lesbian bars. I've pontificated here and on other sites about Carl's macho ballet with Fred Dicker as well as his bromance with the internationally detested Michael Caputo and, by incestuous corollary, Caputo's sugar daddy (Nixonite) Roger Stone.
So when do we get to talk about the issues. Well, as far as Paladino is concerned there don't seem to be any. Rather, he hasn't come up with actual solutions for the issues that exist, so we can only infer that he's running for Governer 'for funsies' and because he can afford to...until last week that is.
Of course, Carl's campaign coffers might not be so short if he hadn't alienated the following 'special interest' groups:
Women
Children
African Americans
Latinos
Gays and Lesbians
Farm Animals
Anyway, white men grab your wallets, Carl needs your help.
Every day that passes in this campaign removes us one step further from the very serious issues facing New York State. By all accounts, Andrew Cuomo spent months agonizing over every word of his policy document. Cuomo's New New York Agenda outlines a fairly conservative, fiscally sound plan to get New Yorkers back to work, reform how Albany does business, and cut spending back to reasonable levels in order to right our ship.
I've remarked on several different occasions that if you put Cuomo's agenda in front of any Republican who didn't know who wrote it, they'd sign up immediately for the plan. Even Paladino during his primary victory speech accused Cuomo of 'hijacking' the Republican agenda, but there is a serious difference between a conservative agenda written by a Democrat and a conservative agenda written by a modern Republican. This is the difference:
Andrew Cuomo has spent his entire life proving his commitment to the least among us and he will be very careful to ensure that enacting a conservative plan won't adversely affect the poor and middle class. Carl Paladino doesn't give a fuck about the poor and middle class.
So, because Paladino can't reasonably argue against Cuomo's policies and because he doesn't really have any ideas of his own he has engaged in a mudslinging campaign much in the vein of Hunter Thompson's (probably false) account of an early Lyndon Johnson congressional bid. The story goes like this:
Lyndon Johnson “told his manager to start a massive rumor campaign about his opponent’s lifelong habit of enjoying carnal knowledge of his own barnyard sows.” The campaign manager protests that nobody will believe that the guy’s a “pigfucker.”
“I know,” Johnson replied. “But let’s make the sonofabitch deny it.
This is Paladino's plan as well. Issues be damned.
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