Carl Paladino has been one of the most controversial candidates for statewide office in New York’s history. He’s received heaps of national media coverage and been criticized relentlessly by countless media personalities. Most recently, Jim Heaney at the Buffalo News wrote a lengthy piece with the headline “His history with blacks not a plus for Paladino.” In it, Heaney led with the well-trodden email controversy. From there, however, he went on to view almost everything else Paladino has done in his life through the prism of racist or not racist.
Paladino, a frequent donor to political campaigns, has given more money to white candidates then black candidates. Implication: That’s Racist. He gave money to Kevin Helfer to try to beat Byrown Brown: That’s Racist. He gave money to Mickey Kearns to try to beat Byrown Brown: That’s Racist. Paladino’s companies wouldn’t provide a list detailing the racial composition of the workforce: That’s Racist. Paladino, despite constantly attacking the Buffalo School Board and Superintendent, has not adopted a school or made donations to school foundations: That’s Racist.
You may have missed it, but Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert held a Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear this weekend in Washington, DC. Stewart, a darling of the left, closed the rally with a memorable speech. In it, Stewart said “But we live now in hard times, not end times. The country’s 24-hour
political pundit perpetual panic conflictenator did not cause our
problems, but it’s existence makes solving them that much harder…If
we amplify everything, we hear nothing. Not being able to distinguish
between real racists and Tea Partiers or real bigots and Juan Williams
and Rick Sanchez is an insult, not only to those people but to the
racists themselves who have put in the exhausting effort it takes to
hate.”
The 24-hour political pundit perpetual panic conflictenator didn’t slow down though, as now there are photos of Carl Paladino out a a local bar on a weekend. And get this, there is someone in the bar – and in photos with Paladino – who is in blackface. Mind you, no one has any idea what the guy’s costume was (he seems to have been going for the Jimmy McMillan look but doesn’t have the unique facial hair structure to pull it off) but because Paladino is in a photo with him, well, THAT’S RACIST. Really? Really?
Mercifully, tomorrow is election day and the robocalls will stop and the “he’s a racist” “no, he’s a socialist” point – counterpoint debates will quiet down. Until 2012.
And let me make the first comment for everyone: This post is racist. Now proceed with the “conversation.”