GOP candidate Carl Paladino leverages upstate-downstate electoral rift in race for go
GOP candidate Carl Paladino leverages upstate-downstate electoral rift in race for governor
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BY Glenn Blain
DAILY NEWS ALBANY BUREAU
Sunday, September 19th 2010, 4:00 AM
ALBANY - Mad-as-hell maverick Carl Paladino is stirring the outrage of upstate voters who feel left behind - widening the political fault line between the city and points north.
"Part of his campaign has been to mobilize the angry upstate electorate and pit upstate versus downstate," said Buffalo Assemblyman Sam Hoyt (D-Buffalo). "I think you will see more of it."
Since the city is dominated by Democrats, and the home of gubernatorial rival Andrew Cuomo, it becomes an easy target.
Paladino caused a stir when he told an upstate crowd the only boroughs he liked were Queens and Staten Island - because they were "just like us."
"That leaves Manhattan, the Bronx and Brooklyn - and they can have them."
Paladino's strategy - which helped him capture last week's GOP primary - has also been to pick on the aid given to the poor.
He set off a firestorm by proposing to convert empty prisons into job-training centers for folks who receive welfare and unemployment insurance. And he'd offer them lessons in "personal hygiene."
"There is no question, Paladino is a divining rod for anger," said Democratic strategist Hank Sheinkopf. "He can find it anyplace, and that is what he is working off."
Paladino spokesman Michael Caputo denied any exploitation of geographic tensions.
"Carl has come to an important realization after traveling across this state for six months: this upstate-versus-downstate stuff is all bull, just an excuse from our legislators who don't do their jobs," Caputo said.
Syracuse political science Prof. Grant Reeher said Paladino has more of an anti-Albany theme than anti-downstate.
Still, Reeher said upstate voters harbor a sense of unfairness at their treatment, especially when it comes to the distribution of state resources.
That sense of unfairness is exacerbated by the fact that all of the state's top leaders are from the city, he added.
Although angry upstate voters helped doom former Mayor Ed Koch's 1982 campaign for governor - after Koch referred to upstate life as "sterile" in a magazine article - Sheinkopf doubts Paladino can harness enough rage to win.
"There is certainly a tremendous amount of anger upstate, but not at Andrew Cuomo," Sheinkopf said. "His popularity numbers have held firm."
Cuomo's campaign declined to comment. With Kenneth Lovett
gblain@nydailynews.com
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local...rift_chasmwide_in_gov_race.html#ixzz0zymD0qUp
GOP candidate Carl Paladino leverages upstate-downstate electoral rift in race for governor
/I]
BY Glenn Blain
DAILY NEWS ALBANY BUREAU
Sunday, September 19th 2010, 4:00 AM
ALBANY - Mad-as-hell maverick Carl Paladino is stirring the outrage of upstate voters who feel left behind - widening the political fault line between the city and points north.
"Part of his campaign has been to mobilize the angry upstate electorate and pit upstate versus downstate," said Buffalo Assemblyman Sam Hoyt (D-Buffalo). "I think you will see more of it."
Since the city is dominated by Democrats, and the home of gubernatorial rival Andrew Cuomo, it becomes an easy target.
Paladino caused a stir when he told an upstate crowd the only boroughs he liked were Queens and Staten Island - because they were "just like us."
"That leaves Manhattan, the Bronx and Brooklyn - and they can have them."
Paladino's strategy - which helped him capture last week's GOP primary - has also been to pick on the aid given to the poor.
He set off a firestorm by proposing to convert empty prisons into job-training centers for folks who receive welfare and unemployment insurance. And he'd offer them lessons in "personal hygiene."
"There is no question, Paladino is a divining rod for anger," said Democratic strategist Hank Sheinkopf. "He can find it anyplace, and that is what he is working off."
Paladino spokesman Michael Caputo denied any exploitation of geographic tensions.
"Carl has come to an important realization after traveling across this state for six months: this upstate-versus-downstate stuff is all bull, just an excuse from our legislators who don't do their jobs," Caputo said.
Syracuse political science Prof. Grant Reeher said Paladino has more of an anti-Albany theme than anti-downstate.
Still, Reeher said upstate voters harbor a sense of unfairness at their treatment, especially when it comes to the distribution of state resources.
That sense of unfairness is exacerbated by the fact that all of the state's top leaders are from the city, he added.
Although angry upstate voters helped doom former Mayor Ed Koch's 1982 campaign for governor - after Koch referred to upstate life as "sterile" in a magazine article - Sheinkopf doubts Paladino can harness enough rage to win.
"There is certainly a tremendous amount of anger upstate, but not at Andrew Cuomo," Sheinkopf said. "His popularity numbers have held firm."
Cuomo's campaign declined to comment. With Kenneth Lovett
gblain@nydailynews.com
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local...rift_chasmwide_in_gov_race.html#ixzz0zymD0qUp
