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Paladino Compares Islamic Center To World Trade Center
By
Ben Yakas
Published Oct 27, 2010
Modified Oct 27, 2010
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By
Ben Yakas
Published Oct 27, 2010
Modified Oct 27, 2010
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We're starting to think that gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino may be a bit confused as to the differences between a primary and an actual election. Asked about his chances for victory in the election next week, despite being down by 20 points in the latest poll, he told CBS in a radio interview: "I think they’re very good. You don’t pay attention to the newspapers or the polls. They’re obviously skewed...Two days before the primary, they had me down one-point. Two days later, I won by 27 points. So, you tell me what value these polls are." We're starting to feel bad for the guy! But then he got back to doing what he and Andy Rooney do best: complaining about everything.
Paladino was asked about his opposition to the planned Islamic center two blocks from Ground Zero, and the new renderings of the building: "I heard early on that the name was “Cordoba Initiative"...In radical fundamentalism, that word alone means “conquest and triumph.” It’s a symbol, a code word among the fundamentalists. They tried to change the name after people became aware of it…obviously trying to hide their grand secret that this was a testament to conquering America. If you saw the design of the building, it’s a replica of the World Trade Center. This is an affront to all the families of those who died on 9/11." And there we were, hoping all the controversy was behind us, getting ready to book a room in a four-star terrorist hotel in Lower Manhattan.
With less than a week left in his campaign, Paladino still hasn't come close to matching the $10 million he promised to spend on his campaign. But he has finally started paying attention to one constituency he's mostly ignored: Hispanics. He had a campaign stop meeting yesterday with a group dubbed "Hispanic Coalition for Carl," and tens of people showed up! Nonetheless, he remained steadfast in his commitment to be a tough-ass on immigration: "There will be no sanctuary stuff going on. If you're an illegal immigrant, it's disrespectful for you to stay here when so many have worked so hard to stay here and earned their citizenship."
Tagged
carl paladino
crazyfest 2010
election 2010
ground zero
hispanics
islamic center
mosque
world trade center
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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