New York Times editorial:  Mr. Paladino and the System

A trenchant editorial in the New York Times highlights the hypocrisy of Carl Paladino's condemnations of political "insiders" as his past conduct leaves no doubt he is very much one of them.

He has repeatedly described himself as "just a regular guy from Buffalo," an outsider who can clean the system up, and has brutally denounced the conduct of both the state's elected officials and the monied political insiders who court them. The editorial details, however, that in reality he is very much an adept political insider and part of that system: an avid contributor to elected officials half a million dollars since 1999 and a businessman whose business has been a steady beneficiary of "tax breaks, multimillion-dollar state leases, and government land giveaways."

With respect to his numerous campaign contributions, the editorial notes that while he has accused the New York state legislature of being "'bought by union campaign contributions,'" he has been quite silent about "the huge donations" he, and other business leaders, have made, a point HTC members will find of special interest.

Editorial: Mr. Paladino and the System. New York Times. October 8, 2010.