Searching for the birthday pony
Not too long ago, Rick Lazio got kicked all over the state by a woman some called a carpetbagger in a race for the U.S. Senate. Last night, he got kicked all over the state by a political neophyte with a platform that is a little to the right of Glen Beck. You have to wonder when he'll drop the gloves and say "No mas!"
Last night's thumping was at the hands of Carl Paladino, a Buffalo real estate millionaire and modern-day Howard Beale who rode a "mad as hell and not gonna take it anymore" platform plank to a stunning 2-to-1 victory in the Republican primary for governor. Now, Republicans are going to have to live with this shocking vote, and it could very well be the classic case of "be careful what you wish for – you may get it."
Paladino is about as far from mainstream politics as you can get. His bellicose posturing and in-your-face campaigning obviously captured the attention of a lot of unhappy Republicans. But his campaign platform has more than enough slightly insane planks to give a lot of voters more in the middle of the road some pause.
For example, he is proposing a "Dignity Corps" that would take welfare recipients, house them in unused state prisons and put them to work at public works jobs – while teaching them such valuable tools as personal hygiene. While this resonates with a certain segment of society that constantly carps about our "welfare state" and the people "living off the dole," it has been a long time since New York just handed out cash to anyone who asked. In fact, much of the assistance now available comes in the form of a loan that has to be paid back to the state; I hope some alert reporter brings that up to Paladino while he's out on the trail spewing his caste-system venom.
He also told the Times editorial board that he'll immediately eliminate the Adirondack Park Agency and the New York Power Authority when he takes office. Hmmm. Both those agencies were created by acts of the Legislature – the APA in 1971, and NYPA in 1931. While the APA has long been a lightning rod for conservative criticism, NYPA has become one of the most important economic development engines in the state, providing low-cost power that it says helps retain 380,000 jobs in the state. So Paladino, the self-proclaimed savior of the state's economy, would do away with one of the strongest tools at his command (except, of course, only the Legislature can undo what it has done).
There has to be a difference between being mad as hell, and wanting to do something to bring about reasonable reforms to government. This is where the tea party, and candidates like Carl Paladino, stop embracing reality. Government is not a speed boat, it's a battle ship. It can neither stop nor turn on a dime. It takes time, and patience, and extreme dedication to alter the path of the ship of state, both in Albany and in Washington. The tea party and all its Paladinos are unwilling to make the necessary commitment, they want instant gratification. They are the four-year-olds who wail when the birthday present they get doesn't meet their expectations.
Politically, Carl Paladino is a four-year-old who is not going to get the pony he desperately wants for his birthday. It appears unlikely that he can defeat Andrew Cuomo, the Democratic candidate for governor, but should he, he will step into a job he is spectacularly unprepared to assume. He will find a Legislature that disdains his demands and is singularly unimpressed with his bluster and braggadocio and will have an agenda that is far less radical than his own. And he can wail and pout and throw things, but he will find out that Albany is what it is – and it ain't easy to change.
