Paladino can win if Democrats are comfortable enough

Call it remarkable that Carl Paladino, by primary day, was even in the hunt for the Republican nomination for governor — let alone win.
Sure, he had millions of dollars to toss around. True, he tells people he’s “mad as hell.” And yes, he was up against Rick Lazio, who never seemed to pick up steam. In a way, this was intramural, with the Erie G.O.P. beating the Long Island G.O.P.
Still.
Before President Barack Obama’s swearing-in ceremony, Paladino e-mailed to friends a joke video titled “Obama Inauguration Rehearsal.” It showed an African tribal dance. This was just one sample; Paladino forwarded jokes with ethnic slurs and images of bestiality and porn. A spokesman called them “off-color” and “politically incorrect” — but not indicative of his opinions.
Other candidacies have been blown to pieces for less.
The Buffalo real-estate baron — who’s had lucrative business dealings with the state — never held elected office. After declaring for governor, other Republicans noted having contributed to such Democrats as Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, Sen. Charles Schumer and Gov. David A. Paterson. Now he is a critic of “liberal” policies.
This sort of thing is not unheard of. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg switched from Democrat to Republican too. He drew fire in 2001 for off-color and sexual jokes — even a one-liner putting down Queens! A very wealthy businessman, he also funded his own race.
But Paladino cuts a different kind of loose-cannon profile in this year of “tea party” reaction. At the Republican convention in June, Paladino drew a paltry share of the state committee vote. He petitioned his name onto the primary ballot, and his Taxpayer Party line onto the November ballot as well.
The rhetoric of a primary is different from the rhetoric of a general election. Consider:
When interviewed by an upstate newspaper, he said <NO1>state <NO>Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver “fit the bill” of the anti-Christ or “a Hitler.”
When Democratic candidate Andrew Cuomo indicated Sunday he’d accept the Working Families Party endorsement — with party leaders hinting of union sacrifices — Paladino said: “Just because the pig lifts its snout from the trough and says ‘I'm full’ doesn’t mean it won’t get hungry again.”
On health-care legislation, Paladino said, “I fear the results of Obamacare will be so horrific that it will kill more Americans through deteriorating health care than were lost on 9/11.”
Paladino can produce negative research for Cuomo by opening his mouth. But smug Democrats beware: He reflects a mood. In a different year, Paladino’s run might have been dismissed as trival. This season, he makes it into the finals.