File this one under facepalm: Republican candidate Joe 'Teabag' DioGuardi, currently running for the Senate from New York against Kossack Kirsten Gillibrand, today tripped over his own inflated résumé. Unfortunately for him, the tripping point was his central campaign plank: that he, as a 'practicing' CPA, might offer something by the way of fiscal prudence in the upper chamber.
Via Capitol Tonight:
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand’s campaign did not waste time in capitalizing on the admission by her GOP opponent, Joe DioGuardi, that he is not, in fact, currently a practicing CPA even though he has made that line on his resume a central focus of his campaign.
DioGuardi told Newsday’s Tom Brune he let his CPA registration lapse and only re-registered Tuesday after officials told him he had to if he wanted to keep touting his credentials.
As I said: Facepalm.
Newsday (subs. req.):
DioGuardi let his CPA registration with New York State lapse in 1996 and only re-registered on Tuesday after officials told him he had to if he wanted to use the titles "Certified Public Accountant" or "CPA."
The question now for New York voters is a basic one: can we trust a guy who threw his supposed credentials into the public debate - even my last diary here cited the man as a CPA, and I'm really not all that partial to him - to tell us the truth if we elect him in November?
Not really, right? Not to mention that I personally feel like a jackass.
The good news is that Team Gillibrand is on it. Here's the sweet new ad defining DioGuardi as a tax-cheating, lying republican. That ad, incidentally, came out before this particular fracas.
And meanwhile, three weeks from the election, the polls have turned. Quinnipiac and Survey USA both have Gillibrand surging, 54% to 34% and 35% respectively.
This race is over. Stick a fork in him, he's done.
------------------------------------
On the web: Kirsten Gillibrand for Senate
On Daily Kos: Kirsten Gillibrand
#NY-SEN on Twitter