Carl Paladino says he's owed an apology. Why? Because even though the he said this...
Amid a flurry of nationwide anti-gay attacks and a sudden, subsequent media awareness, the Republican candidate for governor of New York, Carl Paladino, said on Sunday, "I don't want [kids] brainwashed into thinking homosexuality is an equal valid...option," according to local political reporter Azi Paybarah, who is tweeting his experiences on the trail.
...Paladino thinks he should get bonus points for not saying this:
But he skipped one line in his prepared text "There is nothing to be proud of in being a dysfunctional homosexual."
That remark, which Paladino said was suggested by his "hosts at the synagogue," made its way into media reports about the event after a draft of the speech was circulated by the congregation, without first clearing it with the campaign, according to campaign manager Michael Caputo.
Naturally, therefore:
Appearing on CBS' "The Early Show" Monday, Paladino said local media owes him an apology for the erroneous reporting.
"I think I made a very, very clear statement. … The people at the Daily News and the [New York] Post that continue this pariah attitude that they've got to come and chase me for every darn thing, I think they owe me an apology at some point."
And just in case you don't understand that Paladino is no bigot, because some of his best friends are gay:
I have a nephew and … I have people working for me who are gay. Never had a problem with any of them.
Well, Carl, here's the thing: the only people whose judgment really matter to you are the people of New York. And even before you went off your little bigoted tirade, they'd turned on you. The latest: New Yorkers prefer Andrew Cuomo to you by a 23-point margin according to a SurveyUSA poll completed before the weekend. So how do you like them apples?