Sorry if this seems a bit concern troll-ish, but I was struck over the past few days when I noticed banner ads on this site (THIS site!) for the Cuomo campaign asking "Who is Carl Paladino?" and lists a bunch of his crazier greatest hits.
And then there are the television ads the Cuomo campaign is running, most of which I've seen are attack ads. I don't understand the strategy. Andrew Cuomo can go to pet stores throughout Manhattan kicking puppies and still win this race. He will not lose. So why not run a positive campaign at this point?
Everyone in the State knows about Carl Paladino and his temper, racist/sexist e-mails, bigoted remarks about gays, and his untethered anger. It's in the media nearly every day. And thanks in part to his combustible opponent, Cuomo thankfully has the Governorship locked up. It won't even be close.
New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo (D) is pulling away from his Republican challenger, Buffalo-area businessman Carl Paladino, in the race to become the state's next governor, according to a new poll.
A New York Times survey released Sunday showed Cuomo leading Paladino 59-24 percent among likely voters, one of the largest leads the Democrat has held over the Republican during the widely watched general-election campaign.
Andrew Cuomo will get the Democratic vote, and has successfully peeled off independents, partly because of his opponent. But wouldn't now be a good time to give voters a positive reason to vote for Cuomo, as opposed to voting against the other guy? We already know they're not going to vote for Paladino. I think Chris Coons has the right approach in Delaware. Granted, his crazy opponent seems like a sweet person compared to Paladino, and running negative ads against her might not work as well, but he too has been fortunate enough to run against an unelectable opponent. But instead of piling on, he's running commercials like this, that tell Delaware voters that he's someone worth voting for, not merely the guy who was also not a witch.
I have no problem whatsoever with attack ads ... sorry, contrast ads. If they're fair (and Cuomo's are very fair), they serve a valuable purpose, which is to tell voters that the other guy has said or done some things that voters might not appreciate. It's an important tool, and can have a profound impact on a campaign. But I don't think they should be used when they don't need to be used. Paladino has been imploding since he won the nomination, and I think Cuomo should be contrasting Paladino's lunacy with his own competence.
New Yorkers hate Albany, and with good reason. The Legislature and Senate have proved themselves to be uniquely dysfunctional in American politics. At this point, Andrew Cuomo could be exciting New Yorkers about why he will be a great Governor (and I think he will be a great governor), and all he plans to do in Albany. I just don't know why he's not.