The Carl that could have been

Real estate developer Carl Paladino is running for governor of New York in the Republican primary and the newly-minted "Tax-payers Party." The Paladino campaign has wallowed about, embracing the most divisive issues, rhetoric and personalities of the Tea Party Movement and paleoconservative section of the Republican Party. In addition to a non-sensical platform, and rambling rhetoric, Paladino has alienated many potential allies by promising to "clean up Albany with a baseball bat" and defending his indiscriminate e-mailing of emails with bestiality and racist commentary. Carl's chances of being governor are pretty much slim to none, but it didn't have to be that way.

Thinking back to 2008 or so, I knew that Carl Paladino was a successful real estate developer. He used extensive connections in both the Democratic and Republican parties to secure sweetheart deals, and extensive incentives. Several of his projects were solid examples of the good that could be accomplished through public/private partnerships. I also knew that he forcefully used lawsuits for the public good, like removing the toll barriers on the I-190 when public officials like Dale Volker claimed it wasn't worth their effort. Paladino has been highly critical of the wasteful, cliquey and ineffective institutional business organizations in Buffalo.

Imagine if you will that Carl Paladino, instead of going off of the deep-end, campaigned as a successful businessman who could work with people of all political parties, a deal-maker who could accomplish where others could not, someone who was bold, forceful and forward thinking. He could have done it, but instead Carl Paladino decided that divisive, hateful, looney-tunes rhetoric was more valuable than actual policy positions and proposals to govern.