Do homosexual comments suggest Carl Paladino is out of his depth?
Today is National Coming Out Day 鈥� and it鈥檚 getting particular attention in the wake of several gay teen suicides and a vicious anti-gay attack against three men in the Bronx.
Which means the timing of New York gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino鈥檚 remarks about homosexuality Sunday might be generously called unfortunate.
Mr. Paladino, a "tea party" favorite who beat favorite Rick Lazio in the Republican primary last month, is a long shot for victory against Democrat Andrew Cuomo, the state attorney general.
But he鈥檚 continued to make headlines in a race characterized by name-calling and personal attacks. This latest flap stems from to Orthodox Jewish leaders Sunday, when he elaborated on his stance on same-sex marriage.
鈥淚 just think my children and your children would be much better off and much more successful getting married and raising a family, and I don鈥檛 want them brainwashed into thinking that homosexuality is an equally valid and successful option 鈥� it isn鈥檛,鈥� he said.
His prepared remarks also included a reference to 鈥渄ysfunctional homosexuals鈥� 鈥� a phrase that Paladino struck out before delivering them.
Like Christine O鈥橠onnell, the Republican Senate candidate in Delaware who also had tea party support and was a surprise victor in her primary, he appears to be a candidate who can win over the more conservative primary voters but is struggling with a broader 鈥� and more moderate 鈥� electorate in the general election.
Meanwhile, his hot temper and controversial actions 鈥� including forwarding racist and pornographic e-mails, and a bizarre incident last week in which he accused a New York Post reporter of sending a 鈥済oon鈥� to stake out his former mistress鈥檚 house and threatened to 鈥渢ake him out鈥� 鈥� continue to provide fodder for the news media.
Mr. Cuomo鈥檚 campaign quickly capitalized on the speech, calling it an example of Paladino鈥檚 鈥渟tunning homophobia and a glaring disregard for basic equality鈥� and using it as an example of why he is 鈥渦nfit to represent New York.鈥�
Paladino, meanwhile, hit the talk shows Monday morning to defend himself. He said he has a gay nephew and gay employees and that he has 鈥渁bsolutely no problem with [homosexuality] whatsoever,鈥� just with same-sex marriage.
But his elaborations may have gotten him into even more trouble. He criticized Cuomo for marching in New York City鈥檚 gay pride parade with his daughters, telling that he once stumbled on a gay pride parade in Toronto and 鈥渋t wasn鈥檛 pretty.鈥� "It was a bunch of very extreme-type people in bikini-type outfits grinding at each other and doing these gyrations, and I certainly wouldn't let my young children see that,鈥� he said.
Paladino also lashed out at Cuomo鈥檚 campaign, which he blamed for distributing a prepared version of his remarks to the news media, which originally (and incorrectly) reported that he said, 鈥淭here is nothing to be proud of being a dysfunctional homosexual.鈥�
For a while after the primary, Paladino appeared to be closing in on Cuomo, but has since settled into a spot in the polls.
