“Carl Paladino got the Conservative Party to dump Rick Lazio the old fashioned way: he paid the Party off.  With Rick Lazio presenting a problem for Paladino’s extreme tea party candidacy, Paladino hired a campaign chair who steered more than $1 billion in bond business to the current treasurer of the Conservative Party. Then, less than a week later, the Conservative Party let Lazio back out of his commitment to stay in the race through November.  For Paladino, it’s an all-too predictable backroom deal, given that he got rich off of cynical, pay-to-play dealings just like it in Albany and elsewhere.  Paladino has given New Yorkers yet another reason to be ‘Mad as Hell’ at him for a career spent gaming the political system.”

- Jay Jacobs, Chair, NYS Democratic Committee

Background:

For more details, see today’s NY Post: 'Cleanup' Carl's $1B mess -- Campaign honcho's bond-biz 'pay-play' (click)

The sudden reversal by right wing party bosses who just days ago warned of Paladino's insider connections and called him a "dangerous candidate" reveals the lengths that Albany insiders, paid off by Paladino, will go to protect the special interests:   

State Conservative Party Chairman Michael Long on Paladino:  "Dangerous," “Republican Party would live in darkness"

Buffalo News, 9/15/10, by Robert McCarthy (click)
 “The sad part is he rented the Republican Party in a lot of ways by singing the song angry people wanted to hear while at the same time he's been an insider," Long said of Paladino's deep-pocketed political contributions over the years and his dozens of state contracts over several administrations for state agency office space in the Buffalo area.

State of Politics, 9/13/10, “Mike Long on the Defensive,” by Liz Benjamin (click)
“Once the media gets done with Carl Paladino. Once he continues to express his views the way he does. When Andrew Cuomo gets done with him, that’s going to be the end of the Republican Party…it’s going to be as bad as Pierre Rinfret. It could be worse.”
“…He’s a dangerous candidate. I firmly believe that.”

New York Times, 9/13/10, “A Fiery Unknown Ruffles New York’s Republicans,” by Michael Barbaro (click)
“If Carl Paladino wins this thing, it will cause severe damage — it could be for decades — to the Republican Party of New York State,” said Michael Long, the chairman of the State Conservative Party, which usually aligns with the Republicans and has nominated Mr. Lazio this year. “The party,” he added, “would live in darkness for quite some time.”  

WGRZ, 9/8/10, “Carl Paladino to Stay in New York Governor's Race on Taxpayers Party Line,” by Nick Reisman
"The Conservative Party is a bona fide party," Long said. "He's trying to use the Tea Party banner, and he doesn't even have all of the support from all of the Tea Party groups out there."

State of Politics, 9/9/10, “Long: Paladino Is Off The Rails,” by Mike Whittemore
“It’s very easy to try to appeal to the mean spirit-ness of a lot of people, and I think that’s what he’s tried to do,” said Long. “It’s got him some traction, but certainly he’s not a serious player.”     “I think his train went off the track, probably long before this campaign, and I think he has proven that he doesn’t know how to get the train back on the track.”

State of Politics, 6/28/10, “Long To Lorigo: Stop Running Or Resign,” by Liz Benjamin
“I also told you that a Paladino candidacy would be detrimental to the Conservative Party because of his participation in emails that were both pornographic and racist. When we discussed the impact of the emails, clearly, you did not think they were as harmful as I did.” “…”Ralph, to allow Carl Paladino to use you as a stalking horse or an obstructionist is not good for the future of the Party. Carl received no votes, nor was he even nominated, at our convention.”