Crazy Carl Will Take You Out

Carl Paladino recently channeled his inner 1920s mobster when he threatened to "take out" a reporter for The New York Post.  Paladino, the Republican candidate for governor in New York, lashed out after the reporter questioned some of Paladino's campaign tactics.  In a hasty attempt to justify Paladino's outburst, his aides released a statement saying that The New York Post had put Paladino's family "in harm's way" when it recently sent photographers to the home of Paldino's mistress, taking pictures of the child he fathered with her 10 years ago.

Personally, I feel that Paladino is a Re-thug-lican.  Before this incident, the media reported on racist and pornographic e-mails Paladino sent to friends.  These e-mails included a picture of President Obama and his wife dressed as a pimp and prostitute, respectively.  Some e-mails contained videos of hardcore pornography and beastiality.  Now we have Paladino's death threat to a reporter showing that he's not only a racist pervert but he needs to consider anger management.  This man should never be allowed in public office.

But I digress.

My opinions of Carl aside, I think the greatest thing about this whole fiasco is the fact that it was caught on tape.  It's amazing that our technology has become so advanced that all reporters have to do is whip out their cell phone and press record.  This kind of thing would not have been possible 15 or even 10 years ago.  It opens up a whole new avenue of reporting and eliminates any doubt about objectivity. The tape never lies.

If this had not been caught on tape, I highly doubt it would've been a story.  Since it was, it has become a national story, with cable stations like MSNBC having a field day.  This story will undoubtedly hurt Paladino's campaign, and New Yorkers will definitely read this story in the paper and see it on the local news.  You can also bet good money that Andrew Cuomo, Paladino's opponent in the gubernatorial race, will make this into a biting campaign ad.

Hopefully this inspires Paladino to learn from the old adage "think before you speak."