Paladino told to tone down personal attacks

WEST SENECA - While some leading Republicans urged Carl Paladino to tone down his personal attacks on state political leaders, the candidate for governor Wednesday cooled his rhetoric but suggested no end in sight to his personal attacks on "the political elite."

"People in Albany think this has been a rough ride," Paladino told supporters in a crowded Irish bar in this suburb just across the Buffalo city line. "They don't have any clue. Watch the next couple weeks."

Yet Paladino was relatively reserved in brief comments. He didn't - as he did Tuesday - refer to Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan) or Attorney General Andrew Cuomo as criminals, and left his references to the political elite oblique.

It mirrored his appearance on Fox News, during which Paladino grumbled about the credibility of Tuesday's Siena Poll that showed him 24 points behind Cuomo. But he refrained from accusing Cuomo of taking bribes, as he had been doing until Wednesday.

Wednesday night, Paladino was buying network television time for a live announcement at 5 p.m. Thursday, said campaign manager Michael Caputo.

Paladino's remarks Wednesday also came after Rep. Peter King (R-Seaford) said the Buffalo businessman's personal attacks are "scaring off people" and suggested he has 10 days to save his campaign. On Tuesday night, Paladino adviser Roger Stone and Paladino's former running mate, former New York City Councilman Thomas Ognibene of Queens, both urged Paladino to refrain from continued personal attacks on Silver and Cuomo.

"People are welcome to say anything that they want," Paladino said. "We're still on message and we'll stay on message."

The day's political event, billed as "Democrats for Paladino," featured two elected Buffalo Democrats who have been close to Paladino, his wife, Mary Catherine, and dozens of family, friends and neighbors.

"We have a golden opportunity now to elect a candidate from this region who can make a difference across the entire state," said Ralph Hernandez, a Buffalo School Board member.

And Michael Kearns, a Democrat on the Buffalo Common Council whose failed 2009 mayoral bid Paladino helped fund, told the crowd that Paladino had helped each of them personally at some point.

"We remember going to the Super Bowl four times in a row and we thought we'd go forever," Kearns said. "We may never have another person from this area run for governor and have a chance to win."

The Bills lost all four of those Super Bowls.