Paladino Compares Islamic Center Design To WTC
NEW YORK (WCBS 880) - With Election Day less than one week away, New York Republican (and Tea Party) gubernatorial nominee Carl Paladino has plenty to say.
Paladino spoke with WCBS Newsradio 880 afternoon drive anchor Steve Scott for the daily "Eye on Politics" segment.
LISTEN: Steve Scott with Carl Paladino
Paladino, who is 20 points behind Democrat Andrew Cuomo, according to a recent Quinnipiac University poll, spoke on a variety of topics.
Here are some highlights.
ON HIS OPPOSITION TO PLANNED ISLAMIC CENTER NEAR GROUND ZERO:
I heard early on that the name was "Cordoba Initiative." I don't think they expected this issue to become so big that some one might actually inquire as to what Cordoba meant. In radical fundamentalism, that word alone means "conquest and triumph." It's a symbol, a code word among the fundamentalists. They tried to change the name after people became aware of it...obviously trying to hide their grand secret that this was a testament to conquering America. If you saw the design of the building, it's a replica of the World Trade Center. This is an affront to all the families of those who died on 9/11. It's an affront to all those soldiers that died and were maimed and fought in those two ensuing wars. It's an affront to the American people.
ON HIS CHANCES HEADING TOWARD ELECTION DAY:
I think they're very good. You don't pay attention to the newspapers or the polls. They're obviously skewed. A case in point is the primary. Two days before the primary, they had me down one-point. Two days later, I won by 27 points. So, you tell me what value these polls are.
IS HE MISUNDERSTOOD BY THE PUBLIC AND THE MEDIA?
I don't think I'm misunderstood by the public. I think they see through it. The media? I can't speak to them. They have a real big problem, and they should work on addressing it. I think in journalism school, they teach objectivity. That the press should be printing the facts on the front page. They can print editorials on the editorial page. But, that's not what we see, is it? What we see today is the press coming out with opinions, unsubstantiated remarks coming from the other side, with lies and fabrications and exaggerations...and they don't do justice to the public.
ON RUNNING FOR GOVERNOR:
I'm not a politician. I'm an outsider. I'm not polished. I'm not politically correct. I seek nothing for myself. I'm not motivated by money. I'm not motivated by power. I don't need a praise or a pat on the pack. I have no ego to fulfill. I'm doing this for the people. And, yes...this is the first and time I'm running for public office right now. And, being my first time around, I'm gonna stumble...I'm gonna fall. I'm human, like any one else. I will make mistakes. But, once I learn from those mistakes, I won't make them again. That's the learning process. So for me, what I'm doing right now is, I'm doing the best I can...to give the people of New York hope.
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Election Day is Tuesday, November 2, 2010.
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