He didn't succeed.
He hoped to shift the focus on to the issues, but still managed to make the issue about Paladino and his fitness and character to be governor of New York.
His 3-minute statement that was carried on upstate tv stations and then carried and reported around the state by other networks didn't get the job done because all of the same questions about Paladino's character and fitness remained.
Paladino claimed that his outbursts and incident with Fred Dicker was the result of multiple media outlets badgering Paladino over his love-child and extramarital affair. He also hoped that the media would take a similar interest in Andrew Cuomo's personal life.
The problem is that the media wasn't badgering Paladino. It was the NY Post, which he again singled out. It wasn't even Fred Dicker, but Dicker did question him over his actions thereafter. The rest of the media then jumped on Paladino for his actions relating to the Dicker encounter and the threats that Paladino made against Dicker.
This might go over well with Paladino's base, but Paladino needs more than his base to win in November. He's got to convince independents and moderates that he is a better choice than Cuomo, and this infomercial didn't do it.
As for the personal affairs of Cuomo, media outlets have not found any reason to dig deeper because by all accounts, it was Andrew Cuomo who was cheated upon - it was his wife Kerry Kennedy, who admitted to cheating on Cuomo and which led to his divorce. In other words, it is yet another baseless accusation against Cuomo and again keeps the focus on issues other than the state's perilous financial condition.
Paladino was ill-served in trying this ploy and focusing on the personal issues rather than using his time and efforts to focus on unveiling an economic recovery plan for the state - something that would have at least focused matters on the state.
Moreover, Paladino focused on the claim that Cuomo wasn't agreeing to a debate with all the candidates running for governor including the minor party candidates. That was agreed to almost at the same time that Paladino was busy slamming Cuomo for not entering into the debate.
Cuomo has agreed to a debate, and it actually would be Cuomo's interest to have all the other candidates involved because it would dilute Paladino's effectiveness. Paladino would need a one-on-one debate so that he could hammer home his issues without cutting through the additional noise on the dais.
But after Paladino challenged Cuomo to a debate and suggested that his Democratic opponent was too cowardly to agree, the announcement of the Hofstra event seemed to seal the deal. The 90-minute event will take place at the site of one of the 2008 presidential debates, in front of an audience of as many as 1,200 people.Cuomo again showed that Paladino was all bluster and no substance.
"We look forward to a vigorous debate of the issues that matter to New Yorkers. To say that Andrew Cuomo has not agreed to debate is demonstrably false and misleading," said Benjamin M. Lawsky, general counsel of Cuomo's campaign.
It's also interesting that Paladino is pleading for money when he claimed that he would be running an independent campaign and put up a substantial amount of his own money for the campaign. Paladino is well behind Cuomo's $40 million warchest.
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