Paladino vs. Dicker, the Bolton Landing brouhaha

Here's the video of that altercation between Carl Paladino and the New York Post's Fred Dicker yesterday in Bolton Landing. It was shot by YNN's Kaitlyn Ross with her mobile. [State of Politics]

Dicker was pressing Paldino for evidence to back up the allegation Paladino had made earlier, in an interview with Politico, that Andrew Cuomo had had an affair back when he was married to Kerry Kennedy. Paladino tells Dicker that he does have evidence and "you'll get it at the appropriate time." Paladino then accuses Dicker of working for Cuomo. And then he tells Dicker, "If you send another goon to my daughter's house, I'll take you out." (Paladino's campaign alleged the Post had sent photographers after Paladino's 10-year-old daughter -- the child from his affair.)

Probably the best line from the schoolyard fight came from Paladino campaign manager Michael Caputo, to Dicker: "You're off the Christmas list!" Dicker now joins Joy Behar on said list. [State of Politics]

The Cuomo campaign's response to Paladino's accusation: "We have not and will not descend into the gutter with Paladino, Caputo and [Roger] Stone. We're not going to start now because the people of New York deserve a better dialogue from their candidates and journalists." [NYDN]

There's better quality video of the spat from CBS6 embedded after the jump.

Larger version

Comments

No winner here folks.

Carl "The Snarl" Paladino v. Fred "The Mouth" Dicker.
Dicker is quicker.

Actually, I've been keeping score and am ready to declare a winner. The A-hole scoreboard breaks down as follows:

Making baseless accusations of extramarital affairs while maintaining that his own are off-limits - 1 point Carl

Sending a photographer to snap tabloid photos of an innocent 10 year-old girl - 1 point Dicker

Threatening to "take someone out" - 1 point Carl

Wearing berets and socks with sandals - 2 points Dicker

AND IT'S FRED DICKER BY A POINTY LITTLE NOSE.

I'm taking away Fred's point and calling it a draw. I've seen how Fred plays golf, and this isn't a personal attack, but he is horrible.

Man, I just can't stand Fred Dicker. He's such a weasel.

Video's been removed? WTF?

Everybody looks bad, but sending photogs and "journalists" to follow around a 10 year old girl is pretty sleazy. As paladino say's she's an innocent...leave her alone.

how would you react if someone was sneaking around taking pictures of your 10-year old daughter? that's what the NY Post did. And where does anyone hear Caputo say anything about a Christmas list? He says, "you're off our campaign's list". If you ask me, it's pretty clear that Fred Dicker was doing everything possible to provoke someone to hit him. Luckily (or unluckily) it didn't happen. I have lost a lot of respect for Fred Dicker after watching this.

I'm so confused. These are grown ups? Maybe I've been babysitting too much, everything is starting to blend together.

What a wonderful role model the potential governor is. He handles pressure from the press so well also.

As this video shows, Paladino is clearly unfit to be governor. I don't particularly know the character of the reporter, but that's irrelevant here, the question was perfectly reasonable. The way Paladino reacted to it [the question] is indicative of someone who knows when he is straight up wrong and doesn't care. The aggressiveness (immediately insulting / slandering a reporter) and lack of control (Not being able to hold his tongue as well as threatening Mr. Dicker) are the sort of things that I think of as traits in mental patients and criminals, not a candidate for NYS governor.

I really find it hard to care if Cuomo had an affair. Hes not running for the office of moral arbiter. On the other hand, when you have Paladino seemingly off and running in the normal GOP mold of 'social conservatism' which is 'govt out of my business but in everyone else's if i dont like it', it becomes relevant, at least on that side. Very much like when Newt whines about the sanctity of marriage, he seems to not know what it means.

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