Waiting for the Gubernator -- New York State's 2010 Debate for Governor

Gubernatorial: Latin gubernator: governor, steersman, from gubernare, to govern

First Known Use: 1734

Well that was really interesting. As one pollster observed, if the Lincoln-Douglas Debates were at one end of some kind of spectrum for oratory and political history, last night was clearly at the other end, way way down yonder. It certainly didn't disappoint.

Jimmy McMillan of the Rent Is Too Damn High Party, who will happily preside at weddings between same sex couples, "if you want to marry a shoe -- I'll marry you" was surprisingly amusing, charming, and as valid in his message and presentation as any tea party candidate-  here

Kristin Davis of the Anti-Prohibition Party, a former madam who wants to legalize prostitution, answered a question on taxes by saying "Businesses will leave this state quicker than Carl Paladino at a gay bar." She compared her former business to the MTA, with the only difference being hers had one set of books, was always on time, and kept the customers happy.


Leave it to Charles Barron, the only other Democrat on the podium, as a candidate for the Freedom Party, who pounded away at front runner Attorney General Andrew Cuomo.

Warren Redlich, Libertarian Party candidate seemed well versed with his party's platform and policy prescriptions.

That Mr. Paladino, the GOP candidate for the party of Nelson Rockefeller, Thomas Dewey, Theodore Roosevelt, George Pataki, Malcom Wilson, could fair so poorly in this debate, after kicking up so much dust since winning the primary, was a fascinating turnabout, and a damn shame for the GOP which should be engaged in some very serious soul searching.

But, among this crew, (which included Green Party candidate Howie Hawkins who sounded like he was a Cajun, although he attended Dartmouth and lives in Syracuse and Vermont), Andrew  Cuomo without a doubt was able to present himself, despite his current elected position as Attorney General, as an outsider to the Albany legislative and executive bodies, who is willing to fight and make the hard choices that are required to address, at least in part, some of the crises the State faces. He looked and sounded, in fact, Gubernatorial. Let's hope we won't get fooled again.

A Nice thumb-nail wrap-up of the players here at the Salon.com War Room -- here