NewsMax.com
Thursday, Oct. 31, 2002

Polls show that popular Republican Gov. George Pataki will win on Tuesday, but it hasn't stopped Golisano from spending tens of millions of dollars attacking the governor.

Golisano is running on New York's Independence Party ticket and styles himself a Ross Perot candidate. (Recall that all the billionaire Perot did was get Bill Clinton elected without a majority of the vote.)

He also claims the mantle of a "conservative," but many skeptics note that Golisano – who never argued conservative principles before this election and has praised the likes of Mario and Andrew Cuomo – is nothing more than a friend and tool of the Democrats.

In fact, Golisano sought the endorsement of New York's stalwart Conservative Party, which soundly rejected him. The Conservatives are backing Pataki.

'Driven Entirely by Ego'

Conservative Party chief Michael Long speaks derisively of Golisano's bid. "I think it's driven entirely by ego," Long said.

If so, that ego has pushed him into two previous campaigns for the state's governorship.

In 1994, Golisano spent $6.6 million on the governor's race and got a mere 4 percent of the vote.

In 1998, he spent $13 million and doubled his support. This year he's said to be planning to spend $75 million. In the final week of the campaign he is reported to be spending $1 million a day.

Democrat McCall's 'Secret Weapon'

He has two opponents: Pataki and Democrat Carl McCall. McCall previously told the New York Post editorial board he could win, because Golisano was his "secret weapon." He was suggesting the Golisano would siphon off conservative and Republican voters from Pataki to help McCall win.

Others suggest that Golisano has other motives. He is being advised by political consultant Roger Stone, who also works for developer Donald Trump. Trump opposes Pataki because the governor is open to casinos in upstate New York, where the economy is depressed. Trump sees that as a major threat to his Atlantic City casinos in neighboring New Jersey.

Golisano's political beliefs are hard to determine.

Columnist Robert Novak, for example, has described him as "a non-ideological cut-rate version of Ross Perot."

Other conservatives say he's not one of them. The Conservative Party's Michael Long says he's merely an "obstructionist."

'No History of Supporting Any Conservative Candidate'

Long added: "He has no history of supporting any Conservative candidate in the state or in the nation. Did he support Ronald Reagan? Jim Buckley? No. This guy didn't even vote for most of his life." The Conservative Party has been broadcasting ads calling Golisano a hypocrite for bashing corporate welfare at the same time his payroll-processing company, Paychex, sought a $600,000 state grant, and citing his stand in favor of medical marijuana as proof he is not a conservative.

Golisano's attacks on Pataki have been brutal and often inaccurate, and have been welcomed by the McCall camp, which harbors the impossible dream that Golisano's presence in the race will somehow drain enough support from Pataki to allow Democrats to eke out a victory on Nov. 5.

Golisano's continued attacks on Pataki, which have been airing since he fought Pataki for the Independence Party nomination last summer, have created a backlash. Golisano is the only one of the three candidates with as many voters holding unfavorable views as favorable ones, about 25 percent each, according to polls.

Voters 'Don't Like the Guy'

"They've already decided they don't like the guy," says Kieran Mahoney, a Pataki strategist. "Once you've heard $37 million worth of TV ads from the guy, it's hard to get people to pay attention to the 73rd ad you do."

Golisano has tried to blame Pataki for the loss of 300,000 jobs while ignoring that fact that the state actually gained 637,700 jobs during Pataki's tenure in office. Even the liberal New York Times has reported on Golisano's dissembling.

Golisano's campaign ads are filled with distortions and lies, charges Chemung County Executive Tom Santulli.

"Politicians all exaggerate, but in all my years doing this, I have never seen anybody misrepresent and lie about situations, especially here in Chemung County," Santulli said. "His ads will say anything to make a point, and the facts mean nothing."

Santulli noted a Golisano ad that claimed property taxes in the Elmira area have skyrocketed. County and local taxes have remained stable for several years, Santulli said. However, city property taxes increased by 3 percent this year.

Golisano has thrown everything but the kitchen sink at Pataki, even charging the governor with using bikini-clad women to enlist new voters into the Independence Party.

According to Golisano, Suffolk County Board of Elections Commissioner Neil Tiger, a Democrat, and two of his assistants told him the Pataki campaign enrolled masses of people quickly by paying "ladies in bikinis" to stand on Long Island beaches with signs.

The result, as suggested by the New Republic, could be an ironic conclusion for McCall, who once saw Golisano as a stealth ally. Polls indicate Golisano could run ahead of McCall on Tuesday.

According to the magazine: "A recent Golisano internal poll shows the Rochester payroll magnate and Independence Party nominee taking 24 percent of the vote, behind 26 percent for State Comptroller/Democratic nominee Carl McCall, and 39 percent for Republican incumbent George Pataki."

And the New York Times, which has endorsed Pataki, reported that McCall is just about broke and that his forlorn campaign will disappear in the final days "while Golisano drops over a million dollars a day on ads – as those billionaire candidates are wont to do."

Should Golisano outpoll McCall on Tuesday, he will humiliate the state's Democratic Party by gaining the No. 2 spot on the next election ballot for the Independence Party, dropping the Democrats to a shameful third place, thus making Pataki and his party happy – the last thing Golisano wants to do.

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