“I’m angry and positive at the same time.” “I’m angry, you’re angry, we’re all angry.” “We can have an anger party, celebrate our anger. Or we can take that anger and actually do something to correct the problem.”
Democratic candidate for governor Andrew Cuomo wants you to know one thing: He’s angry. In fact, he made sure to say the word “angry” no fewer than 27 times in a press conference yesterday.
But experts say it’s a poor imitation of gubernatorial rival Carl Paladino, who rode a tide of voter rage to become the GOP candidate, and is rapidly gaining on Cuomo in polls.
“Clearly they believe Paladino has gotten on to something, and they want to be angry, too,” said Baruch College political science professor Doug Muzzio. “Cuomo’s got to figure out how to tap into this anger without seeming ‘monkey see, monkey do.’”
Paladino only trails frontrunner Cuomo by a six points, a startling Quinnipiac poll revealed yesterday. It’s the slimmest margin between the rivals to date and means Cuomo’s path to the governor’s mansion will likely no longer be the cakewalk that most assumed.
“Paladino winning has … caught the Cuomo campaign off-guard and a little bit flat-footed,” said Muzzio. “The coronation has become a real contest.”
