Tom Libous Defends his Pal(adino)
By Mike Connery on 07/12/2010 @ 04:28 PM
Jon Campbell writes today for Gannett about SRCC chair Tom Libous’ appearance over the weekend with Tea Party-backed gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino in Broome County.
In the article, Libous takes offense with our depiction of him as a cash-starved deal-maker willing to break with his own party for dirty campaign funds. He tells Campbell that his appearance at the event was simply motivated by his shared beliefs with Paladino:
"They're criticizing me for being joined by a gentleman that wants to cut taxes, reduce spending and create jobs in New York state," Libous said. "Is there a problem with that?"
Leaving aside the fact that Carl Paladino is no gentleman, we sure do have a problem with this statement. A brief look at Libous' record of fiscal mismanagement reveals a career completely at odds with the values he claims to hold.
According to the legislative tracking system StateWatch, Libous has voted “yes” for over 500 separate tax and fee increases since 1990. What did that cost to New York state taxpayers? $29.2 billion.
And under the less than watchful eye of Tom Libous, the former Republican Majority amassed massive state debt to fund their special interest projects. How much debt? Between 1997 and 2008 the state’s debt grew a whopping 57 percent.
Fiscal conservative, Libous is not. So why would Paladino want to associate with a tax-and-borrow Republican like Libous? And why is Tom Libous up in Broome County meeting with disgraced candidate Carl Paladino?
Political opportunism - plain and simple.
After failing to secure the Republican line, and having his bigotry publicly exposed, Paladino is grasping at straws to remain credible. Meanwhile, Libous knows his SRCC is in trouble. Without the special interest funds that once flowed freely to the SRCC, Libous is willing to cozy up to anyone with deep pockets - no matter how odious their personal politics (remember he also met with turncoat Steve Levy to discuss using $4 million of Levy's funds).
In a bid for Paladino's cash, Libous is willing to give lip service to the Tea Party line on taxes and spending. His record tells us something different though.
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