SYRACUSE – As the spokesmen for Gov. Pataki and Tom Golisano yelled and swore at each other following yesterday’s six-way debate, Carl McCall’s spokesman just quietly smiled.
That’s because McCall’s “secret weapon” – Golisano – finally fired a big cannonball in the governor’s direction by accusing him of selling paroles for campaign bucks.
Even though the allegation is unproven, it will take time and money for the Pataki campaign to respond to the charges made by the billionaire businessman, who’s running on the Independence Party line.
For aides to the foundering McCall campaign, that’s finally some good news for the Democratic candidate.
Despite McCall’s lackluster performance in the hourlong debate, he left a winner because Golisano’s explosive accusations are bound to drag down Pataki’s ratings.
The only question is how much of the negativity will also rub off on Golisano.
Afterward, Pataki spokesman Mike McKeon noted that Golisano’s charges would likely eclipse any mention of McCall in the debate.
“Is Carl McCall even in this story? He disappears,” McKeon told reporters in Syracuse.
But that’s not such a bad thing when the mud starts flying.
McCall still faces a huge hurdle with recent polls showing him trailing Pataki in double digits.
And while Golisano is clearly picking up momentum upstate, polls consistently have shown that there is weak support for the maverick businessman in New York City and its suburbs.
But at the very least, Golisano yesterday achieved something that both McCall and Pataki have failed to do over the last two weeks of the campaign: make things a little interesting.