UPDATE: THE “ 'MORE' OR 'LESS' FROM PALADINO ” EDITION

IS IT “PALADINO SAYS HE’D CONSIDER [ONLY] A CONSERVATIVE RUN”  –  OR  – “PALADINO [ONLY] SAYS HE’D CONSIDER A CONSERVATIVE RUN”  ? ? ?

SIDEBAR: NEW YORK STATE GOP CHAIRMAN COX “THREATENS”  —   “IF NECESSARY I’LL RUN FOR GOVERNOR” 

Exactly, who is threatening the GOP – AND – what exactly is it that they are threatening the GOP with  ? ? ? 

“In an interview [scheduled] to [have appeared] Monday night on Fox Business Network’s ‘Cavuto’ (8 p.m.), Carl Paladino says he’d consider a 2014 gubernatorial run — but not as a Republican. *** Asked if he would be up for taking on Andrew Cuomo a second time, Paladino says, ‘Well, yeah. On the Conservative line.’ *** ‘We have to get rid of the leaders of our New York state legislature who have been selling out to the opposition,’ he tells Neil Cavuto, according to excerpts sent out by FBN.’ ‘ … I’m threatening the establishment. I’m saying “enough” Republicans in upstate New York and in Long Island can’t relate to the Republican party in New York State.’ ***  In September, Conservative Party Chair Mike Long told Ken Lovett he wouldn’t be opposed to Paladino trying to secure the party’s nomination.” ( See “Paladino says he’d consider Conservative run” by Casey Seiler, 11/11/13, Albany Times Union
[http://blog.timesunion.com/capitol/archives/199160/on-fbn-paladino-says-hed-consider-conservative-run/]; see also “ Paladino reiterates gubernatorial plans to Fox Business Network; likes Cruz, but not Christie” by Robert J. McCarthy, 11/11/13, The Buffalo News [http://blogs.buffalonews.com/politics_now/2013/11/paladino-reiterates-gubernatorial-plans-to-fox-business-network-likes-cruz-but-not-christie.html] ).

According to the Albany Times Union, “If Paladino follows through, it could set up the prospect of a downstate-centric Republican mainstream candidate such as Rob Astorino contending with an upstate Conservative siphoning off anti-Cuomo votes. The leaders of the state GOP, of course, would sooner feed their favored legislative candidates to wild dogs than they would support the idea of buying a ticket to ‘Paladino II: Still Mad as Hell’.”

As if threats by Conservative Party Chairman Mike Long and Carl Paladino against the NYS GOP and its mainstream adherents weren’t enough, along comes New York State Republican Chairman Edward Cox to throw his own little potatoes into the stew ( See “State Republican Chairman Ed Cox could tap himself to face Gov. Andrew Cuomo” by Kenneth Lovett, 11/11/13, NY Daily News [http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/state-gop-chairman-ed-tap-face-gov-cuomo-article-1.1512556]).

Is somebody pulling somebody else’s leg, or some shorter member ?

If there is anything that would guarantee a Paladino run on the NYS Conservative line, and the Conservatives winding up on Row “B” after the next statewide election, it’s Ed Cox becoming a GOP gubernatorial front-runner and then candidate. All of which leaves us with both the NYS GOP and NYS Conservative Party Chairmen both appearing to threaten the New York Republican Party with Row “C” status.

Well, that’s sort of like agreeing to the whole thing, isn’t it ?