Jimmy McMillan steals spotlight at NY governor debate

Jimmy McMillan of the Rent is Too Damn High Party. Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons, by Tduk and Alex Lozupone. CC-BY-SA

Jimmy McMillan is creating an online sensation. Last night, at the New York governor debate he upstaged front runners Andrew Cuomo and Carl Paladino. McMillan is running on the Rent is Too Damn High party ticket. Though Cuomo and Paladino are the most likely candidates to make it to office, the spotlight was stolen at moments by some colorful third-party candidates. Kristin Davis, the madam who arranged Ashley Dupre for Eliot Spitzer, has also thrown her hat in the ring.

Jimmy McMillan steals the show

For all the grandstanding from other third party candidates, the most notable was Jimmy McMillan. McMillan, according to the New York Daily News, is running on the Rent Is Too Damn High platform. The main point the party wants to make is that rent, especially in New York City, is exorbitant. Should rent prices come down, all other problems will diminish if not disappear, McMillan contends. McMillan is a veteran of the Vietnam war and wears black gloves at all times, which he attributes to Agent Orange. When asked about gay marriage, he replied that “if you want to marry a shoe, I’ll marry you.” He said “as a karate expert,” he refuses to say anything bad about the other candidates.

Colorful candidates

There were other colorful candidates at the New York governor debate. Besides the wildly inflammatory rhetoric of Paladino, there was also Kristin Davis. Davis is allegedly the “madam” who arranged the tryst between Eliot Spitzer and call girl Ashley Dupre. Davis is running on the Anti-Prohibition ticket, which is a heavily Libertarian platform. She advocates legalizing marijuana, prostitution and gambling to raise immediately needed revenue.

Cuomo comes out on top

Andrew Cuomo merely had to hang on for the ride to appear the sanest man in the room. That aside, New York State is in a budget crisis that needs resolving. Paladino is a Tea Party favorite, but has alienated some voters with inflammatory rhetoric.