When pressed on the issue on T.V., Paladino denied that his remarks were sexist and then simply walked out on the interview to avoid further questioning. Paladino insisted that he was simply referring to Gillibrand’s lack of a mind of her own when casting votes, although, as Irin points out at Jezebel, he could have chosen a number of other non-sexist adjectives in that case: “Pawn. Puppet. Pushover.” But he went with “Schumer’s little girl.” Degrading much?

Paladino has already received plenty of Change.org coverage for his various offensive acts: Forwarding emails with the phrase “Run n___ers, run” and depicting the Obamas as “pimp and whore.” Calling LGBTQ people “disgusting.” Saying we should imprison poor people to teach them “hygiene.”

Paladino is big on abstinence-only education and what conservatives like to call “family values,” but had an affair while married that resulted in a child. (Well, he is against contraceptive access, so I guess there’s some consistency there.) His insistence that his private life was off-limits to the press didn’t stop him from alleging sans evidence that his Democratic opponent, Andrew Cuomo, had also engaged in an affair, an unfounded smear he later found himself forced to retract. And despite opposing abortion being legal even in cases of rape or insist, he has had no problem being landlord to Planned Parenthood and filing for special tax exemptions over the clinic. It’s not hypocrisy when there’s a lot of money involved, right?

If Paladino wins his race for governor, I might have to consider moving out of the state, so I hope all New Yorkers will cast their ballot against him. You can also demand he apologize for calling a female senator a male colleague’s “little girl.” He might have thought that by walking out on his interview the issue would just go away, but sexist politicians should know their language has ongoing consequences, and they can’t get away with derogatory remarks just before they come up for election.

Photo credit: Tracy_N_Brandon

Gubernatorial Candidate Carl Paladino Calls Senator "Little Girl"

Rove’s Crossroads GPS and American Crossroads groups are running ads around the country attacking Democratic Senate candidates — ads which FactCheck.org says are “badly misleading” and which Politifact.com simply called “false.”

Americans rejected the failed Bush/Rove policies, and we won’t stand for Rove twisting the facts to bring them back. Sign this petition and tell Karl Rove to stop lying about Democratic Senate candidates.
Tell Karl Rove: Stop the Lies

Obama Signs Legislation to Label Conflict Minerals: There is a growing awareness of the fact that many of our modern electronics include minerals mined in places like the Democratic Republic of the Congo. New legislation passed recently means that companies are now obligated to provide information about whether they’re using parts derived from minerals that come from these places, and if so, what they’re doing to ensure that they obtained legal and with regard to human rights.

A Mobile Payment Trifecta in Kenya: Erik Hersman is one of the leading voices in the story of Africa’s mobile tech renaissance. In this piece , Hersman talks about three mobile payment companies showing how Kenya is actually arguably getting out ahead of many startups coming out of America and Europe that are working on these high-potential areas.

Idiocy and brilliance of American policy toward entrepreneurs: A nice simple piece about the irony of our immigration policy by tech blogger Robert Scoble. He points out how, on the one hand, the US creates a space safe for failure — the necessary prerequisite for an entrepreneurial culture. Yet on the other, we make it immensely hard for talented people from around the world to settle and work here.

Why Every Social Entrepreneur Should Be Paying Attention to SKS & Unitus: I haven’t spent as much time with the Unitus shut down and the SKS (microfinance) IPO as I should, in large part because I’m still wrapping my head around what I think they mean. This post does a nice job connecting many of the dots, however, and links to a follow up, as well.

Are Most VCs Dinosaurs Who Need to Hurry Up and Die?: The venture capital space is in the midst of a rationalization period, in which the model is trying to adjust to the reality that startups are starting for less, and exiting earlier through buyouts. This week, leading angel investor Dave McClure launched his own seed fund “500 Startups,” and launched a shot across the bow of the traditional VCs. This post looks at both sides.

Photo credit: Scott Kinmartin

Weekend Entrepreneur Links: Mobile Payments, Dino VCs

“Pennsylvania is still in the stone ages when you talk about prison reform,” Democratic Rep. Kenyatta Johnson recently told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. As criminal justice-watchers have seen elsewhere, reform is earning bipartisan support in Harrisburg.

One of the alternatives being considered by Pennsylvania lawmakers is abandoning the War-on-Drugs approach to non-violent offenses, and distributing less severe sentences for drug-related offenses, as well as for parole violations.

“We’ve been tough on crime, but we haven’t been smart on crime,” says Republican Sen. Stewart Greenleaf, who chairs the state’s Senate Judiciary Committee.

The numbers support Greenleaf’s view: in 1980, Pennsylvania’s state prison population was around 8,000. Today, though, the population has ballooned to over 51,000. As for the fiscal consequences? These days, Pennsylvania spends around $2 billion annually on its correction budget — more than 55 times what the state spent 40 years ago.

Now, though, the state — which spends more than 44 other states do on its “tough-on-crime” policies — might be on the verge of a revolution for reform. 

There are presently three criminal justice bills already passed by Pennsylvania’s Senate and awaiting House action. These developments join other reforms being considered to the state’s juvenile justice system, too (in the wake of a massive juvenile justice scandal).

The state’s fiscal crisis, combined with the momentum behind such proposals, suggest that Pennsylvania’s in a position to enact some real change in its system. In the coming months, let’s hope that Pennsylvania’s lawmakers don’t lose their appetite for reform.

Photo Credit: alancleaver_2000

Piggy Bank-Inspired Reform in Pennsylvania