Marriage Defender Carl Paladino Has A Love Child With A Former Employee

Teabagger loon Carl Paladino, who opposes same-sex marriage, has a ten year old daughter conceived during an affair with a staffer. And that doesn't seem likely to hurt him in the election.

That may be because Paladino has been open about his daughter, who is now 10, throughout his candidacy. She joined his other children and his wife at his campaign kick-off in April, for example, and has attended other events. She is, as the New York Times put it in today's profile of Paladino, "fully incorporated into his family." Paladino supports her financially and, according to the New York Post, he accompanied the girl, Sarah, and her mother -- with his wife's permission -- on a trip to Italy last year that included a visit to the Vatican. Sarah was conceived during what Paladino's wife, Cathy, described to the Post as a "very short affair" with an employee.

Paladino may be open about the girl's existence now, but he didn't tell his wife about her until last year, waiting until the week of their 29 year-old son's death in a car accident to make the revelation. Instant replacement child!

Patrick and the Paladinos' other two grown children, William and Danielle, knew about Sarah long before their mother did. In fact, according to the Times, Patrick -- who the Post described as "very close" to his half-sister -- only promised to go to rehab in exchange for his father telling the truth. Asked why he kept it from his wife for so long, Paladino told the Times, "I adore her. ... I didn't want to bring that hurt." "Out of protection, even though [the affair] was over, he made the decision not to say anything," Cathy Paladino said in the Post. "And, in retrospect, you know, maybe I'm glad for that 10 years, you know?"