"Frankly, I don't think you have the cojones to face me and the other candidates in an open debate."

'You have to earn' governorship

Several times in his letter, Paladino invoked Cuomo's father, former three-time Gov. Mario Cuomo, who he said "left our state economy in a wreck."

"So Andrew, for the first time in your life be a man," Paladino wrote. "Don't hide behind Daddy's coattails even though he pulled strings to advance your career every step of your way. Come out and debate like a man.

"Because no one inherits the New York governorship - you have to earn it."

Vlasto, Cuomo's chief spokesman, declined to discuss Paladino's latest attack.

Paladino promised yesterday that more attack ads were coming, including some strafing Cuomo's performance as Housing and Urban Development secretary as well as "some personal things to illustrate to people that this man does not have the capability" to be governor.

"He has an arrogant, egotistical attitude about him that is wrong for the people," Paladino said.

Paladino's campaign strategy is simply to "tear down the house and tear down all the people trying to fix it," countered Jacobs.

"He is definitely holding true to my sense that he is truly a wacky candidate who doesn't deserve any consideration by moderates or fair-minded individuals," Jacobs added.

Jacobs whacked Paladino for getting almost $1.5 million in tax breaks and creating just one permanent job as a Buffalo developer, as revealed in yesterday's Daily News.

Meanwhile, Cuomo surrogates gathered around the state to bash Paladino. At City Hall, Jewish leaders said the Tea Party favorite was not fit for office, citing his likening of Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan), an Orthodox Jew, to the Antichrist and Adolf Hitler.

"What the hell is wrong with him?" Assemblyman Dov Hikind (D-Brooklyn) said. "Is he out of his freakin' mind?"

Paladino's talk of bringing a baseball bat to Albany or having Silver beaten up "a little bit" could entice someone to do it, Hikind said.

"There are a lot of people in this state who might take his advice and beat up on some member of the Legislature," Hikind said.

Paladino seemed to be relishing the ruckus he was creating. On one TV program, he proudly displayed an electronic image of last week's News front page proclaiming him "Crazy Carl."

The political neophyte said he has no plans to change, adding, "I'm not 'intimidate-able.'"

"I'm not politically correct," he said. "They can throw all that stuff that they want at me, I'm still coming to Albany. I'm going to take them all down."