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It's Albany as usual—and by usual, we mean totally full-tilt boogie dysfunctional. Yesterday, two State Senate Democrats decided to join the Republican minority, which then threw the GOP back in power, with a 32 member majority (30 Republicans, the 2 defected Democrats). The Times Union reports, "The whole posse was backed by billionaire Thomas Golisano, who has been conspiring with a small cadre of lawmakers to accomplish the overthrow." Wow, Golisano was really pissed about paying more in taxes! The Daily News sums it up in an editorial (on the cover, no less): "Yesterday's coup d'etat revealed Albany for the madhouse it has become, with the lunatics firmly in charge of the asylum."
The NY Times notes how Governor Paterson "called the move 'an outrage' and said Albany had become a 'dysfunctional wreck.' The governor also said 'I will not allow this,' but then conceded that there was nothing he could do to stop it." Even a longtime lobbyist told the Post, "Unbelievable. I've never seen anything like it."
State Senator Malcolm Smith (D-Queens) was the first Democratic Senate Majority Leader in 43 years for a short five-month spell, but now Senator Dean Skelos (R-Long Island) is back in charge. The Republicans were helped by Democrats Hiram Monserrate and Pedro Espada Jr., two Senators who have their share of legal troubles: Monserrate (D-Queens) is indicted for beating his girlfriend (a charge he denies) while Espada (D-Bronx) is being investigated on why he may not even live Bronx district and investigated by Attorney General Andrew Cuomo over whether Espada used his non-profit to promote his political campaigns. PolitickerNY says of the pair, "They are, by any measure, the improbable choices for the public role of high-minded reform agent. No matter--total surprise was achieved, and neither man balked on the floor."
CityRoom points out, "State Senator Pedro Espada Jr. requested more than $2 million dollars in Senate earmarks earlier this year for two groups with links to the health care organization that he founded and which appeared to have been created in part to receive such grants...But Senate Democrats rejected the grant requests in early April because they could not confirm that the groups were legitimate nonprofit organizations." And that's when Espada supposedly starting talking to the GOP. According to the Daily News, "'Life is circular, my friend,' Sen. Diane Savino (D-Staten Island) snarled to Espada and Monserrate as she left" yesterday. The Post has a timeline graphic of what happened; PolitickerNY has a narrative.
The GOP was reportedly unhappy about how the budget and MTA bailout were negotiated in secret. The News points out the issues left on the table are: "Reauthorization of mayoral control in the city; Legalization of gay marriage; Democratic-sponsored ethics reform; Changes in city rent laws." The Post's Fred Dicker writes, "The major factor was the ham-handed and embarrassingly chaotic leadership by the Queens-based Smith and other leading Democrats, including Deputy Majority Leader Jeff Klein of The Bronx, that angered and alienated Senate Republicans."
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Wow. I didn't think Albany could become any more of a dysfunctional shithole... thanks for proving me wrong once again!
See, that's the most depressing thing about his whole thing: It's like taking everything you thought was wrong with Albany and then magnifying it by 100 times!
I know! Reading any news about Albany is like watching a cold opening of any episode of "Lost." You sit there going "Whoaaa... what is this? what is going on? ohhh who is that? OMG!"
Next there will be a scary smoke monster that kills half the Senate.
One could only hope.
So incredibly sordid it takes your breath away.
Call me jaded, but not surprised.
it's official, we're all screwed.
there's so much grease there that I'm slipping all over myself. the voters are not happy but they don't care.
im kind of glad actually... not so much that the GOP is in control of one of the chambers, but that maybe the added dysfunction will stop at least some of these harebrained tax schemes on everything but breathing we've been getting a steady stream of lately.
I searched, but couldn't find anything. Does anyone know if there is a way to initiate a recall of state senators?
Monserrate switched parties because the GOP leadership promised him that they wouldn't prosecute any future girlfriend beatings. The other guy got a $50. gift card for Polo Loco.
ok, i'll bite. based on that first picture, is Espada 'darkest' member of the new majority?
This happened because the Democrats in Albany are idiots. Paterson was bad enough but Malcolm Smith? In the end, Albany is a club and the price of admission is you mow lawns on Long Island for thirty years. In NYS it's all about turf.
Can we beg North Korea or Iran to nuke Albany for us?
the best way to solve a political pissing contest is to hold said contest in front of an electrified fence.
These bunch of clowns are running a members only club.
We're just on the outside looking in.
What a joke. Gotta love political. Republicans vs Democrats, like any party is better than the other.
Screw it, just abolish the State Senate and the Assembly. They're a gigantic waste of time and taxpayer's money.
Cuomo is the only one who has demonstrated any trustworthiness and dedication.
Out with all incumbents next election!
This is all just smoke mirrors and circus. They have accomplished nothing but shown what a bunch of corrupt assholes they are. Their action was illegal, the Senate was adjourned at the time when the Republicans claim that their reorganization resolution was passed, and that consequently, the Democrats remain in control of the chamber. The Secretary and Sergeant at Arms of the Senate control access to the chamber, and as the Secretary was appointed by the current Majority Leader, Democrat Malcolm Smith, it's highly unlikely that the Senate will again convene until it is definitively established that yesterday's circus was null and void.
So the Republicans weren't happy with getting treated the way they treated the Democratic minority for the 43 years prior to that?
I actually like Paterson, but the reason why he is widely seen as useless is because he was in that Democratic minority for quite sometime, which means he did absolutely nothing in his political career before becoming accidental governor because the Republicans were in charge.
Gotta love how NY State and California are the two most poorly governed and dysfunctional in the entire union.
I guess this means there's no chance for gay marriage.
I don't know; Skelos and Monseratte look like they're ready to skip the nuptials and start the honeymoon boogie...
Forget about politics or what party you belong to: One man (Thomas Golisano) decided to change our government because taxes on people like himself were going to go up. That's criminal.