D&C: “GOP’s grip a gantlet to Spitzer reforms”
Fan of “Clean Money Clean Electons”? Wouldn’t it be great if politicians would be beholden to the people rather than special interests with money? Not if the GOP majority in the NY Senate has their way:
How do you convince a group of politicians that has a 4-1 advantage in fundraising that they should surrender that in the name of reform?
That’s the challenge Gov-elect Eliot Spitzer faces in trying to persuade the Republican majority in the state Senate to overhaul the way campaigns are financed in New York.
The Senate has traditionally been the political graveyard of proposals to reshape the system — and it’s little wonder.
The senate majority leader, Joe Bruno, (R-Paragon of Virtue), weighs in:
But even then, Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno was skeptical.
“People ought to have a right to support the people they support,” he said.
“…and by people I mean: really rich people and companies hoping for a favor.” I’m sorry, that was outta line, it’s not like he’s under investigation for financial misconduct or anything. Oh, wait.
And, if that’s not enough for poor Joe to worry about, there’s that crazy, crazy bunch of left-wing wackos breathing down his neck. That’s right, the League of Women Voters:
“Unless the Senate wants to be truly tagged with being dysfunctional, they are going to have to get on this train before it roars out of the station,” said Barbara Bartoletti of the state League of Women Voters.
If even the normally placid LWV is talking about roaring trains of reform, time to admit that the waters around you have grown, as Bob Dylan might say.
Especially given that the NY Senate is ever closer to flipping…
Happy new year everyone!
[...] It’s no secret that newly minted Governor Spitzer has an ambitious agenda to reform Albany. It’s one of the reasons he won the election so overwhelmingly. But it’s also no secret that one of the biggest challenges to implementing those reforms is the GOP-controlled state Senate. Even the D&C thinks so. And the recent ridiculousness where Senate Dems put up a set of reforms for a vote and got shut out by Joe Bruno and his pals only confirms that. [...]
[...] the New York State GOP saw this as a major threat to their powerbase (the state senate), but that couldn’t stop the [...]