Coalition-making in the New York Senate
Hiram Manserrate has quit the “Gang of Four,” turning it into the “Gang of Three.” To his credit, he said, “I’m ready to move forward and not waste one more minute debating politics” and pledged to do just that by supporting Malcolm Smith for majority leader.
Then there’s Ruben Diaz, a pentecostal minister as well as a state senator, who has said that he would oppose any leader who would bring marriage equality to the floor of the Senate for a vote.
Next in the “Gang” is Pedro Espada, who has said of a deal with GOP leader Dean Skelos that, “It’s possible, but highly unlikely,” but that “We do not believe … given the way [Malcolm Smith] has conducted himself that we can vote for him.” So while Espada has supported the Republican caucus in the past, he has said that he will not support either Skelos or Smith.
Finally, Sen. Carl Kruger has said that, “Until I am totally satisfied the house will be run differently, that there will be a voice for everyone and not just the left wing of the party, I won’t ever, ever, ever succumb.” I hope that means that he won’t be voting for Skelos. But if Kruger thinks that the senate will be run differently and that all voices will be heard if he votes for Joe Bruno’s right-hand man, then he is sadly mistaken.
So now that we know what these three guys don’t want — abortion, gay marriage, and Malcolm Smith — we still have no idea about what it is that they do want. And I wouldn’t be surprised if they had no idea either. This “Gang of Three/Four” has been great at getting headlines for the last week, but now that they’ve had their 15 minutes of fame, it’s time for them speak up or shut up. They need to tell their constituents, who are overwhelmingly Democratic, as well as the rest of the people of New York, who they will be supporting and why. They’ve had months, if not years, to think about it and weigh the options.
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