Guv sticking with Malcolm Smith… for now
In the aftermath of yesterday afternoon’s dizzying turn of events in the N.Y. State Senate, Governor Paterson announced he planned to continue working with Malcolm Smith as Majority Leader.
Paterson said that since this issue will likely end up in court, he will recognize Malcolm A. Smith as Majority Leader “until such as time as a court rules otherwise.”
He added that the coup was about “politics, not reform.”
Paterson said that this had nothing to do with him being a Democrat and that if the sides were reversed he’d be just as angry.
Paterson expressed outrage that “what happened on the Senate floor today was disguised under the cloak of reform and good government” and said that this is the time that the legislature should be focusing on the issues facing the 200,000 “New Yorkers who have lost their jobs” and many others who fear that they might. He said that this is the time that the Senate should be focusing on issues like education, marriage equality, the state’s fiscal crisis or how to reform unemployment insurance, “but once again Albany’s dysfunction has reared its ugly head.”
Events, however, are not likely to play out in the Democrats’ favor:
The Senate Democrats are still scrambling to come up with a way out of their current predicament, and, according to a source who has spoken to a number of them this morning, only one thing is certain so far: Malcolm Smith will not retain any semblance of leadership when this is all over - even if his conference ends up in the minority.
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Golisano is an egomanical douchebag.
Now that I got that out of the way. I have to ask how the hell no one knew about this ahead of time? Since when is Albany tight lipped?
Well, apparently it was planned for weeks and nobody blabbed. If you enjoy that insider stuff, here’s where you can read all about it: http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2009/06/sen_john_defrancisco_knew_for.html
Well, here’s one thing: if any of the State Senate Democrats works out a scheme to smash the GOP coup *and* get the Senate back in session — that person will make a great State Senate leader. Unlikely.
This is media time. Write every paper about how Florida fatcat Golisano joined a girlfriend-slasher and a man breaking all the campaign finance laws to take over the government, with the collusion of the utterly corrupt Republican Party.
So when is Golisano moving to Florida? And who elected him Czar of the NYS Senate?
Isn’t it ironic that the founder of the “Independence” Party & a self-proclaimed “reformer” used his $$$$ and oversized ego to counsel dissident Democrats into a coup? It’s very clear that Golisano’s political interest has always been about self-promotion & never about good, open government. Are four men in a room (Golisano, Skelos, Monserrate & Espada) - one unelected - really better than three men in a room?
Come on, Tom, the beach is waiting.