Power Grab and/or Reform Opportunity?

I just posted about the same issue (4.00 / 3)

It's very, very interesting.  It's also clear evidence that this has been planned for awhile.

My take on it is that Republicans saw how pitiful minority life is in the Senate and took their shot at changing it for their future careers.  Notice the even split on member items.  Essentially the Republicans are killing the pork argument, so now they can argue that (once they're back in the minority), they're still helping out their districts.

On a policy level, these changes do look good.  On a political level, I don't want the Republicans to use these changes to argue that they ARE the party of reform in New York.  Especially considering that a Squadron effort on reform (which probably would've gone through next year) would have gone above and beyond this.

"Never be afraid to stand with the minority when the minority is right, for the minority which is right will one day be the majority."


-William Jennings Bryan

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by: BingChester @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 17:05:37 PM CDT

Thanks for heads up (4.00 / 1)

It's a good post, draws on some different sources... check it out.

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by: robinia @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 18:13:46 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

my guess on the rules changes (4.00 / 1)

I'm glad to see these.  

I suspect that the Republicans passed them partly to have a story and partly to protect themselves against the inevitable losses as Republican party identification fades in New York.

Kind of like their redecorating the minority meeting rooms before the election, only maybe with a little more impact.

I just hope that Democratic backlash against this doesn't seize on reform itself as a problem...

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by: simonstl @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 17:07:52 PM CDT

Agree (4.00 / 1)

Keep the rules.

Dump the leadership.

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by: Amherst Guy @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 17:27:33 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

historic? (4.00 / 1)

So, following really very closely on NYS swearing in its first African American Governor as a result of a prostitution scandal, we are swearing in our first Hispanic President Pro Tem of the Senate as a result of a coup.

Makes you wish we could just go back to that affirmative action idea, it was cleaner...

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by: robinia @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 18:29:30 PM CDT

RECALL THESE LOSERS! (0.00 / 0)

Flipping like this is unacceptable... what do we have to do to get a recall election going?

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by: Zabriskie @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 18:38:24 PM CDT

Sadly (0.00 / 0)

No such thing exists under New York law.

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by: Amherst Guy @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 19:17:38 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Bullshit, robinia. (4.00 / 3)

The people of New York voted for a Democratic Senate. We changed the Rockefeller drug laws. Squadron is working on the transparency/rules reform bill. Their new site is the most transparent and citizen-centric legislative web site in the country. And so on and so forth.

Nobody is saying the Dems are perfect. But this is Skelos trying to get back the majority they'd had for forty years, during which time they did fuck-all for the people.

Done be naive, people. This is not good.

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by: Bouldin @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 18:40:01 PM CDT

of course it's not good (4.00 / 2)

And I don't think we're being naive for praising one small piece that feels like someone actually did something for once instead of just talking about it.

I don't believe Golisano when he says that he pushed this because the Senate didn't act quickly on reforming government, and I don't believe that the Republicans have learned from their time in the minority that open government is the one true way.

However, they chose this as their fig leaf, and I think it's at least an interesting choice.  It says that they've noticed that they need to tell a different story, and that actually voting on reforms might be more compelling than talking about voting on reform.  (They started to show that they might get the message, and Dems didn't, when Republicans put up the Democrats' previous rules reform proposal and it was knocked down by a party-line vote.)

The web site's great.  Rockefeller reform is long overdue.  At the same time, though, creating a situation in which Republicans could seize control and plausibly present themselves as reformers suggests some really major problems.

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by: simonstl @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 19:08:25 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Umm... (4.00 / 1)

I'm being pretty upfront about saying that this is probably a fig leaf.  But, it in no way is suggesting any of what the Senate under real Dems accomplished was less than good.

As for being naive, I'm feeling pretty naive about how positive I was feeling on Friday at Capitol Camp...

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by: robinia @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 19:37:32 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

I'd been wishing I could get to Capitol Camp (0.00 / 0)

but I figured there'd likely be another one.  Now I really get to wonder.

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by: simonstl @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 19:41:36 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Every time you visit Albany Robina, the sky falls! (0.00 / 0)

Weren't you supposed to meet Spitzer the day the scandal broke?  And now you visit the day before the coup?  Please just stay home from no on!!! lol

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by: Roatti @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 23:26:07 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Two times out of many (0.00 / 0)

I go quite a bit, Roatti. I have both family and business in the area.  I just only write about it when the sky proceeds to fall.  

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by: robinia @ Tue Jun 09, 2009 at 05:09:51 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

This is an opportunity (4.00 / 3)

 We all knew Smith & his leadership were not the progressive reform slate we worked so hard over the last seven years to elect.  But the national campaign overshadowed our ability to focus the electorate, and especially the NY Dems on this.  

I see this as a golden opportunity for the progressives to galvanize the energies that worked so hard and so effectively to elect Obama.  We have to engage the network and resources that were built in NY for the presidential election and direct them to win in the Senate.

It shouldn't be hard to frame the issues.  Espada and Monserrate voted with the party that is going to drag the first Latino Supreme Court justice through the mud - they are traitors to their constitutents!  They've sold their souls to power!

Let's go people!  

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by: Todd_NYC @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 18:50:47 PM CDT

Thankfully (4.00 / 1)

The woman slasher and scumbag Espada are STILL Democrats. Me, personally, I dont want them coming near me..

The rules however, look pretty nice. Political posturing or not.

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by: chenangofreethinker @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 18:53:38 PM CDT

Just before the coup vote, (4.00 / 2)

the Dems were getting ready to vote on member items, which they had decided to split up this way -- $79.7M for the Dems, $8.2M for the Republicans.

Not much "reform" in that proposal.

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by: devtob @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 19:02:14 PM CDT

maybe there was reform in that proposal (4.00 / 1)

At least in the sense that it gave the Republican reform fig-leaf some extra polish.

I hope we get the chance to try again soon - and do a better job!

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by: simonstl @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 19:10:18 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

it's theater (4.00 / 1)

it is all bullshit. this ain't over.

I'm not gonna rock the boat. Rockin' the boat's a drag. What you do is sink the boat!
- Truth and Soul, Inc.

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by: Putney Swope @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 19:19:54 PM CDT

We (0.00 / 0)

should be talking about the rules. Like it or not, the rules are GOOD. The rules are REFORM. And it wasnt Obama, or the majority of Democrats that got it done.

Dont get me wrong, you cant trust Espada, and Monserrate should be going to prison(he wont though) - if he does goto prison, there will be another shot for the democrats to run the ship.

In fact, Im glad they are both staying Democrats, the last thing the Republicans need is more phonies, we got enough already.

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by: chenangofreethinker @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 20:43:54 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Except nothing will get done for the rest of the year now (4.00 / 2)

As Peterr said over at FDL:

Boy, it's a good thing this happened when there were no big crises on the state's plate, like state budget problems, major layoffs across one of the state's biggest private industries, crumbling sewage and wastewater treatment infrastructure, or anything else like that.

Because then things would really be a mess in Albany.

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by: Phoenix Woman @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 21:36:03 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

The "election" (0.00 / 0)

Skelos' statement says

A new bipartisan, coalition elected today has delivered on the
promises for reform that the Senate Democrat leadership failed to keep.

Strange use of the word "elected"!  And you know they're bipartisan when they rail against the "Democrat leadership."  

Of course, you won't find me denying that the NYS Democratic leadership is/was corrupt.  My only hope is that somehow this means that in 2010 Democrats can sharpen their message on reform: "Here are the 100 good government practices we will fully support."  If this kind of nonsense can't provoke a move in that direction, we have to wonder if anything can.

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by: twb @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 20:53:09 PM CDT

DeFrancisco speaks... (4.00 / 1)

http://www.syracuse.com/news/i...

Sen. John DeFrancisco knew for weeks that Republicans were planning a historic and dramatic revolt to take control of the state Senate from Democrats.

The plan was in motion for five weeks, but Democrats remained in the dark -- until Monday.

"I don't think anybody on the Democratic side had any clue, judging from the shock that was displayed when this was happening," said DeFrancisco, R-Syracuse.

Article continues with nauseating blathering about pork spoils.

So nice to hear from DeFrancisco's lips that a guy who slashes his girlfriend with broken glass is a "brave soul."

 

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by: NYCO @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 21:31:13 PM CDT

No one on the Democratic side knew? (0.00 / 0)

In the rumor mill biz that is politics...how on earth is that possible?

"Never be afraid to stand with the minority when the minority is right, for the minority which is right will one day be the majority."


-William Jennings Bryan

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by: BingChester @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 22:22:55 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Conceit? (0.00 / 0)

A tendency to overrate one's own managerial ability or diplomatic skills?  A tendency to underrate the capacity of others to be self-centered and treacherous?

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by: robinia @ Tue Jun 09, 2009 at 05:14:42 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

DeFrancisco (0.00 / 0)

has been decidedly petulant since the Dems took over the Senate.  

He used to be not a total idiot, but ever since the GOP got out of power, he's become little more than a whiner.  He just hasn't been taking it very well, and has done nothing but criticize Valesky in particular (who probably got the #2 job HE secretly coveted in his dreams).

So to see him swaggering around like this just solidifies my feeling that he's jumped the shark and needs to be gone.  Even if he was replaced by another Republican (which won't happen, I know).  Certain things that (I presume) were making him attractive to Dems - such as his questioning of DestiNY USA - are now no longer relevant.

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by: NYCO @ Tue Jun 09, 2009 at 08:52:39 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Real Reform (0.00 / 0)

I suppose the rules reform are OK so far as they go.

But I'll be convinced about this "coalition"'s commitment to reform when they push for nonpartisan redistricting and public campaign financing.

Somehow I doubt I'll be convinced. But I'd be glad to be surprised nonetheless.

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by: dsimon @ Tue Jun 09, 2009 at 14:45:32 PM CDT