| There are a lot of questions after yesterday's attempted coup by the Senate Republicans. The Democrats have said it is illegal (and if it occurred after the session was gaveled closed, it's certainly hard to argue that it wasn't) and the Republicans, along with Sen. Pedro Espada and Sen. Hiram Monserrate, are calling this a "coalition government." Even though, as my good friend Buffalo Pundit wrote about today, it is hard to call it a coalition when it consists of 30 Republicans and two Democrats.
So who should we go after? Who needs to be targeted? The list is long:
- ESPADA: This is a guy who is a model for why we need campaign finance reform in New York. It would be nice if he obeyed the current laws that aren't as strong as they need to be, but still exist for a reason. He has no morals, he has no ethics and the Republicans are okay with that. Sen. Dean Skelos is quoted as saying that such issues (Espada's campaign finance issues and investigations along with Monserrate's assault indictment) take a backseat to "reform." I'm sorry, but they don't. Espada isn't above the law. And he isn't above the people of this state who voted for a Democratic majority in 2008 only to have it robbed by the power hungry Espada and his sidekick Monserrate.
MONSERRATE: Monserrate has serious legal issues that could lead to him being ousted from office. Again, Skelos doesn't seem to care because of the short-term gain. But Monserrate, if convicted, will be forced from his seat. The case against Monserrate is a very serious matter. Monserrate, along with Espada, shouldn't be a poster boy for reform. The fact that he is one of the faces attached to this attempted coup and the questionable reform legislation that the GOP passed in the aftermath is terrible for New York.
TOM GOLISANO: Golisano was whining awhile back that he was making his legal residence Florida because of high taxation. As I stated at the time, the $5 million Golisano claims to be saving by making his legal residence in Florida is the same amount he put down as a fund for Responsible New York. Now, he is touting his involvement in this backroom deal (the same backroom deals he criticizes and is supposedly against) as reform. This isn't reform. This is a pampered billionaire getting what he wants.
If you think Espada has a hunger for power, that pales in comparison to the hunger for power that Golisano has. Golisano has hospitals named after him. He owns a sports team. He hands out money like it was candy at a parade. He tried to muscle the Democratic majority (the same one he invested in) and he didn't get what he wanted. So now, he has decided to try the Republicans and see if they will budge.
SENATE REPUBLICANS: These 30 senators should be embarrassed that they chose this time - arguably the most important time (aside from the budget) on the legislative calendar - to turn the Senate upside down. They put their political interests ahead of the serious issues and problems this state faces. The 19 million people of New York did not need this. If they weren't happy with losing the majority, 2010 was their chance. Now, we face uncertainty all because the Senate Republicans, on the taxpayer's time, decided that politics was more important than addressing key issues like reproductive health, campaign finance reform, among many others.
We need to go after all of the characters involved. We can target them one at a time or all of them at the same time. Mark my words: Espada will not be representing the 33rd Senate District come January 2011. Monserrate will not be representing the 13th Senate District come January 2011. And the Senate Republicans will be the minority - again.
As for Tom Golisano, I am ready to go to war with the pampered billionaire. He claims he does things in the name of progress and reform, but all that matters to him is power. And power for Golisano comes in the form of spending money and brokering deals such as this one. If Espada is another example of why we need campaign finance reform, then Golisano is another great example too.
All of these individuals and groups need to be targeted. They might think they won in the short-term. But they have a big shock coming to them in the long-term. |
