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If you were an arbitrator

by: simonstl

Mon Jun 15, 2009 at 19:36:03 PM EDT

No one really wants to step in and compel a settlement in the Senate. The judge is certainly avoiding it, and while Governor Patterson offered a meeting, no one took him up on it, and he has little power to do anything. The Attorney General is being conspicuously quiet. The Republicans apparently won't meet with the Demcrats unless they accept last week's coup as legitimate, which seems like a recipe for nothing when there's a 31-31 split. The Democrats have reported their power-sharing proposals, which seem mostly sane to me.

But if you were an arbitrator, able to set terms, but aiming for them to last through the entire session and set good precedents for beyond, what would you propose?

(If NYCO can declare herself a State Senator, I think everyone here can declare themselves arbitrators.)

What might work?

simonstl :: If you were an arbitrator

Tags: power, terms, negotiate, State Senate, (All Tags)

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If you were an arbitrator | 7 comments

Not on topic (0.00 / 0)

but I thought it was amusing: I just got a robocall from Greg Ball, who is running against John Hall in NY-19. Bloody election is over a year away.

by: Cliff Hendroval @ Tue Jun 16, 2009 at 00:09:51 AM UTC

Dr. Alan Chartock (4.00 / 1)

Let him run things. He'll tell us what to do!

(for the record--and I assume we are keeping a record--I am a relatively recent transplant to the area, from a completely civilized NPR area, and am mortified at how stupid people up here are about the WAMC cult of personality surrounding this guy. So pretentious).

by: abw @ Tue Jun 16, 2009 at 00:17:39 AM UTC

It looks like plotters left (0.00 / 0)

a not so bad deal on the table. This just went out from the Dems:

Senate Democrats Propose Good Faith, Bi-Partisan Agreement; Republicans Reject Offer Deadlocking Senate
Statement from Temporary President of the Senate Malcolm A. Smith and
Majority Conference Leader John L. Sampson
"Cooperation is necessary to do the basic business of the Senate, since neither conference can convene a quorum without the cooperation of the other.
Today the Democratic Senate Conference offered a bi-partisan agreement to resume the people's business in a fair manner - this offer was rejected by the Senate Republican Conference and Senator Espada.
The Senate Majority offer included:
· Democratic and Republican Presidents of the Senate alternating daily;
· Floor Leaders alternating daily (from a different party than that day's President of the Senate)
· 6-Member Senate Conference Committee (3 Democrats, 3 Republicans) to determine what legislation reaches the floor
The offer was modeled on agreements crafted by dozens of legislatures in similar circumstances with equal numbers of members representing two conferences.
Representing the Democratic Conference were President Pro Tempore Malcolm A. Smith, Conference Leader John L. Sampson, Deputy Majority Leader Jeff D. Klein and Finance Committee Chair Carl Kruger.
Representing the Republican Conference were Minority Leader Dean Skelos, Deputy Minority Leader Thomas Libous, Finance Committee Ranking Member John DeFrancisco and Senator Pedro Espada."

If I were Dean Skelos, that doesn't sound so bad to me.

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

by: Putney Swope @ Tue Jun 16, 2009 at 00:19:30 AM UTC

Alan Chartock (0.00 / 0)

Big fish in a small pond.

by: hawkny @ Tue Jun 16, 2009 at 00:23:16 AM UTC

But I'm an opinionated political activist (0.00 / 0)

not an arbiter.

My clearest line of thought has we the voters doing some house cleaning the next opportunity we get.

House cleaning on both sides of the aisles.

by: Andrew C. White @ Tue Jun 16, 2009 at 01:29:30 AM UTC

Ok... trying hard here (4.00 / 2)

to think in a fashion that doesn't involve 62 brand new Senators....

I think the offer by the Dems outlined above in Putney Swopes post is a good starting point.

The problem is our broken and dysfunctional legislative system. Where's Bill Maher when you need him? We need

NEW RULES

The centralized power needs to done away with. A fully functional committee system needs to be in place review, discuss and move legislation to the floor... outside of the hands of the party leaders, outside of the hands of the "majority" party.

Same with budgeting, member items, etc.

We need the creation of a bi-partisan rules reform board to craft and implement the Brennan Center Reform proposals. No half measures allowed.

Both sides have to take real reform and decentralization of power seriously or say good bye to their cushy jobs in 2010.

No exceptions. All of them get behind reform or all of them go.

And we the people of the great state of New York need to make it clear to them that we are serious about removing all of them from office.

And oh, by the way, when we're done with the Senate we'll be looking at the Assembly next.

Enough of this already.

by: Andrew C. White @ Tue Jun 16, 2009 at 01:37:41 AM UTC

What this situation needs.... (0.00 / 0)

...is the assertion of a bit of parental authority. Paterson is right-- these Senators need to "grow up." I hereby volunteer to go up to Albany to take up the role of Temporary Grandma of the State Senate, and say "Act like adults!" and "Don't make me come down there!" every time any of them does any stupid stuff. Otherwise, they can follow Andrew's and Putney Swope's directions.

Also, their mandatory anti-sexual-harrassment sensitivity training should now include extensive and graphic descriptions of gangs of vigilante women exacting revenge on political leadership that practiced violence toward women-- across cultures and through the ages.

by: robinia @ Tue Jun 16, 2009 at 06:39:14 AM UTC