| I wrote earlier about the nebulous prospects for a reform caucus among Senate Democrats. While the number of Democrats I'd include is disappointingly small, the challenge on the Republican side is even greater.
Almost all of the Republicans in the Senate were there in the Bruno years, when sticking together was the Republicans' way of keeping control. Many of the Republicans are also pretty old, which likely spares them the concern of decades trapped in the powerlessness of the Assembly Minority.
Given the demographic disaster they face, it's hard for me to believe that Republicans are going to be able to hold on to power in the long term even if this coup holds up - and even if, say, they lured over a few Democrats from the more fractured Democratic caucus.
In that future, it seems like the best path for Republican Senators' self-interest is to reduce the importance of party and leadership. Shifting the Senate to a model where individual Senators matter, rather than just a few, promises not only democracy for New York State but also a reason for Republicans to have some hope for the future. (And party-switching seems unlikely, not to mention not that productive.) |
Here's a list of Republican Senators, with birthyear (when available) and when they started in the Senate. Bold indicates a party leadership position, as identified by the NYS SRCC:
| Republican Senator | Born | Senator Since
|
|---|
| James S. Alesi | 1948 | 1997
| | John J. Bonacic | 1942 | 1999
| | John A. DeFrancisco | 1946 | 1993
| | Hugh T. Farley | 1932 | 1977
| | John J. Flanagan | 1961 | 2003
| | Charles J. Fuschillo, Jr. | 1960 | 1999
| | Martin J. Golden | ? | 2002
| | Joseph A. Griffo | 1956 | 2007
| | Kemp Hannon | 1946 | 1989
| | Owen H. Johnson | 1929 | 1973
| | Andrew J. Lanza | 1964 | 2007
| | William J. Larkin, Jr. | ? | 1991
| | Kenneth P. LaValle | 1939 | 1977
| | Vincent L. Leibell, III | 1946 | 1994
| | Thomas W. Libous | ? | 1989
| | Elizabeth O'C. Little | 1940 | 2003
| | Carl L. Marcellino | 1942 | 1995
| | George D. Maziarz | 1953 | 1995
| | Roy J. McDonald | ? | 2009
| | Thomas P. Morahan | 1931 | 1999
| | Michael F. Nozzolio | ? | 1992
| | Frank Padavan | 1934 | 1973
| | Michael H. Ranzenhofer | ? | 2009
| | Joseph E. Robach | ? | 2003
| | Stephen M. Saland | ? | 1991
| | James L. Seward | 1951 | 1987
| | Dean G. Skelos | 1948 | 1985
| | Dale M. Volker | 1940 | 1975
| | George H. Winner, Jr. | 1949 | 2005
| | Catharine M. Young | ? | 2005
|
Of the Republicans whose ages I don't have, looking at pictures leaves me guessing that Robach, Ranzenhofer, Libous, Nozzolio, and Young still have prospects of staying in the Senate for a decade or so more, if they can fend off challengers, as do any Senators born in the 1950s or especially 1960s.
I don't yet see any Republican Senators stepping out of lockstep, out of the party-line ways Joe Bruno depended on to maintain his status. I haven't given up hope yet, given the praise Republicans often give to self-interest, but I'm betting that any such changes have to happen this term, while power is in flux.
(And why would I give advice to Republicans, especially advice that runs counter to long-term Democratic power? Because I firmly believe that we need at least two functioning parties in the system to have a chance of keeping even one of them honest.) |
