SD-40: Did Greg Ball break yet another rule?

that's the dumbest rule I've ever heard of, even by Albany standards (0.00 / 0)

I hate to defend the constantly loathesome Greg Ball, but seriously - you can't use taped proceedings of the Assembly floor for political purposes?

That's so pathetic I can't even find words for it.  Is our Assembly so majestic it stands above mere politics?  Oh, I forgot - they think so, anyway.

I assume the Senate is the same way - anyone know?

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by: simonstl @ Tue Apr 27, 2010 at 21:23:54 PM UTC

I absolutely disagree (0.00 / 0)

If you begin to use the proceedings as campaign footage, you can have Assembly members grandstanding just to get promotional footage. Also, by editing it, you can also edit out the context of the session.

Debates on the floor are not made for political gain, but are part of legislating. The Assembly floor is not a campaign stop, it is the people's conference.

When you start blending legislating and campaigning, I think you've really crossing ethical lines.  

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by: cliffweathers @ Tue Apr 27, 2010 at 21:30:37 PM UTC

Ha (0.00 / 0)

ha ha ha.

Please take a look through political history.  Any part of political history.  And stop pretending that our legislature is doing some kind of sublime people's work.

The NYS Assembly is damn near the purest politics out there. The ethical lines were crossed centuries ago.

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by: simonstl @ Wed Apr 28, 2010 at 02:15:41 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

In addition (0.00 / 0)

Can you imagine your opponent editing your floor speeches to make you look like an idiot for political gain?  (Not that Kaplowitz will need a lot of help to make Ball look like an idiot...)

I'll take the rule as is.

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by: Dan Jacoby @ Tue Apr 27, 2010 at 22:14:22 PM UTC

I think this means that I have to mock you all (0.00 / 0)

for years to come.  

Of course people edit floor speeches for political gain. They've been doing that since the beginning of politics, period.  You don't even need video - frankly, video gets in the way, by making the cuts obvious.

This is a simple sign of an utterly gutless Assembly unwilling to acknowledge that they are responsible for the job they do.  The shocking part to me is that people are willing to defend it.

Of course, the deeply harshly embarrassing part - the caucuses - they'll never televise, because that's where decision-making actually happens.  The rest is already pure grandstanding.

I guess I now have to set up a YouTube channel that's nothing but NYS legislative stupidity, unconnected to "a ballot issue or the candidacy of any person for any elective office; or any paid commercial advertisements."

That seems perfectly legal by these self-serving rules.  If only I had the time - there's plenty of material.

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by: simonstl @ Wed Apr 28, 2010 at 02:14:15 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Honestly (0.00 / 0)

there's quite a few people in both houses who look like idiots by the simple act of breathing. You don't need mad video skillz to make, say, Kevin Parker look like he's a few fries short of a Happy Meal.

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by: Michael Bouldin @ Wed Apr 28, 2010 at 14:47:20 PM UTC

[ Parent ]