Remember yesterday when I wrote about One New York News, the new bi-weekly video broadcast launched yesterday by the State Senate? I certainly offered my own critique. It was apparently kinder than others. Spin Cycle called it "phony". CapCon put "newscast" in quotes. So did Liz.
Maybe these criticisms struck a nerve. Not only has that video been pulled from Vimeo, so have the other three videos posted to the Vimeo account attributed to the "New York State Senate".
Why put this video out there accompanied by a press release announcing the debut and a regular schedule for it only to pull it 24 hours later? What gives?
The State Senate is debuting a video broadcast through Vimeo today. The 15 minute broadcast will be released every two weeks and is called "One New York News." From an emailed release about the launch:
One New York News is an exclusive production of the NYS Senate developed to inform you about what is happening in the legislature. The 15 minute newscast will take you across the state and through the Senate Chamber allowing you to have an inside look on legislation and initiatives.
The newscast is scheduled for release every two weeks by the One New York News team.
The first edition features the new Senate Majority and their ideas for economic solutions, closing the budget gap, avoiding home foreclosures and what's being done to reform the rules of the Senate. The newscast also features the first-ever footage of Youtube video testimony submitted by freelance activist Jeff Tucci - using new technology as a vehicle to stop budget cuts.
UPDATE: Some thoughts. It's about what you would expect. The production is fairly sketchy in places, the copy read by the anchors is somewhat weak and tortured at times and there's not much actual news here ( a run down of all the new committee chairs being a welcome exception.) But, what really strikes me is that, unless I missed it, there wasn't a single Republican shown in the entire 15 minutes. That said, look, I get it. I know the GOP stuck it really hard to the Dems for decades. Hell, they even had their own TV studio on Long Island where Dems weren't only not welcome, they weren't even aware its existence. I can understand why the new majority isn't exactly eager to feature these guys and, to be perfectly honest, I can't imagine that they have all that much to offer right now that anyone would care to listen to. It's also the first broadcast and I'm sure they want to show the new Majority as much as possible. I get it. Really.
But the other side, as lame and bereft of ideas as they are, are still half the Senate. Throw them a bone every now and then, eh? Sure, they seem to mostly whine these days, mostly about how the new Majority is screwing them, but why give them an excuse? For all means, let's hear Owen Johnson's thoughts (even if only for comedic value) on closing the budget gap. Or give Skelos a minute a month to cry about whatever bee finds his bonnet.
Whatever. I'm mostly nitpicking. This is still far more than the former majority would have ever done. They used Senate Media Services as a de facto campaign operation. I'm fairly confident that the new majority is wise enough to steer clear of any impression that they would do the same. There's potential in this new effort and I at the very least applaud them for producing something at least moderately useful.
I want the Senate to flip as much as the next person but not if it means selling progressive issues down the river.
How can they talk to, court, make promises and take contributions from real estate interests who are anti-tenant and out to block repeal of vacancy decontrol?
Thank You NYPIRG for doing the research. This is a huge wake up call for tenant activists and clearly warns all of us that it looks like Senate Democrats are not going to join the Assembly and abolish vacancy decontrol.
The sudden and pronounced increase in donations to top Senate Democrats by real estate developers is alarming. The very developers who have much to lose if tenant groups win the rent regulation debate. To add insult to injury, the fact they are taking part in moving money around through limited liability corporations to exceed limits says they are no better than that which they purport to change. Campaign Finance Reform is but a joke to them.
This is my favorite line... " Both Senators Smith and Klein are broadly viewed as less liberal than Mr. Paterson and Mr. Schneiderman and more receptive to the real estate industry."
Are you kidding me? Less liberal than Paterson? That means more conservative, right? More conservative than the same Governor who praised Republican Senator Skelos today for passing a tax cap and was himself praised by NYS Conservative Party Chairman Mike Long last week? Is there a spot to the right of him? Guess Malcom found it.
I think from a policy stand point you won't see a difference whether the State Senate is Democrat or Republican. Another sad day for policy progressives in New York.
I really want to keep the focus today on what we can do to get Craig Johnson elected to the state Senate tomorrow, but this is important, too. This morning's Newsday contains a piece about the final days of the special election in the 7th District that quotes Senate Minority Leader Malcom Smith as telling a church congregation in Westbury yesterday that, should Craig Johnson win that seat, that AT LEAST two Gop Senators may be induced to switch parties.
Remark by Senate's minority leader that a Johnson win could mean a black majority leader irks Republicans
Senate Minority Leader Malcolm Smith told a Westbury congregation yesterday that, should Craig Johnson win the special election, at least two Senate Republicans could switch parties and he could become the first black State Senate majority leader.
...
Smith said in an interview after he spoke that there is a "zone of potential agreement" in which at least two GOP senators would switch parties, enough to give Democrats control of the Senate for the first time in decades because Lt. Gov. David Paterson would cast the deciding vote.
"There are a few that are floating in the ZOPA," he said. He would not give details about the Republican legislators who might switch.
Who are these two Senators? Why exactly would they be willing to flip? Should reformers welcome this move? Was John McArdle just born that way?
It seems that newly minted state Senate Minority Leader Malcom Smith (D-Queens) talks a pretty good game about things like reform, ethics and transparency, but has some trouble backing those words up. Senator Smith missed a perfectly good opportunity to demonstrate his sincerity and commitment to those ideals by not publicly stripping disgraced and now twice indicted state Senator Efrain Gonzalez (D-Bronx) of any and all committee and leadership posts. Instead he has allowed Gonzalez to "resign" his position as conference chairman.
Bronx state Sen. Efrain Gonzalez Jr., who has been indicted on corruption charges, will give up a legislative leadership post today - but not his seat, the Daily News has learned. Gonzalez's office confirmed the move last night.
For the past two years, Gonzalez, a Democrat, has earned an extra $8,250 on top of his $79,500 annual base pay as chairman of the Senate minority conference, the position he will quit.
Gonzalez is accused in a federal indictment of scheming to steal $423,000 in pork barrel "member item" funds to run his cigar business in the Dominican Republic and pay for Yankee tickets, jewelry for his daughter and expensive apartments.
Gonzalez's office said in a statement that the senator was giving up the chairmanship because of the "impact the indictment would have on his time."
Know what could really have an "impact on his time"? The fact that he could possibly face 20 years in prison if convicted of stealing over $400,000 from the people of New York state.
