SD-ALL: Skelos Puts Bullseyes On Certain Senate Democrats

by: robert.harding

Fri Nov 06, 2009 at 16:48:46 PM EST

Courtesy of Liz:

There were also Republican successes, albeit slightly less high-profile, in Monroe, Erie and Onondaga counties, Skelos noted, all of which are home to marginal Democrats who have been in the GOP crosshairs in the past.

   "If you're Bill Stachowski, Dave Valesky, Darrel Aubertine, Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Craig Johnson or Brian Foley, I think you have some cause for concern," Skelos told me yesterday.

   "We've had people approaching us and asking to run against Democratic incumbents whereas in the past we've had to go out and seek candidates to run," the senator continued. "Even some candidates who maybe fell a little short, we're going to look at all of them. Some of them ran terrific campaigns and perhaps are ready to go for the Senate."

So if we go by what Skelos is saying, his targets are clear: SD-3, SD-7, SD-35, SD-48, SD-49 and SD-58.

Without challengers, it will be tough to gauge just how vulnerable those six seats are. Keep in mind that Skelos gave us Barbara Donno in SD-7 last year, so it's not as if Skelos has a good record to work with. He was, after all, the leader when the Republicans lost the majority last year.

Patronage And Power Part II

by: robert.harding

Thu Jul 09, 2009 at 22:12:53 PM EDT

With the news today that Sen. Espada will rejoin the Senate Democratic caucus and as a result, will serve as Senate Majority Leader, it is hard to argue that what the Republicans (along with Espada) did on June 8 and what the Democrats have done (again, with Espada) on July 9 are any different. What the Republicans did was an obvious power grab. What the Democrats have done, along with the Republicans, is hold the state senate hostage until one of them got the result they wanted.

The losers today are the people of New York, who have been put on the back burner in favor of posturing and a disgusting lust for power that has distracted the legislature away from the people's business for a long time. The people of New York have lost out over the last month with key legislation not being addressed and a group of state senators putting their interests first and the interests of the state last. We deserve better. In fact, we deserve 62 better senators.

But the winners are clear. The winners don't include either the Senate Republicans or the Senate Democrats. Both are guilty of having a lust for power, but their lust isn't as great as Pedro Espada's. Espada might be with the Democrats, but he will receive special perks. He will get to name one of the two co-secretaries of the Senate, with the Senate Democrats picking the other. Espada ally and coup coordinator Steve Pigeon is also getting a job, according to the Times-Union. And if Pigeon is getting a job, that means inside access to the New York State Senate for Florida billionaire Tom Golisano.

So how does this help things? At least now, the Senate will be able to get to work and address key issues. But at what price? The Senate Democrats (the leadership anyway, maybe not each individual senator in the conference) have sold their souls to Espada. In doing so, they should face the same scrutiny that Espada shall face going forward. And that also means that in 2010, we should look at serious primary challenges to those individuals who think that the people's business is something that can be toyed with.

Many of us, including myself, worked very hard in our efforts to elect a Senate Democratic majority in 2008. I did not work hard to elect a Pedro Espada majority. Pedro Espada represents everything that is wrong with our legislative process and everything that is wrong with politics and governance in New York. Why the same Democratic leadership that I assisted in getting elected the majority is siding with this walking disaster is troubling and makes me feel as if all that hard work in pushing out Republicans who did nothing for 40-plus years (even though they tried to take the high road a month ago) was for nothing.

I advocated for a Democratic majority, not Pedro Espada. The Senate Democrats need to ask themselves who they work for. Because right now, it seems like Pedro Espada has them in the palm of his hand. And that is a bad thing for New York and bad for the Democratic Party.

Where Do We Go From Here?

by: robert.harding

Tue Jun 09, 2009 at 11:17:49 AM EDT

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.

IL-Sen: Blagojevich Appoints Burris; Senate Democrats Say No Thanks

by: robert.harding

Tue Dec 30, 2008 at 13:29:56 PM EST

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich plans to appoint former state attorney general and comptroller Roland Burris to fill out President-elect Obama's term in the U.S. Senate, a Senate official told Politico.

But Senate Democratic leaders have threatened not to seat someone who was named by the disgraced governor, who faces federal corruption charges.

Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has said that Illinois Gov. Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn should make the appointment, and the Senate Democratic caucus signed a letter supporting that option.

Ben is reporting that the Senate Democratic leadership doesn't find Burris to be an option because he is being appointed by Blagojevich.

The Senate will not seat Roland Burris if Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich attempts to appoint him, a Democratic leadership aide said.

Majority Leader Harry Reid views Burris as "unacceptable," the aide said.

This is rather interesting. Blagojevich is showing some real guts (or stupidity, depending on how you view it) by doing this. He shouldn't be allowed to appoint anyone.