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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.)
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