My home district’s state senator, Roy McDonald (R-Saratoga Springs), published an excellent piece in the area’s Saratogian newspaper yesterday, laying out the ramifications of the Senate power-struggle for upstate New Yorkers in particular:

A good place to start would be the day the standstill began. Downstate Senate leadership was prepared to send $90 million into New York City, while rationing a meager $8 million to the communities across upstate New York.

…

At a time when transparency and accountability were key, downstate leadership allowed for the most secretive and closed door budget process that anybody has ever seen. What they passed directly hurt our communities, from health care to school funding and much more. Upstate was left out, plain and simple.

…

The real tragedy is that it has turned into a conflict of upstate versus downstate — we have become David and they have become Goliath. We’re realizing that it’s difficult to survive in the shadow of Goliath, and in the current system, nearly impossible to coexist. Star tax rebate checks have been eliminated, hurting upstate. But at the same time, downstate representatives forced the legislature to pass a Mass Transit Authority (MTA) bailout, sending billions downstate to prevent minimal fee increases for those traveling on the subway system.

In Saratoga Springs and Saratoga County, they stole right out of our pockets, taking $3.3 million and $1.1 million from city and county VLT funding, respectively. In Rensselaer County, the budget slashed funding for the Van Rensselaer Manor nursing home in the amount of $1.5 million. These amounts are only the tip of the iceberg. Tax and fee increases, coupled with funding cuts for programs, came at the worst time for upstate New York taxpayers, while property taxes were not addressed at all.

Senator McDonald, it should be noted, is merely being diplomatic when he refers to “downstate Senate leadership.” This, of course, is but a euphemism for “the Democrats.” And he is right to call them out. His allegations, shared by many upstaters, against the pre-June 8 coup Democrat-controlled state government are legitimate, and include but are not limited to:

• Imposing $2,350 in new taxes on middle class families
• Eliminating STAR Rebate Checks Averaging $200-400 per home
• Taxing upstaters’ Electric and Utility Bills
• Increasing spending by $12 billion
• Passing a disastrous MTA Subway System bailout
• Reneging on their promises to reform the operation of the Legislature
• Refusing to allow a public budget process
• Hurting New York businesses by imposing new fees and taxes
• Failing to act on the Power for Jobs program
• Ignoring the Agricultural Community
• Refusing to provide openness and transparency within the legislative process
• Allocating approximately $8 billion in discretionary spending for 3 New York City leaders

The ongoing New York Senate crisis has produced more than the superficial side-effect of an embarrassing circus facade to the rest of the country; it’s also driving a wedge (as if it was needed) between upstate and downstate (mainly New York City).

There’s a lot going on in upstate New York right now: a special election for the 23rd district’s congressional seat, an imminent visit by Vice President Biden to tout the economic stimulus package, a major address by Governor Paterson this evening (probably to appoint a Lt. Governor, further disturbing the Senate), and even reports from the Democratic gang of four (or sometimes five) that the entire Senate power struggle will resolved this Thursday.

Beneath it all, the entire Empire State has been severely demoralized by a stagnant legislature, a clumsy and ineffective governor, and persistent economic hardship exacerbated, according to The Wall Street Journal, by “progressive ideas” and leadership. It’s not surprising that they’re comparing Albany to Sacramento and Trenton—it’s that bad.

Bottom line: New York, especially upstate, is holding out for a hero. Paging Rudy Giuliani.

-tom

The recent escapades of the Governor of the fine state of South Carolina and now the announcement of Sarah Palin stepping down as Governor of Alaska have added to the concern of the current statue of the Grand Old Party. Members of the party of the “Rough Rider” and “The Liberator” are beginning to feel weak in a government dominated by Progressives and in all estimations have zero voice in the grand arena.

rj’s current concern of course is that of Palin’s supposed fall from grace. That a potential unifier or at least fresh face in politics has given in and can no longer stomach the fierceness of the battle ground that is modern politics.

I respectfully dissent.

This is a Trojan Horse if I’ve ever seen one, my friend. I am of the position that there is a presidential campaign announcement headed our way in 12-18 months. Do not miss the forest for the trees here. This is truly a cunning ploy of which the fall out is the act of storing ammunition and not the destruction of her political career as the elitist media would have you believe. Her base is that of the disenfranchised, the down and out, the every man. The individuals sick and tired of being told how they feel and what they should believe by the Washington Beltway elite. Those individuals who crafted a false Palin under the McCain campaign and refused to define her as an intelligent leader, and allowed her to fall victim to painting her as a ditsy pretty face.

The salt of the earth Americans are growing sick and tired of the direction the country is going, and they have zero representation. The Progressives do not represent these people, and neither do the Neo-Cons. These are the people that care little if a candidate hales from Blue Blood Ivy League educated status. They desire leadership that knows of their struggle, that has raised a family outside of towers of concrete, has sweated for their keep and watched it taken away by the invisible hand of government. These individuals are slowly beginning to rise up against the machine as evidenced in the outpouring of movements like the Tea Parties across our country.

Palin will use the animosity towards her to further establish her base for a strong following when campaigning begins in just about 18 months time. Because the animosity towards her by the elite will be associated as animosity towards the American Every Man. This movement can be further established with smart and ambitious grass roots, Internet based social networking plan in the line of my.barackobama.com to impress upon individuals of communities that she represents their strong Goldwater-esque convictions.

If I’m wrong, then there is either a Huckabee style talk show on Fox News waiting on her post July 29th. I can’t take credit for that prognostication. That belongs to Ruth Ann Harnisch. But my conjecture remains that there is a strong possibility that this exit is simply based on a desire to spend time with family prior to the roller coaster and to build ammunition for the fight. This is more than reasonable.

The bottom line is this: Sarah Palin is standing on the precipice of either disappearing as a footnote of the McCain campaign or having made one of the most brilliant campaign moves in political history.

-nick

This throws a whole new twist into the race- since former Senator John Sununu decided <a href=”http://www.politico.com/blogs/scorecard/0709/Sununu_not_running_for_the_Senate.html)”>not to run</a> for the seat last week, hope has been pinned primarily on Ayotte, since businessman Fred Tausch is <a href=”http://briefingroom.thehill.com/tag/fred-tausch/”>not well-known in the state</a> and<a href=”http://www.concordmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090628/OPINION/906280327&amp;template=single”> supported President Obama last year</a>, and former Representative Charlie Bass has been very careful in describing where he would prefer to return to national politics, <a href=”http://thehill.com/campaign-2008/former-n.h.-rep.-bass-eyes-return-to-politics-2009-04-21.html”>whether in the House or Senate</a>. Bass does <a href=”http://briefingroom.thehill.com/tag/fred-tausch/”>poll well</a> against Hodes, and the anti-Republican mentality won’t be the same in 2010 as it was in 2006, but I think the fresh face of Kelly Ayotte would be a welcome one for New Hampshire. If Bass were to run for his old House seat again, I think he would destroy all opposition- it’s an incredibly open race on both sides, and Bass is known to be a moderate, which is an advantage in the more liberal of the two districts- which would be a great start to a Republican reboot in New Hampshire and New England.

Hodes has more money than Ayotte- over a million dollars, according to Politico, and over 80% of that since the end of the first quarter- and a more obvious track record to boast about than does Ayotte. The former Attorney General, however, seems to be fairly canny, and can easily shape herself however she wishes, since her track record politically is practically unknown. Furthermore, New Hampshire Union Leader has written glowingly of her since she took the Attorney General position. Given their status as the state’s largest newspaper, and their conservative bent, that will be of great benefit to Ayotte. Lastly, on the negative side of being a public office holder, Hodes has a lot of dirty laundry to bring up, not the least of which is his alleged support of PayGo in 2007- he supported the stimulus package this year, and he supported the Bear Stearns bailout last year, despite telling myself and other Plymouth State University students that he felt conflicted about because of PayGo. Furthermore, Hodes has also <a href=”http://granitegrok.com/blog/2008/02/from_the_little_acorn.html”>broken New Hampshire campaign laws</a>, and that should be easy fodder for any candidate.

While I have never met Attorney General Ayotte, it is my hope that she will run, and her campaign will be based upon her very strong support for law enforcement, her representation of New Hampshire to the Supreme Court and making clear the differences between herself and the very liberal voting record Hodes has amassed while in Congress on issues such as <a href=”https://www.votesmart.org/issue_rating_category.php?can_id=42473″>abortion, spending and immigration</a>. With this campaign, and with the support of the NH GOP- which is finally out from under the bumbling leadership of Fergus Cullen and in the hands of former New Hampshire governor and Bush I Chief of Staff John Sununu, Sr.- Ayotte should give Hodes one heck of a fight.

- dustin

I am beginning to harbor similar feelings regarding our Republican brethren (and sisters). Of course, there have been an increasing number of hecklers from within the ranks of the Republican Party and conservative movement, who use their platforms to mask their attacks under the guise of ‘constructive criticism’ as if harking entirely on the negative aspects and name-calling were constructive. I must touch upon this subject, because they are attempting to do that which I am trying to do: better the political movement of which I belong. They do so through constant humiliation and scrutiny, as if the father that beat his boy mercilessly for not living up to his expectations actually succeeded in making his son into a better man. No, the boy grows into that which he knew, and perpetuates the cruelty. I don’t wish to become one of those antagonists; but there is something about recent events that lead me to need to speak out.

In the summer of 2008, I will admit to being swept up by the Sarah Palin fanaticism. There is a charm about her, something romantic, and something that invoked images of the Yeomen Farmer and the Mr. Smith going to Washington. The Republicans failed to define her before the media covered her in manure (which in Alaska they do sell Moose dung ‘trinkets’ oddly enough) and turn her into a ditz. Fair enough. Of course there were people from McCain’s Camp that were helpful in dropping the media some fodder as well. Besides, the first lawyers and Private Investigators that showed up in Wasilla and Anchorage were actually from a Republican candidate. Many Conservatives stuck by her, and many degraded her; it was the difference between the ‘top-down’ Conservatives and the ‘bottom-up’ ones. I tend to consider myself humbly as a ‘top-down Conservative,’ being guided by ideals and principles over culture and pragmatism to a degree. This did not deter me from getting excited and throwing my own support behind Governor Palin, and I don’t really regret it, yet.

With that said, I was at first sad to hear Governor Palin would be stepping down. This of course drew shouts of glee from the more snobbish Conservatives, and seemed to throw liberals for a loop until they figured out how to spin it to make her look like a witch. Nevertheless, I was at first a bit sad as I said, but then later, I became a bit angry. Sarah Palin’s move may have been justified in her mind, because let’s face it, she has been getting lambasted with 15 ethics investigations, and people who possess nothing close to a respectable sense of humor. I don’t believe this is the true reason why she is doing this, I think that this was her out, and instead of fighting like the “Mr. Smith” type many of us thought her to be, she is cutting and running.

Governor Palin admitted that she was officially a ‘lame-duck’ governor essentially. Many people in her position would be traveling on tax-payer money, going to other states, travelling abroad, et cetera. She was not going to do this… so she is just quitting altogether? In the end, Sarah Palin made a pact with the people that elected her. She swore an allegiance to do for her state what needed to be done. I do not find this a necessary way out, I find it to be the easy way out. In the end, this hurts Governor Palin’s career, it hurts her word (which used to count for something, right Governor Sanford) and she hurt the Party.

-rj

Pawlenty was under great pressure a couple months ago to make a decision regarding Franken- however, the risks involved were tremendous. On the one hand, if he ran for governor again, he risked losing if he supported his fellow Republican, Coleman. On the other hand, if he supported Franken, he risked losing a lot of support with the Republican Party on the national scale in the 2012 race for the Republican presidential nomination, as that would have given the Democrats a filibuster-proof 60 votes in the Senate. By holding back the way he did, he let the legal system work, and showed an ability to appear above partisan politics. Politically, it was brilliant.

Emblematic of the ethical and political risk Pawlenty overcame was his statement Sunday, where he said it “…would be a dereliction of my duty” to not sign Franken’s certificate if the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled in favor of Franken. Fortunately, Norm Coleman has taken this decision out of Pawlenty’s hands by conceding, but to me the important thing in the governor’s consistent position on this election was that of a legal one for the state of Minnesota. Beyond the political game he masterfully played, his consistent message was one of legality and his duty to his constitutents, something that is rare on both sides of the aisle.

Pawlenty is not the ardent conservative many Republicans would prefer, but he is young, charismatic, articulate and talks of the future of the Republican Party with great hope. In short, he’s the Republican Party’s version of President Obama, except with a legitimate resume (among other things, he went eight years as governor without raising taxes) and clear electability in a state Republicans will need in 2012.

-dustin

To begin, the bipartisan “Senate Reform Coalition” established last Monday is no longer the majority caucus (or even all that bipartisan). One of the two Democrats that had defected to the GOP’s coalition, Queens Senator Hiram Monserrate (the one who slashed his girlfriend), has been wooed back home. The sides are now evenly split, 31-31, without a lieutenant governor to break a tie.

In other words: because of one man’s frantic indecision, the New York State Senate is now suffering worse gridlock than Times Square at rush hour. However, it’s worth keeping in mind that this week’s public enemy was last week’s celebrity.

Between Monday 6/8 and Monday 6/15, Sen. Monserrate was arguably the most important man in New York. The other Democratic defector, Pedro Espada, Jr. of the Bronx, was openly appreciative of his new role as Senate Pro Tempore and clearly had no ambition of undoing his switch. Monserrate was different. Thus, the Democrats and the GOP were forced to spend an entire week sucking up to one of the sleaziest men in the Empire State. After all the panic-driven lobbying, personal phone calls, private meetings and Lord-knows-what-else, Monserrate jumped ship for the second time in seven days.

Monserrate’s reason for re-defection is twofold. First, the main source of his personal aggravation with the Democrats, Senator Malcolm Smith, is no longer their conference leader. Smith has been replaced by Senator John Sampson from Brooklyn, who publicly called Monserrate “my brother” earlier this week. (Last week, Smith’s spokesman called him “a thug.”) Second, it’s widely assumed that the Democrats convinced Monserrate that even if he escapes his felony charge, his career wouldn’t live past 2010 after siding with the Republicans. Only with the Democrats’ full support could Monserrate defeat or deter a primary challenge. It was an offer he couldn’t refuse.

Nevertheless, the remarriage of Senator Monserrate and the Democratic caucus is one of convenience and nothing more, mostly on the part of the latter. The Politcker’s Jimmy Vielkind sums up the Democrats’ attitude perfectly: “We’ll take your vote, Hiram, but don’t look for a hug.” Senator Liz Krueger went on the record to state, “We basically were trapped in our need to get to 31-31 at this point in time.” The coup had handed them sour lemons, Kruger implied, “I think we’re making lemonade.”

But even with an equal number of members as the Senate Reform Coalition, the Democrats are still confined to minority party status after the events of 6/8. After all, the vote to install new leadership can’t be erased from history or simply undone by enough loud protests or empty legal challenges, which the Democrats seemed to be relying upon. Remember, this is the same caucus that, on the day of the coup, adjourned without a vote, sprinted out of the Senate chamber, turned off the lights, and cut the live internet feed in hopes of thwarting the imminent reality of their overthrow. The law, however, has thus far thwarted them.

This past Tuesday, state Supreme Court Justice Thomas McNamara finally dismissed a ridiculous lawsuit desperately filed by Malcolm Smith seeking to retain his Majority Leader status. Smith had hoped to re-empower himself and his party with the stroke of a judge’s pen. In truth, McNamara’s decision deserves two cheers.

On the one hand, McNamara exercised remarkable judicial restraint by refusing to intrude into what he called “the inner workings of a coequal branch of government.” Thus, the 32-30 vote for new leadership that took place on 6/8 was left unscathed and Smith was denied a title-by-decree. Republican Sen. Dean Skelos, the newly elected Majority Leader, rightly retains his claim to the title, for now, and so does Espada as Senate Pro Tem.

On the other hand, McNamara’s decision puts the entire matter back into the hands of the dueling Senate conferences whose debate has regressed to a junior high ruckus over who gets to sit on student council. The Democrats are stubbornly refusing to even recognize the legitimacy of Skelos or Espada’s leadership roles, which are historically held by the same individual. The Republicans have been trying to hold session, but haven’t been able to attract more than 31 Senators to do so.

In an effort to end the stalemate that moderate Democratic Senator Ruben Diaz, Sr. recently called “worse than ever,” each side has produced its own “power-sharing agreement” to bring the crisis to an end. See the Republican and Democratic proposals for yourself.

Capitol Confidential covers the Democrats’ idea:

Senate Democrats proposed a power-sharing plan to Senate Republicans that would include the following provisions:

1. On session days, rotate the position of temporary president between two the parties on a daily basis.
2. The floor leader from the opposition party would preside with opposing temporary president “to provide better balance.”
3. A bipartisan committee of 6 senators, three from each party, to set the session agenda.

PolitickerNY sums the GOP plan:

The Republican proposal would last until 2011. It would leave Republican leader Dean Skelos in the majority leader post and State Senator Pedro Espada Jr., a Democrat, as president pro tempore.

The two would jointly publish an active list of bills, but any member could move to have a bill they sponsored put on the next active list if “a majority of members present and voting agree.”

Further, “any bill on the calendar may be considered on the net active list upon the presentation of a petition signed by the majority of the members elected to the Senate.

(For Sen. Sampson’s plan, see here. He may be alright after all!)

Predictably, neither side has acquiesced. Instead, tensions are rising sharply, especially as the Democrats focus their animosity at Espada, who they seriously, vengefully wish to keep from serving as Senate president.

Yesterday, at 12:29 p.m, GOP and Democratic Senators headed to a meeting in the Capitol. What negotiations, if any, would have come of it remained to be seen. As Majority Leader Skelos put it, “We’re going to have a conversation. That’s it.”

At 1:13 p.m., according to Capitol Confidential, the meeting came to an end after the Democrats walked out:

The Democrats said little as they pushed past reporters.
Klein said there was “no agreement.”
Sampson said, “We’re still negotiating.”

Stay tuned. But get comfortable. The return of the New York Senate may take a while.