State Senate Nonsense

I don't know whether the events in Iran make the situation in the New York State Senate unworthy of a post, or if the selfishness and smallness there juxtaposed to Iran mean I should highlight it. Since I have gone two weeks without writing about it, I obviously feel the latter.

First, I should admit that the first week of the gridlock in the state senate provided some terrific drama and during that time I was obsessed with tracking the developments. But now I find the whole situation disgusting. And let me be clear, everyone is to blame.

The main culprit is definitely Senator Espada. He doesn't like his district enough to make it his primary residence and he feels that he is above filing campaign finance documents. But the worse thing is that his main concern is his own power. He will stop at nothing to be state senate pro tempore. While doing so, he uses every argument he can think of to justify it - reform, promoting latino advancement, trying to get certain bills passed that wouldn't otherwise have been passed, etc. But really, he just wants leadership.

As a side note, it is interesting to see how identity politics can be both a positive force and a really negative one. Witnessing Obama's election or watching Speaker Christine Quinn speak at a pride event, you can feel the emotion when someone that represents groups that are / were repressed rises to a position of power. However, with Espada, you can see how it can be hollow and used only as a way to attempt to achieve power.

Anyway, the next culprit is the Republican leadership. They decided that they wanted to be in power so bad that they would promote someone as slimy as Espada, and then continue to stand by him even if it means turning down possible power sharing agreements that do not include Espada.

Of course, Senator Monserate has his share of the blame. Unfortunately, I get the feeling that he is clueless - not wise to what will happen when he makes decisions. Somehow he thought that as a liberal democrat he could give power to the Republicans but that would further his causes. And he thought he would be able to do so without getting beat up and likely voted out. (Maybe he figured it was okay since he is likely to be convicted of felony assault.)

Then there is Tom Golisano. All I need to say about him is that he orchestrated this mess for the sole purpose of repealing the millionaire income tax increase (despite his claims that his goal was reform of senate rules - really, a billionaire is going to spend huge sums of money to change how the senate allocates its staffing resources).

The Democratic leadership is just as guilty. I don't know what deals they struck with Espada when the session began, but it apparently did not work to satisfy him. Worse though, they have no claim on the high ground because they refused to take tough steps in the face of the investigations into Espada and Monserate, but now are acting horrified at their alleged crimes. To top it off, now they are boycotting votes with the hope of staying in power. What they could have done is simply given in at some point but used their pulpit to really beat on the Republicans for propping up such a shallow and amoral senator.

Finally, the rank and file are also to blame. The best solution for everyone would be for the rank and file of both parties to come together with a power sharing deal that would make to sure to throw all previous / current leaders out. A deal where Skelos, Malcom Smith, and Espada are given no leadership nor committee assignments. And then they could let all bills come to the floor for votes (or at least all with a certain amount of support).

This is a sign though of how broken Albany is. The solution is clear - that the split is too narrow (32-30 in favor of registered democrats, but now 31-31 for the caucus) for real party control so power sharing is necessary. But power sharing is only possible when people put aside ego. Unfortunately, those in power are unwilling to do so, and those not in power are unwilling to throw them out.

So now we look at who suffers the most. Well, of course that is the people of New York, as cliched as that sounds. Seriously though, Albany puts off most of its votes until the end of the term - and this is especially true of the closely divided state senate. Granted, many of us Democrats were especially excited about certain items on the liberal agenda that looked like they might pass, including rent regulation reform and gay marriage. But there are countless other bills that were more moderate, that are good fixes, that will not get looked at because the Senate does not have the time. Once they do finally come into session, they will likely take up only a few big issues (mayoral control, etc).

I have modest hopes going forward. First, I hope that the state senate reconvenes eventually and votes on and passes a few big things - most important to me is the marriage equality act. Second, if there is justice in the world, both Espada and Monserate will have to face their crimes (Espadas campaign finance and Monserate's domestic violence). If not, we can at least hope they get voted out next time.

(Sorry I didn't include any links - I don't have the energy right now. Plus, the stories are splashed all over the Times, Post and Daily News.)