Another day of rhetoric and recriminations
It was a new day in Albany Wednesday.
But by nightfall, these things occurred: A new round of confusion, finger-pointing, legal threats, mistrust, inaction, political bomb-throwing, soaring rhetoric, claims of reforms, claims of doing "the people's work," locked Senate doors, closed-door meetings, and enough media-spinning from both sides to classify as an F6 tornado.
Read the full story.
What started out as fascinating viewership of partisan politics more than two weeks ago is starting to run its course in Albany.
A reluctant state judge nearly begged the sides to get their act together and fix their own dispute. The most grizzled of Albany's lobbyists kept muttering a common refrain: "I've never seen anything like this." That was only eclipsed by the most-asked question in the hallways: "How is it going to end?"
When might be the better question.
Dozens of key bills — affecting everything from local taxing authority to energy programs intended to help the upstate economy to a Buffalo school construction program -- remain dead for now with the Senate partisan leadership fight.
Enter David Paterson. The governor called a special session for Tuesday to try to bring the sides together. Critics called the gathering, a best, a farce.
Wednesday saw no action.
Today, who knows?
But his fellow Democrats say the governor is mishandling things, both on the short and long term.
In the immediate time zone of Albany, Democrats say Paterson's is adding gasoline to the fire with his late-afternoon media gatherings. In the long term, they say his attacks on fellow Democrats will be well remembered next year when he tries to run for governor.
For his part, Paterson has said he does not care. And, he says he's willing to call out both sides — Republican and Democratic — for their role in the stalemate.
— Tom Precious
The Governor, unfortunately, has become part of the problem in Albany. Now we having a three-sided set of daily dueling news conferences that attempt to assign blame as opposed to solve the problem.
And those news conferences have as much to do with running for governor or setting the political agenda for next year than it does about cutting the Gordeon Knot that is the battle for control of the Senate.
The biggest mistake is that the governor spends too much time in public chest thumping and declarations, and not enough time behind closed doors knocking heads together and trying to cut a deal to solve the problem.
And let's be brutally honest about the problem. It will be solved when the Governor and the Democratic leaders offer enough political goodies to one or two key Senators to obtain a working majority. And that is because they are the ones who can make such offers as they control the governorship and the assembly. It is that simple and that crude.
Posted by: Barton Keyes | June 25, 2009 at 08:04 AM
"Sen. Pedro Espada, the rogue Democrat who became Senate president when he joined with the GOP in the June 8 coup, responded to the governor’s tongue-lashings. “We don’t need lectures,” he said, accusing the governor of wanting “to be the ringleader to the circus” at the Capitol."
One of the members of "Cirque du Albany" says we don't need lectures, well ALL and I DO mean ALL of you need to be put over the taxpayers knee and SPANKED for being the spoiled little brats that you ALL continually prove that you are!!!!! The governor though has gotten your attention with the threat of withholding your paychecks (which SHOULD be docked for the time that you have been holding "Cirque du Albany" rather than doing what you are supposedly being paid to do). REMEMBER New York, the next time you are in a voting booth and vote EVERY ONE of these JOKERS out of office!!!!!
Posted by: john | June 25, 2009 at 08:37 AM
Let's get this straight. The ones who are responsible for the Albany chaos are the big businesses, the professionals, the media, and the lobbyists. Why? The Buffalo News editorial today just said it: "All they want is power. Power for its own sake. Power for the right to distribute pork, hire cronies, add to their salaries, claim the biggest offices and draw the districts for coming elections so as to continue to hold power."
Let's be clear. Over 90 percent of New Yorkers are not responsible for this. It is the leaders of the organized groups who are responsible and have failed.
Now comes the consequences.
The News and leaders lauded the late Jack Kemp, who took supply-sider Art Laffer seriously. Kemp was a real student of economics, and even more so is Art Laffer.
This morning on CNBC Art Laffer was asked about his gloomy outlook on the next 20 years, outlined in his new book, "The End of Prosperity." His heavy criticism of Fed Chief Ben Bernanke' monetization of the debt is correct, along with the criticisms of the Treasury "relief" plans. Now, combine that with last night's public presentation by President Obama on his health care initiative. Today's News comment by From Harrop rightly warns: "He hedges in neutral while some Democrats muck up policy and Republicans demagogue them into mush."
Friends, this locality, this, state, and the nation are being led down the path known as "The Road to Hell is Paved With Good Intentions." Better be insulated.
Posted by: Hank | June 25, 2009 at 10:06 AM
If only the deadlock would produce no budget, and all the payouts to welfare and medicaid and to state salaries and pensions (including the governor's and the legislators') simply stopped.
Then we would see if we even need Albany. I don't think we'd miss them.
Posted by: Danno | June 25, 2009 at 01:25 PM