ALBANY –- Gov. David Paterson today sounded close to throwing in the towel on the Democrats’ chances to hold onto the state Senate.
Indeed, Paterson today already was lining up ways the Senate Republicans could help the incoming governor, Andrew Cuomo.
Senate Republican Leader Dean Skelos has already declared victory in the fight to re-take control of the 62-member Senate. He said Republicans will win re-counts in Buffalo and Nassau County to push the GOP into the majority after two years out of power.
“I would say it is probable that Senator Skelos is right, that he will be the majority leader of the Senate in 2011," Paterson said on WOR radio this morning in New York.
When the discussion flipped to whether a GOP-led Senate will be better for Cuomo, Paterson noted the Republicans did not jump to help him in 2008 with efforts to cut state spending. He noted the Senate Democrats also left the job un-done last year, forcing the state into a cash flow crisis.
“A pox on both their houses," Paterson said of Senate Democrats and Republicans.
But, he added, “Where I think the Senate Republicans can join with the governor, and hopefully the Assembly Democrats, is to start letting these special interests know that everybody is going to make sacrifices this time.’’
Talking as if the Senate GOP control is a sure thing, the governor added, “If the Senate Republicans and the new governor take that new attitude the bipartisan push would be far more powerful than one party trying to do it."
-- Tom Precious
