What an interesting time to be in Albany.
According to yesterday's NY Times, last night the "agreement" that would have kept the 3 renegade NYS Senate members in the Democrat caucus has broken up with allegations of lying, cheating and misrepresentation going back and forth between the Renegade 3 and Senator Malcolm Smith, who was the Senate Minority leader in the last session but was due to be the President Pro Tem in the new Session and thus the "Majority Leader" (one of the three renegades known as the Gang of Three would have held the title but we have to assume Smith would have been the real leader.)
I didn't like the deal between these three guys and Smith. Then again I am not crazy about Smith as leader either. Smith is no David Patterson (who was the minority leader until he went to the Lt. Governor's job and was promoted to Governor when Then Governor Elliot Spitzer resigned after being caught in a Federal investigation into prostitution...and you think Illinois is a screwed up state. I just think it is less interesting than NY politics).
Unlike Patterson, Smith carries a band with him everywhere he goes. There are little secrets when Smith is around. He is not a classic dealmaker(here is proof)because he has not proven to be trustworthy nor can he keep his foot out of his mouth.
On the other hand, Sen-elect Pedro Espada (who said Smith wasn't ready for prime time) has some nerve criticizing anyone. He barely missed getting indicted last time he was in the Senate, he owes 50K in fines for his last campaign.
I have been active in politics however for nearly 40 years and through that whole time, the NYS Senate has never, NEVER had a Democrat majority. If you are a Democrat Governor, this is not a good time to blow that. You may not get that Obama bump in your election and you could get saddled with the NY Economic situation. Moreover, if the Governor is going to go along with East River tolls, and screwing Long Island on School aid, Dems are not going to hold the Senate long unless they can capitalize on having the majority now.
Now from my end. I am hoping that the Democrats lose the Senate leadership, and that my former "colleague" Dean Skelos takes over as Majority leader. Dean has been groomed for the spot, is easier to get along with than his predecessor (Sen. Joseph Bruno) and is from Long Island. But this isn't about my interests. (I am just stating them so no one can say I had an altierior motive in writing this post)It is about the future of the Democrats in the State Senate. The Senate change will move power in the Senate to the cities and away from upstate and Long Island. It will focus all three players in Albany politics in the hands of the Dems, and in a month or so, Patterson is to name the chief judge of the State Courts too. Further, with another census about to come (2010 is a census year) Dems can control the district lines giving them the opportunity to control NYS Politics in the Legislature for more than the next 50 years.
So far, the Senate Democrats look like a bad circus led by a clown. I don't doubt however, that David Patterson, a strong politician and the Governor, will put this together. How he does it, I have no idea yet (He may need to move Smith into his administration and give the Pres. Pro Tem to Senator Klein, a far more savvy pol than Smith in my humble opinion, but the end of this is far from in sight.
I will be back in Albany next week working right next door to the zoo. I will let you know what I hear.
Announcing The Tony(c) Awards : That Lawyer Dude Honors His Favorite Blogs and Podcasts. Today We Honor The Agitator Blog
Over the course of the next 21 days I will be slowly, tantalizingly rolling out the Tony(c) Awards. Instead of one big post on all my favorites, I do it the way the Nobel Committee does it, over the course of a few days. Why?
1. It gives me a lot of posts and one never knows when I will announce another so maybe I will coerce a few potential winners into reading and commenting on the blog over the last few weeks of the year, and
2. It is my award and I can
Now, less anybody here believe that the (c) is a copyright or that I am laying claim to the Awards that honor Broadway's greatest shows (which btw is a far better show than the Oscars and Grammy's and all the other garbage award shows put together) I am not. It is just that as many of our readership knows I sign off on most of my e-mails with the end TonyC. and since that is my name and my sign off, I thought it would be apt to name these awards that way.
In case anyone is wondering why I of all people should have an award named after me, or better why anyone should care who I think blogged best this year, I will point you to this post by one of my Blogging mentors Dennis Kennedy who each year gives out his Blawggies. (Find it in the 12-26-04 post at the end.)
Now if you don't want to read the blogs I read, or if you think this is a bad idea, or a good idea, give out your own awards and give a link to a deserving blog or blogger.
For my First Tony(c) Award 2008, I am going to give a big Shout out to:(Cue the drum roll please)
The Agitator which is my favorite blog about Politics. If you aren't reading Radley Balko you ought to be. He is intelligent, conservative, and he is controversial without being shrill (Malkin you listening??). Most importantly he is funny. Funny is a good thing. I like a blog that can make me laugh and think at the same time.
So the very First Tony(c) award goes to Cato Institute and Reason Magazine's favorite bad boy The Agitator,and its real life voice Radley Balko.
PS. Help Radley to keep blogging buy the button/magnet shown on the top of this post by clicking here and following the instructions. It only costs a couple of dollars. Come on the kid needs to eat.
Inspector General Finds Health Dept. Investigator Stomps on Rights of the Accused: Forget the Miranda Violations HE IS A PARKING VIOLATOR TOO!!!
This story is sad. We have an investigator in the NYS Health Dept. (which oversees the Dispensing of drugs) who has a thing for pain killer lollipops. He also has a thing for violating the civil rights of people he arrests. (He goes after Docs who write bad scripts and patients who try to use forged prescriptions). He actually told one poor guy who demanded a lawyer "We NEVER had this conversation". Thanks to the poor management and convoluted reporting of the Dept. this out of control maniacal investigator ran the local Manhattan office using fear as his main weapon. Everyone there was afraid of him.
So how did it come to an end? How did it come that the Inspector General finally stepped in and ended this Reign of Terror??
Turns out the guy abused his parking pass privileges one too many times, came to the attention of a reporter at the NY Times and viole` he was brought down faster than Marie Antoinette's head hit the basket.
Moral of the story?: NEVER screw with the Parking Meter Lady.
BTW Prosecutors are now looking at the cases this guy brought to see if anyone was wrongfully convicted... I bet I know how that will turn out.
Photo Credit: www.phawker.com
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