Albany's binary logic

The recent special session has been widely and accurately described as an example of dysfunctional state government, and as a tactical win for Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos, R-Rockville Centre. That's because Skelos, in what are probably the waning weeks of the Republican majority, avoided offending the special interests by going along with any budget cuts, but offered to bring Gov. David Paterson's budget-cutting bill to the floor for a vote. Paterson turned down the offer, nobody voted on anything, and everyone left town without accomplishing anything.
Skelos was widely criticized for cynicism, and there is some justice to the charge. Republicans, especially in the Senate, have become every bit as resistant to spending restraint and in hock to unions and other special interests as Democrats, and there are no fiscal conservatives in Albany. But Paterson was equally cynical and cowardly in not calling Skelos' bluff. He should have let the measure be put to a vote, and if, as is probable, it went down, he should have kept the Legislature in session until it did something.
That is what happened in Washington when the financial crisis broke. The original bailout bill was defeated in the House of Representatives, with Republicans and Democrats on both sides of the vote. Then it was porked up in the Senate, and the new version made it through the House.
Larding up anything is not what New York needs, but it could use some democracy. Reformers periodically pay lip service to that, but that's all. As both Paterson and Senate Minority Leader Malcolm Smith, D-Queens, made clear, they could not conceive of anything other than the usual pattern of the leaders stitching up a deal in advance, to be rubber-stamped on the floors of both houses. Albany never sees meaningful bipartisan alliances outside the leaders' control.

Lyndon Johnson reportedly said Gerald Ford was so dumb he couldn't walk and chew gum at the same time. Albany can't handle government and democracy together, which is why last year's supposed budget reform act has turned out to be a dead letter. All it can do is govern badly and undemocratically.

Comments

[Brian]

Well said.

As flawed as Washington is, at least rank and file members have some role in its processes.