Joe Bruno's greatest hits

(The Spitzer tracks)

No. 3) Late winter, 2007. Tension is rising between Senate Majority Joe Bruno and the new governor, Eliot Spitzer, although it has not yet reached toxic Troopergate levels. Fred Dicker has just broken the story about how Spitzer, in a phone conversation browbeating Assembly Minority Leader Jim Tedisco, described himself as a f****** steamroller. There is a full house for a Bruno press conference in Room 332 of the Capitol. Someone asks him about the Dicker story, and Joe goes into a riff about how he was using a steamroller on his farm in Brunswick to try to flatten a hill, and it turned over on him. The roomful of politicians, reporters, political aides, lobbyists and associated hangers-on cracks up. Bruno moves on, but then returns to the farm steamroller riff and how there are better ways to get the job done, again setting off gales of laughter.

No. 2) Spring 2007. Spitzer's budget proposal would have closed four minimum-security prisons. As a budget deal nears with the Legislature, the correction officers union rallies on the steps of the Capitol's east side. As the majority leader makes his way to the podium to address the crowd, the prison guards start chanting, "Bruno, Bruno, Bruno." He tells them a deal has been reached to keep the prisons open, and they roar their appreciation. (The prisons closed this year, with Bruno and the Republican Senate majority gone.)

No. 1) Mid-winter 2008. The NYRA franchise has expired, Spitzer is recommending it get a new one, but there are other bidders and Bruno is not yet on board. I get an interview with the majority leader at the Capitol, and wrote at the time: “ '[Spitzer] figures people like you are going to get me to sweat,' Bruno said to a reporter, smiling as he headed back to his office. 'I’m not sweating,' said the shirtsleeved Senate leader, raising his arms to demonstrate." As his criminal trial winds down at Albany's federal courthouse, I still haven't seen him sweat.

Comments

[Brian]

At the end of the day, what Bruno did is not fundamentally different than what big-shot lawyer Silver and countless other legislators do. It's much more an indictment of Albany that the culture of corruption is tolerated with basically no oversight (short of the vocal but mostly powerless GooGoos). I think it's a lot shadier that Bruno got a job as a high-powered lobbyist literally days after resigning his senate seat... like he and so many other legislators and staffers have done over the years. That's a lot more dubious if you ask me.

[Brian]

http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wamc/news.newsmain/article/1/0/1581219/WAMC.New.York.News/Vote.Battle.Holds.Up.Results.In.NY.Again

You (rightly) make a big deal about the prospect of soldiers' votes not being counted. I hope you'll make an issue of attempts to exclude non-soldiers' votes.