Bipartisan New York

The Republican-controlled Senate chamber was full of Assembly Democrats today, watching one of their own, RoAnn Destito, being lauded by senators from both parties and unanimously confirmed as commissioner of the Office of General Services. Among the guests was a cheerful Speaker Sheldon Silver, who spent most of his time there not with his fellow Democrats but on the majority -- i.e. Republican -- side of the chamber.

After the Assembly members left, the Senate passed a dozen-plus bills on the uncontroversial calendar, all but two sponsored by Republicans. One of the two exceptions dealt with bus maintenance contracts for Madison-Oneida BOCES, and was sponsored by Sen. David Valesky, a member of the Independent Democratic Caucus. The IDC is a four-member group of Democrats who have distanced themselves from the Democratic Conference in order to cooperate with the Republican majority, giving it some breathing room.

The other non-Republican bill was sponsored by Sen. Ruben Diaz and was prompted by New York Times coverage of prostitution near a school in his district. (Democrats Tom Duane and Kevin Parker were the only no votes.) Diaz is an economic liberal but social conservative whose views on gay marriage and abortion are shared by conservative Republicans, but not by the socially liberal IDC. On some abortion-related issues, however, Diaz may be in the minority not just in his party but in the Senate, as demonstrated by committee passage of a so-called emergency contraception bill. Republicans in the 9-8 socially liberal majority were Joe Robach, James Alesi and freshman Mark Grisanti, while freshman Democrat Tim Kennedy was in the socially conservative minority (although he's expected to vote yes on gay marriage). Also voting against the bill was freshman Republican Patty Ritchie. She defeated socially conservative Democtraty Darrel Aubertine, which seems to make that district a wash on social issues. (The Assembly, meanwhile, seems to be becoming marginally less pro-choice. While on a less controversial issue, everyone in New York is happy to take federal money for rail projects. Some Republican governors have turned down the funding, but in New York it was Joe Bruno's Senate Republicans who kept rail capital projects alive when the executive branch was indifferent, and Gov. Cuomo's current initiative -- like his Cabinet appointments -- will likely get bipartisan support.)

Last session, Diaz was one the four "amigos" who asserted some independence from the then majority Democratic conference (not so much on social issues, on which the amigos were a mixed bag). Two of the amigos temporarily deprived the Democrats of their then majority, but neither was re-elected. The survivors of the four amigos are Diaz and Sen. Carl Kruger, who is currently under indictment on corruption charges. He and a Senate Democratic lawyer spent a long time chatting in the lobby after session today with Marty Connor, a sometime lawyer for the Democratic conference who formerly served as its leader, before he was ousted in a primary by Dan Squadron. Connor was on the Senate floor earlier, and I observed he and Squadron perfunctorily shaking hands.

 

Comments

[Brian]

Seems like your more interested in make sure everyone's labelled and tagged in "your" camp or the "other" than in actually discussing the issue(s) in question.

[Bob Conner]

Sometimes reporting seems more useful than "discussing the issue(s) in question," but it's true I share the New York consensus in favor of accepting federal money to upgrade rail service.

[Brian]

It was at least as much about slapping approving and disapproving labels on the characters than about reporting.