What Klein delivered for progressives, and what he didn’t
Jimmy Vielkind
ALBANY—The optics were unmistakable, and obviously crafted: Senate Independent Democratic Conference leader Jeff Klein, shoulder to shoulder with union-backed progressive advocates who just nine months ago were getting arrested outside his office as they denounced him as a sell-out.
As leader of the five-member breakaway faction that allied with Republicans to form the chamber's governing coalition (and keep Democrats from assuming the control that should have accompanied their mathematical majority), Klein has been justifying the partnership since it formed in 2012 as a win for progressives, rather than as a means of self-empowerment.
In the last week, he flexed some muscle, pushing for action on the DREAM Act, public campaign finance and funding for a pre-kindergarten expansion that New York City mayor Bill de Blasio has pushed for.
The result was mixed, and the consensus is that it's too early to say if Klein has sufficiently delivered to give himself electoral cover. But he's won some potentially important praise.
http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/albany/2014/03/8541984/what-klein-delivered-progressives-and-what-he-didnt